The Imperial Conference opened at the Foreign Office on Tuesday.
Mr. Asquith, who presided, said that two things in the British Empire were unique in the history of great political aggregations—the reign of law, so that the King's writ ran anywhere throughout the Empire, and the combination of local autonomy with loyalty to a common Head. As central- ization was seen to be increasingly absurd disintegration was felt to be increasingly impossible. After touching on the various forms of closer Imperial union which have been proposed, he said that it would be a mistake to forfeit the elasticity of our system, and we must never lose sight of the vital principle of Ministerial responsibility to Parliament Next he described the progress made in Imperial Defence, and praised the spirit of Canada and Australia in founding. Dominion Fleets. The Committee of Imperial Defence would discuss these matters at meetings at which the Prime Ministers of the Dominions and their military and naval Ministers would be present. Sir Wilfrid Laurier moved an address to the King assuring him of the devotion of all parts of the Empire, and this was unanimously adopted.
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