§ MR. LAIDLAW (Renfrewshire, E.)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the undertaking given by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer in this House, on May 6th, 1902,† that the projected transfer of the Imperial Institute to the nation would impose no financial charge on the Exchequer, unless further duties, not at present contemplated, should be imposed on the Commercial Department of the Board of Trade; whether such further duties in connection with the Institute have been imposed on the Board of Trade; and what has been the aggregate, direct and indirect cost, if any, to the nation of the Imperial Institute since its transfer.
† See (4) Debates, cvii., 802.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. LLOYD-GEORGE, Carnarvon Boroughs)I am aware of the statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1902, to which the hon. Member refers. Since the Imperial Institute Transfer Act, the work of the Imperial Institute has considerably increased, which has thrown additional duties of supervision upon the Board of Trade, but there has been no cost to the Imperial Exchequer in consequence. A grant of £300 a year for four years has lately been placed at the disposal of the Board of Trade by Treasury for researches with regard to cotton cultivation within the Empire, and these researches have been carried on through the Scientific and Technical Department of the Imperial Institute.