§ 45. Major GLYNasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Overseas Trade Department whether the list of His Majesty's trade commissioners and Imperial trade correspondents, as published in the Board of Trade Journal, may be revised in such a manner as to ensure, in so far as the Crown Colonies and Protectorates are concerned, that these duties are undertaken by specially qualified gentlemen who are not already engaged in official positions as civil servants of the local Governments, and who can render to the Department of Overseas Trade the fullest and most complete quarterly reports of all branches of trade, commerce, and industry of each of the Crown Colonies; and whether the Government and the Crown agents could devise some better and more efficient method of making known to the public the great prospects which are offered to emigrants and to traders in these territories?
§ Sir P. LLOYD-GREAME (Secretary, Overseas Trade Department)I regret that the adoption of the suggestion made by my hon. Friend in the first part of his question would involve increased expenditure on a scale which is at the present time impracticable. Improvements are being effected in the annual reports rendered by Colonial and Protectorate Governments with a view to making them of greater use to traders. As regards openings for settlers in the Colonies and Protectorates, I understand that full information is given in the handbooks issued by the Overseas 683 Settlement Committee or can be obtained from the Committee's office.