IMPERIAL ECONOMIC COMMITTEE.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20085, 14 November 1930, Page 11

IMPERIAL ECONOMIC COMMITTEE.

PROGRESS REPORT.

INVESTIGATIONS SINCE 1926.

(FROM OVTR OWS COKEBSTONDEST.) LONDON, October S. The Imperial Economic Committee appointed by the Governments of - the United Kingdom, the Dominions, India, and the Colonies and Protectorates have now issued a report recording the progress of the work entrusted to them. New Zealand is represented on this Committee by the High Commissioner (ex-officio) and Mr E. S. Forsyth (London representative of the Meat Producers' Board). In 1926 the Imperial Conference expressed the opinion that the" Imperial Economic Committee should continue on its ad' hoc basis -with the following general references:— (1) To complete the series of investigations into the marketing of Empire foodstuffs in Great Britain, and while this work is proceeding (2) To put forward for the consideration of the various Governments concerned

(a) A list of raw materials for possible further marketing enquiries, and

(b) Suggestions for the -preparation and circulations of, brief, preliminary, surveys as suggested by the economic sub-committee of the Conference, of any branch of Empire trade and marketing, such preliminary surveys, if the Governments concerned bo desire, to be followed up by further enquires. Sixteen reports, which fall into four categories—general, food products, raw materials, and trade surveys—; have so far been completed and submitted by the Committee. In the present review these reports are summarised, and comments are made upon them. In the food products category, for instance, the subjects dealt with were* Meat, fruit, dairy produce, fish, poultry, eggs and honey, pigs and pig products, and tobacco. There are three suggestions iof a general nature (says the Committee) to which we may, perhaps, justifiably call attention as emerging from our enquiries. Ia the first place, producers

in the different parts of the.Umpire require. information as to'what itf takihg place -in their - several trades beyond their immedate ken. . Early of some of, this information, such as seasonal; crop prospects, movement of crops, changes in marketing methods, tariffs, export or import regulations, is needed, if it is to be of practical value. In the organised wholesale trades private initiative 1 supplies part at least of this want. But the trade circulars so prepared do not for' the most part reach -producers and are, moreover, prepared for distribution in particular circles. There are also the various and valuable returns published by both Empire and foreign Governments. But these returns from their very completeness are necessarily as a., rule belated,, when regarded as: trade intelligence for the 'guidance of producers faced with alternatives of action. An Intelligence Service. \ ' Other information serving-a .different purpose is of value to producers who contemplate, the investment of capital . in- new developments , and accordingly desire to an idea of the future demand for the product they propose to cultivate. • To enable them to form a judgment, they require, for their particular product, a review setting forth the production and in . the different countries of the world and • the developments in sight.. We think that it is worth consideration whether on an Empire lbasis an Intelligence Service might., not. be organised which would aim at promptitude "and such reasonable accuracy as would meet the requirements of practical men. Such an Intelligence Service would have to be organised trade by trade. Empire Standards. In the second place; we desire to express our opinion that, the creation and assimilation of Empire standards in. regard to many trades, both of primary production and manufacture, should greatly simplify the promotion of inter-Imperial trade. As we progress

with our new; function of supplying preliminary trade surveys, we are. more and more impressed with this require* ment.

In the third place, we repeat the hope that under the lead of the Economic Organisation of the League of Nations further steps should be takes, to secure that trade statistics