§ MR. HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, If advantage will be taken of the presence in the mother country, during the forthcoming Colonial Exhi- 1501 bition, of many leading statesmen and representatives of our Australasian, Canadian, and South African brethren, to assemble a Conference, under the official auspices of Her Majesty's Government, to inquire into the practicability of Imperial Federation, and so formulate, if possible, proposals for the consideration of the Imperial and Colonial Parliaments, calculated to strengthen the ties uniting the British people, and to consolidate the Governments of their Territories for such Imperial purposes as defence, commerce, and Foreign affairs, while reserving local legislative independence for all portions of the Empire now separately administered; and, in such case, if notice thereof will be telegraphically transmitted to the several Governors, for the information of their Ministers, that the most fitting delegates may be selected?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. E. GLADSTONE) (Edinburgh, Mid Lothian)We should be very sorry to omit any opportunity which appeared to afford an opening for strengthening in any way the relations of the Colonies with this country; and I need not say that subjects of that kind are constantly under consideration—as, for instance, the subject of defence at the present time; but I do not perceive that the occasion referred to by the hon. Member could be turned to account in the way he proposes. I do not think we should take measures for assembling a Conference for the purpose of considering the subject of Federation unless we were prepared to lay before them a plan. They would have considerable ground of complaint if we had not such a plan. We have no such plan to lay before them, and therefore cannot agree to the suggestion of the hon. Member.