§ Sir GEORGE KEMPasked whether, in view of the interest excited amongst the shipping and commercial community by the Declaration of London, and of the importance of a sound judgment being arrived at as to the advisability of the ratification by Parliament of the Declaration, he would cause a translation into English to be prepared of the Blue Book (Miscellaneous), No. 5, 1009 [Cd. 4555], being The Proceedings of the International Naval Conference held in London, December, 1908, to February, 1909, which volume is entirely in the French language?
Mr. McKINNON WOODIt is in accordance with precedent that the full reports of the proceedings of international conferences which are conducted in the French language are laid before Parliament in their original version. This was notably done in the case of the two Peace Conferences of 1899 and 1907. The principal papers respecting the work of the London Naval Conference have, however, been translated into English, and will be found included in the Blue Book (Miscellaneous) No. 4, 1909 [Cd. 4554]. As was stated in reply to a similar question in this House on June 23rd, 1908, to furnish a complete translation of all the protocols of such Conferences, with the papers annexed thereto, would involve considerable labour, and would require an addition to the staff of the Foreign Office, for which there does not seem to be any real occasion, in view of the fact that the principal papers have been translated.