REPORT,
5
Colonial Office Circular to Colonies.
Communications were also addressed to the India Office and the Colonial
Office, asking them to call the attention of the Indian and Colonial
Governments, respectively, to the establishment of the Branch and the
nature of its functions, and forwarding copies of the same notice with
a view to their distribution among all the Chambers of Commerce in the
British Dependencies. As a result, a circular was sent by the Colonial
Office to all the Colonial Governments, inviting their assistance in rendering
the work of the Intelligence Branch as useful as possible to all concerned,
and suggesting not only the prompt transmission home of information
of a commercial nature, especially as regards changes in tariffs and in
legislation affecting trade, but also the nomination of an officer in each Colony
charged with the duty of receiving and answering inquiries from the Branch
or from merchants and others applying direct. A copy of this circular
is annexed (Appendix B.). This circular was in the first instance sent
to the High Commissioner for Canada and the A gents-General in London
of the various other self-governing Colonies, who generally replied expressing
sympathy with the objects aimed at, and stating that they had communicated
with their Governments upon the matter. The Committee understand that
the Indian Government have the matter under their consideration.
Appointment of a Colonial Representative on the Committee.
The replies from the High Commissioner for Canada and the Agent-General
for Tasmania suggested, in addition, that there should be some
direct representation of Colonial interests on the Advisory Committee. The
Secretary of State for the Colonies was consequently invited by the Board
of Trade to nominate two or more gentlemen conversant with commercial
and industrial affairs in the Colonies whom the Board might appoint as
members of the Committee. In the result the Lord Strathcona and
Mount Royal was appointed to be a member of the Committee in July 1901.
The question of the appointment of further Colonial Members on the Committee,
representative respectively of Australasian and South African interests,
had to be deferred for future consideration. We attach considerable importance
to this matter, and we would suggest that, in the event of its being proposed
to continue the Advisory Committee in force after the expiration of its first
term of five years, it would be desirable to strengthen it in this direction.
Colonial Officers designated to answer Inquiries.
The replies received from the various Crown Colonies to the circular
referred to above were of a very satisfactory character, indicating a
considerable amount of interest in the scheme of work undertaken by the
Intelligence Branch. Compliance with the request as to the transmission
of commercial information was arranged for, and officers were nominated
in each Colony to undertake the duty of receiving and answering commercial
inquiries addressed to them either directly or through the Intelligence
Branch. A complete list of these agents is given in Appendix C.
Business of the Intelligence Branch.
At this point reference should be made to the progress and development
of the Intelligence Branch during the period covered by this Report.
Foremost among the activities of the Branch should be mentioned
the preparation and publication of the “ Board of Trade Journal,” the
official medium for communicating commercial information to the trading
public. Prior to 1900 the “ Journal " was issued monthly by the Commercial
Department of the Board of Trade, but on the establishment of the
Branch a suggestion of the Departmental Committee of 1897-8 to make it
a weekly publication was acted upon, and the first weekly number appeared
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