CHAP. 111] THE CONFERENCE OF 1911 1557 
Government from offering any concession regarding the pay- 
ment of double income-tax or of double death-duties, or the 
remission of stamp duties levied on Colonial bonds. The 
proposal of the Imperial Government that the Labour 
Exchanges should be used in connexion with emigration to 
the Dominions failed of acceptance owing to a hesitation 
as to the proposal by the Dominion ministers which proved 
impossible to remove. Resolutions were passed in favour of 
greater uniformity in the matter of trade-marks, copyright, 
and patents law, but such resolutions are now common 
form, and it is doubtful whether much can be accomplished 
bo carry them into effect unless the Dominions are pre- 
pared in these matters to accept the Imperial standards, 
and this they have not all yet shown much readiness to do. 
Similar considerations apply to the resolution which was 
adopted in favour of the mutual enforcement throughout 
the Empire of judgements including commercial arbitration 
awards, especially as the matter is not one which can be dealt 
with either by the Parliament of the Dominion of Canada or 
the Parliament of the Commonwealth, but must be left to such 
action as may commend itself to the Parliaments of the States 
and Provinces not directly represented on the Conference. 
The discussion of the Declaration of London clearly showed 
the disadvantages under which the Dominion ministers suffer 
in dealing with such a subject. The Imperial Government 
were in this case inevitably superior in the understanding of 
the issues in question, and no argument was advanced by 
Dominion ministers which had not been already put forward, 
and with greater effect, by critics in the United Kingdom. 
Sir Edward Grey had therefore no difficulty in meeting 
the arguments adduced by the Dominion ministers and in 
obtaining the assent of all the Dominions (Australia abstain- 
ing) to the ratification of the Declaration, and Mr. Fisher, 
though unable consistently to vote for the ratification, said 
that he fully realized that, despite its defects, the Declaration 
was a great improvement on the existing state of affairs. The 
opponents of the Declaration did not feel that the situation 
was materially altered by the assent of the Premiers, since,