Sir Edward Grey recently presided over a meeting of leading
Liberals interested in Colonial affairs, including Mr. Haldane, Mr. Asquith, Mr. Sydney Buxton, Mr. Emmett, Mr. Runciman, Mr. Russell Rea, Sir Charles Mice, and Mr. Trevelyan, which agreed that the policy of holding Conferences between the Home Government and the Governments of the Colonies and India required development, and that the form which the machinery of such development should assume should be discussed in the House of Commons, with a view to its consideration in such Conference. It was further agreed to adopt Sir Frederick Pollock's scheme for the collection of information bearing on the general interests of the Empire between such Conferences, and that means be devised for more systematic and frequent consultation amongst the responsible representatives of different parts of the dominions of the Crown. A ridiculous effort has been made to represent this meeting as indicating a revolt of Imperialist Liberals from the main body of the party on the question of Colonial Conferences.
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