§ Major ARCHER-SHEEasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will consider the advisability of inviting some of the more important Crown Colonies and Dependencies to appoint visiting Trade Commissioners who could bring before the commercial community of this country the capabilities of their respective Colonies for providing raw materials and other products, in view of the fact that the United Kingdom only received 32.8 per cent. of the exports from these parts of the Empire in the year 1910?
§ The SECRETARY of STATE for the COLONIES (Mr. Harcourt)There are already several organisations in this country, both of a public and of a semipublic character, which endeavour to promote the use of the commercial resources of the Crown Colonies and Protectorates and to bring them to the notice of the trade interests in this country. In the circumstances I do not consider that any useful purpose would be served by the adoption of the hon. Member's proposal.
§ Major ARCHER-SHEEDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think it worth while to spend a few thousands of pounds to capture a trade worth £68,000,000?
§ Mr. HARCOURTIt is not a question of economy. I believe the work is efficiently done by the bodies I have already mentioned.
Sir GILBERT PARKERAre we to understand that none of the Crown Colonies have any official representative in any of these organisations which are supposed to assist in developing the commercial relations between the Colonies and this country?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI am not quite sure what definition the hon. Member would give of "official representative." We certainly have representatives on some of these bodies to which I was alluding—the West India Committee, the Asociation of Malay States, various chambers of commerce, like the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, which has a West African section, and the Imperial Institute.
Sir G. PARKERHas any Crown Colony or Dependency a trade commission, as we understand a trade commission?
§ Mr. HARCOURTNo; I think not.
§ Mr. HARRY LAWSONHave any of those associations an official status?
§ Mr. HARCOURTI should say none has an official status, except perhaps the Imperial Institute.
Sir HERBERT ROBERTSasked whether the Royal Commission to inquire into the trade of the Empire would include a representative of India?
§ Mr. HARCOURTThe answer is in the negative, for the reason that the Resolution under which the Royal Commission is to be appointed related only to the parts of the Empire represented at the Conference, and did not therefore include India or the Crown Colonies.