The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-06-03
CONFERENCE
 WILL BE SECRET I
Dutch Government Leaves Pro- gramme te Representatives
DAILY OFFICIAL BULLETIN
General Plan of The Hague Confer ence Will Duplicate Former Sessions-May Last Three
 Months.

The Hague, June 2.-Tlfe- general zzS 6 of the proceedings at the second fNyr. conference probably will follow cle e
 procedure of the first congress c 2 n 1899. Practically nothing has Q .ed out in advance. The Dutch. lent,
 realizing that the representa-. of the forty-slx powers which will assemble here June b, must be complete masters of the situation has refrained from in any way attempting to control the procedure. It simply offers its hospitality to the confer- ence. The same is true of Russia. AL though the Czar was the Aladdin, who rubbed the lamp and summoned the genil, once called in, they are entirely beyond his control.
 Dr. Jonkheer, D. A. W. Xantets, Van l Goudrain, the Dutch minister for foreign affairs, will make an address of well come. Then 1t will remain for the confer ence to decide how it will proceed.
 It is safe to assume. however, that tho general line of procedure of the former conference will be duplicated. The first thing In order will be the appointment of committees to consider the various sub | jects inscribed upon the resolution pro- gramme. These will hardly number more than five. Unless the question of the re- l duction or limitation of ornaments is in- jected into the proceedings at the outset, in which event the main struggle may be | at once precipitated, the plenary body probably will not meet again for ten days l or a fortnight, in order that the com mittees may have an opportunity to pre- | ma Tn araI it Is not expected that the full confer ence will meet more than once a week until the work of the committee justifies the more frequent sessions
 The opening session, it Is expected, will be public to the extent at least of admit ting few distinguished guests and press representatives, but the sessions of tile conference and of the committees will | be secret
 The question of giving out a public statement of the progress made will be l decided by the conference itself.
 ! In 1899 Russie attempted to shroud the proceedings in mystery and secrecy, but after fortnight 1t was found that this course led to the publication of so many mischievous rumors that several semi-of- ! nclal statements were 1SSued IhiS year many of the delegates, realizing the ad- vantage of stopping the mouths of the sensation mongers, favor the issuance, ] daily if possible, of a brief semi official | statement. The French language, as in 1 1899 will be the official language of the conference. although the advent of the 1 South Americans and the growing influ- ences of English may lead to some relax ation of the rule with regard to the de- | bates, and may result in a compromise such as was arranged at the peace con ference at Portsmouth, whereby the prot ocols or minutes were inscribed both in French and English, although the French text was to be regarded as official in case of dispute.
 Minister Hill is extremely anxious that the ceremony of the laying of the cor nerstone of the Palace of Peace, to which Andrew Carnegie has subscribed $1 ,5O0 00O, shall take place before the conference adjourns. The site of the building has been chosen in a park called the Be noordenboutsche Pelder," but plans have not yet been definitely, approved. The lowest estimate of the duration of the conference is six weeks, and this pre- | vailing belief is that it will be in session between two and three months.