§ 10. Mr. ROBINSONasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can state the date on which the next Colonial Office Conference will open; where it will be held; and what steps have already been taken to prepare for it?
§ Sir P. CUNLIFFE-LISTERNo, Sir. I have carefully considered the question of holding another Colonial Office Conference, but I am satisfied that, in present circumstances, it would not be desirable to do so. Most of the Colonies are still seriously affected by the economic depression and their administrations are consequently still faced with problems of exceptional difficulty. I think it undesirable, in these circumstances, that Governors or other high officials should be absent from their posts more than is unquestionably necessary. I have reached this conclusion with the less reluctance, because I have had many opportunities, and hope to have still more in the future, of personal discussions with Governors both during their leave in England and during my own visits to the territories under their administration. I might add that the needs which the conference in London was intended to serve are being met to a considerable extent by the growing practice of holding regional conferences, particularly upon technical subjects, in the Colonies themselves.