LORD ELLENBOROUGHMy Lords, I think it is clue to the House that I should give my reasons for withdrawing the Notice that is down in my name for to-morrow night with reference to the Declaration of London—namely:
To call attention to some of the reasons why the Declaration of London should not be ratified.Since putting this Notice on the Paper I have been informed that a good deal of important correspondence is going on between the Foreign Office and the Associated Chambers of Commerce, and that both parties are agreed that it would be undesirable to have a discussion while this correspondence continued. I regret very much that the discussion of this subject is postponed. as I think there certainly ought to be a debate on it in this House before it is brought up in the other House. In the meantime I would suggest to His Majesty's Government that they might send the Declaration down to Portsmouth to be discussed by the officers going through the war course there, and that those officers should be asked their opinion as to the effect which the Declaration, if strictly carried out, would have on naval 84 strategy in the North Sea, and what could be done to prevent neutral ships, or ships disguised as neutrals, approaching our men-of-war provided the Declaration is strictly adhered to. I would also ask whether any noble Lord on the Government Bench can tell me when it is likely that the correspondence to which I have referred will come to an end, so that the subject may be brought before this House.
§ THE LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL (VISCOUNT MORLEY OF BLACKBURN)My Lords, if I may say so, the noble Lord has acted wisely in suspending—it is not more than that—the Motion which was down on the Paper for to-morrow night. Your Lordships will probably remember that in the debate on the Address my noble friend the Leader of the House said that we proposed to defer consideration of the Declaration until after, or, at all events, during the tune of, the Conference, and we understood by a gesture by the noble Marquess opposite that he did not dissent from that intention. The noble Lord puts the issue too narrowly when he says that we are waiting for the correspondence with the Chambers of Commerce. A much wider set of considerations than that correspondence is affected and has to be taken in view. The noble Lord is mistaken in thinking that there could have been any discussion in another place. What the Government said in answer to questions in the House of Commons was that the matter was under discussion and consideration, and we could say nothing; and I am afraid that would have been the substance of my answer to the noble Lord to-morrow night if he had proceeded with the matter.
§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEMy Lords, the noble Viscount has referred to me, and I am anxious that there should be no misunderstanding as to our position in regard to this matter. I gathered from what I think was said by the noble Earl the Leader of the House that it was intended to bring up the Declaration of London for discussion at the Colonial Conference, and I may have made a gesture which seemed to signify approval of that proposal. But I certainly did not intend to convey the idea that, in my view, the reference of the Declaration of London to the Colonial Conference was in any way to preclude us from discussing the matter in this House 85 should any Peer desire to bring it before your Lordships. I am under the impression, on the contrary, that the matter is likely to be brought up, and I cannot but think that the discussion will be extremely useful.
§ VISCOUNT MORLEY OF BLACKBURNWe may have misinterpreted the gesture of the noble Marquess. There is nothing at all unreasonable in the position he now takes up, and we shall be ready to meet the noble Marquess and his friends when the time comes.
LORD ELLENBOROUGHI may say that 1 think it highly desirable that a discussion should take place in this House, so that the members of the Imperial Conference will be able to read that debate in Hansard before they come to conclusions themselves on arriving in this country.