4

COMMERCIAL  INTELLIGENCE  COMMITTEE  :

of  Lord  Strathcona  and  Mount  Royal,  G.C.M.G.,  as  representing  the  interests
of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  ;  of  Mr.  H.  Llewellyn  Smith,  C.  B.,  who  is  now
Comptroller-General  of  the  Commercial,  Labour,  and  Statistical  Department
of  the  Board  of  Trade  ;  of  Mr.  T.  W.  Ilolderness,  C.S.I.,  who  now  represents
the  India  Office  on  the  Committee  in  the  place  of  the  late  Sir  Charles  Bernard  ;
and  of  Mr.  Algernon  Law,  who  now  represents  the  Foreign  Office  in  the  place
of  Sir  Henry  Bergne.  By  your  Minute  of  the  24th  May  1900  Sir  Alfred
Bateman  was  appointed  Chairman  of  the  Committee  in  succession  to  the  late  Sir
Courtenay  Boyle,  and  Mr.  Llewellyn  Smith  was  appointed  Deputy  Chairman.
The  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Sir  Frederick  Abel,  who  represented  the
Imperial  Institute  prior  to  its  transference  to  the  Board  of  Trade,  has  not
been  filled  up.  The  appointment  of  Lord  Strathcona  was  an  additional  one,
arising  out  of  the  circumstances  mentioned  below.

Functions  of  Committee.
As  will  appear  from  the  Minute  of  Appointment  above  quoted,  the
Committee  was  originally  established  “  for  the  purpose  of  advising  the
“  Board  on  the  work  of  the  Intelligence  Branch  of  the  Commercial,
“  Labour,  and  Statistical  Department.”  The  Branch  itself  was  created  as
a  result  of  the  recommendations  of  a  Departmental  Committee  appointed
by  the  Board  of  Trade  in  1897  to  inquire  and  report  as  to  the  best  means
of  collecting  and  promptly  disseminating  accurate  information  on  commercial ­
  matters,  and  of  collecting  and  exhibiting  samples  of  goods  of  foreign
origin  competing  with  similar  British  goods.  This  Committee,  among
other  recommendations,  suggested  “the  establishment  of  an  office,  “  whose
“  function  it  shall  be  to  meet  the  constantly  increasing  demand  for  prompt
“  and  accurate  information  on  commercial  matters,  so  far  as  it  can  be
“  met  by  Government  action,”  and  that  the  duties  of  such  an  office  should
include  the  collection  and  focussing  of  information  on  subjects  of  commercial
interest  in  such  a  way  that  it  should  become  a  centre'  at  which  information
of  this  nature  could  be  readily  obtained  by  manufacturers,  traders,  and
others.  It  was  further  recommended  that  the  duty  of  advising  the  Board  of
Trade  as  to  the  work  of  the  office  should  be  entrusted  to  a  Committee
composed  of  representatives  of  commercial  interests  and  of  various  Government ­
  Departments,  and  that  this  Committee  should  have  placed  at  its
disposal  annually  a  sum  to  be  utilised  for  the  collection  of  commercial
information  by  means  of  commercial  missions  and  other  methods.

Meetings  of  Committee  and  of  Sub-Committees.
In  addition  to  a  number  of  meetings  of  Sub*Committee's,  the  Committee
have  held  thirteen  meetings  for  the  despatch  of  business  and  for  the  consideration ­
  of  certain  specific  matters  referred  to  them  by  the  Board  of  Trade.
The  average  number  of  members  present  has  been  ten  out  of  a  present
membership  of  fourteen.  The  Principal  of  the  Commercial  Intelligence
Branch  has  been  in  attendance  at  all  the  meetings  of  the  full  Committee,
and  statements  respecting  the  constitution,  accommodation,  and  work  of
the  Branch  have  from  time  to  time  been  laid  before  the  Committee.

Advertisement  of  Intelligence  Branch  at  Home  and  in  the  Colonies.
At  the  first  meeting,  held  on  the  14th  June  1900,  the  Committee  took
steps  to  bring  the  existence  of  the  Commercial  Intelligence  Branch  and
the  scope  of  its  work  under  the  notice  of  the  commercial  public  both  in
this  country  and  in  India  and  the  Colonies  more  widely  than  had  previously
been  the  case.  Printed  notices  were,  with  this  object,  sent  to  the  Mayors
of  all  Boroughs  in  the  United  Kingdom  for  distribution  among  traders
and  manufacturers,  and  to  all  Chambers  of  Commerce  for  distribution  among
their  members,  as  well  as  to  all  Free  Libraries.  A  copy  of  the  notice  referred
to  is  annexed  (Appendix  A.).