1504 IMPERIAL UNITY [PART VIII
sentative for each 200,000 of their white population ; that
is, Canada 37, Australia 25, South Africa 7, New Zealand 6,
and Newfoundland 2 members, making a total of 77. The
mode of election was to be left in each case to be determined
by the Dominion in question. The United Kingdom should
elect representatives on the same basis, say 220 members,
and the term for which they were elected should be five
years. In addition, the United Kingdom and each of the
Dominions should elect for such term and in such manner as
it should think fit two representatives to be members of an
Imperial Council of Defence, the functions of the Council to
be in the main consultative and revisory. There would be
an executive of not more than 15 members, of whom not
more than one should be a member of the Senate, and the
functions of the Imperial Parliament of Defence would be
peace and war, treaties and foreign relations generally in
their bearing on Imperial defence, and the providing of the
revenues for the foregoing purposes. For the first ten years
the Parliament should have no power of taxation, but the
amount payable by each of the Dominions should be a debt
payable to the exchequer of the Imperial Parliament of
Defence. At the expiration of ten years such amount should
be raised and paid in such manner as the respective Dominions
agreed to. The amount to be contributed by the overseas
Dominions for Imperial defence and war should be per capita
of population not more than 50 per cent. of the amount
per capita of population contributed by the United Kingdom
for this purpose, but for all other purposes the contributions
should be on an equal per capita basis. He recognized that
his scheme presupposed an alteration in the United Kingdom
to a federal system. He put forward detailed proposals as
to the raising of a revenue in future for naval defence and
the building of a large fleet of Dreadnoughts.
In answer to further questions, Sir Joseph Ward explained
that the executive responsibility with regard to war and
peace would rest with the Executive Council of fifteen, which
would be elected by and responsible to the Parliament
body, and he argued that the large predominance of the