CHAP. V] TREATY RELATIONS 1139 
the Secretary of State by the Governor of New Zealand. 
In a telegram in reply of October 4, 1906,* the Secretary of 
State informed the two Governments that other interests 
than French or British were being created in the New 
Hebrides ; that in order to avoid possible complications it 
had been suggested to the French Government that an 
immediate joint Protectorate should be proclaimed ; that 
the French Government had declined to accept this proposal, 
and pressed for ratification of the draft convention. His 
Majesty’s Government considered that the immediate ratifi- 
cation of the convention was the best course to adopt, but 
they desired to know the views of the two Governments. 
The Governments of both Australia and New Zealand 
declined to advise, being unable to judge either of the possi- 
bility of obtaining amendments or the risk of further delay, 
and they left the responsibility with His Majesty’s Govern- 
ment. The Imperial Government accepted the responsi- 
bility and confirmed the convention, and in a dispatch of 
November 16, 1906.2 the Secretary of State explained at 
length his views both as to the action which bad been taken 
by the Imperial Government, and as to the relations of the 
Governments in matters concerning the Western Pacific. 
The following paragraph emphasizes his views as to the 
alleged inaction of the Imperial authorities :— 
64. In paragraph 10 of his letter Mr. Deakin observes : 
‘ The people of Australia and New Zealand feel that it is en- 
tirely due to the inaction of the Imperial Government that 
this step [i.e. the annexation of the New Hebrides by Great 
Britain] was not taken many years ago.” Your Ministers do 
not specify any particular instance of the ‘inaction’ to 
which they refer, and His Majesty’s Government are not 
concerned to defend at this date the policy adopted by their 
predecessors more than a generation ago. But if it is meant 
to imply that the general policy of His Majesty’s Government 
in the Pacific during the last thirty years has been wanting 
in energy or in desire to meet the wishes of the Australian 
Colonies, I need only refer you to the 9th, 10th, and 11th 
paragraphs of my predecessor’s dispatch of October 31, 
1903, with which my colleagues and I are in full agreement. 
Parl. Pap., Cd. 3288, p. 50. ? Ibid., pp. 53 seq.