CHAP. III] THE CONFERENCE OF 1911 1535
to be said. Sir Wilfrid Laurier said that matters appeared
quite satisfactory. Mr. Batchelor! could only add that
every effort to reduce the 20 per cent. of emigrants who went
outside the Empire would be greatly appreciated, and Sir
Joseph Ward ? felt that if the Dominions received 80 per
cent. of the emigrants it was as much as they could reason-
ably expect. He suggested that the resolution should be
altered to express approval of the policy that was being
pursued, and Mr. Harcourt suggested that the last paragraph,
with regard to the appointment of representatives of the
Dominions on the Emigrants’ Information Office, should be
omitted. He promised that the information issued by that
office should be kept absolutely up to date, while, if repre-
sentatives were introduced as suggested, there might be
difficulty through competition between the representatives
of the different Dominions and States. This proposal was
agreed to, and finally the resolution was passed in the form,
‘That the present policy of encouraging British emigrants
to proceed to British Dominions rather than foreign countries
be continued, and that full co-operation be accorded to any
Dominions desiring emigrants.’
The difficulties of co-operation between Governments in
emigration had been strikingly illustrated just a little earlier.
At the afternoon session on June 2, Mr. Buxton ® moved, on
behalf of the Board of Trade, a resolution in favour of utilizing
the machinery of the United Kingdom system of Labour
Exchanges established in 1909 in connexion with the noti-
ication of vacancies for employment and applications of
persons for employment as between the Dominions and
the United Kingdom.
He explained that applications had been received from
overseas employers for the services of persons to be obtained
from this country, and it was thought that it might be
possible to arrange for effective co-operation between the
Dominion Governments and the Imperial Government, by
requiring that employers in the Dominions should give
t Cd. 5745, p. 202. * Ibid., p. 203.
* Ibid., pp. 153 seq. ; 5746-1, pp. 127-9.
rf2
