§ 5 Major ARCHER-SHEEasked (1) what arrangements have recently 789 been come to with the Governments of Canada and Australia as regards consular representation; (2) if he will lay upon the Table of the House the correspondence with the Governments of Australia and Canada leading up to the recent arrangements for the consular representation of these dominions; and (3) whether South Africa, New Zealand, and Newfoundland will have the same facilities for better consular representation that have been recently arranged for Canada and Australia if they so desire?
§ Mr. ACLANDThe manner in which the Consular service could be organised so as to be of greater assistance to the trade and commerce of the Dominion of Canada was discussed personally with the Canadian Minister of Trade and Commerce during his visit to this country last summer. An arrangement has been come to whereby the Canadian Government will be furnished as soon as published with copies of all Trade reports of Consular officers in districts in which Canada is specially interested. Canadian firms will be at liberty to apply direct to any Consul for information as to possibilities of sale of Canadian products, business methods of the district, best means of get-ting into touch with markets, etc. They will receive all possible assistance in such matters, subject to the condition laid down in the report of the Canadian Minister of Trade that Consuls are primarily commissioned to serve the trade of the United Kingdom. A statement of Canada's commercial and industrial resources and developments will be prepared by the Canadian Government giving a list of chief industries and sources of supply, and indicating questions upon which Canadian merchants and manufacturers desire information. This statement will be revised periodically, and communicated to His Majesty's Consuls. Canadian Trade Commissioners in foreign countries will be at liberty to apply to His Majesty's Consuls for advice and assistance, and arrangements are contemplated for placing resident official Canadian commercial representatives into immediate touch with the British Consul for the locality concerned. Members of the Canadian Commercial service will also be eligible for selection, and entrance to the British Consular service on such terms and conditions as are set for other entrants thereto. His Majesty's Government will always be ready, on request, to consider the extension of this arrangement 790 to the Governments of other of the Oversea Dominions. Useful information respecting the resources of Australia has already, by arrangement with the Commonwealth Government, been supplied to Consular officers in certain localities, so that they may be in a better position to reply to any inquiries addressed to them on the subject.
§ Major ARCHER-SHEEIs it not a fact that a Departmental Committee has recently been investigating the whole question of Consular representation, and if so whether their Report can be laid on the Table?
§ Mr. ACLANDThat is quite a different question. I do not think any Departmental Committee has been going into this sort of thing at all. The Committee has only been inquiring into increases in the Consular service. These arrangements, which I have referred to, were made chiefly in conversation.