BRITISH TRADE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1407, 6 April 1912, Page 5

BRITISH TRADE.

AN IMPERIAL COMMISSION. ITS PERSONNEL. SIR JOSEPH WARD A MEMBER. By Telegraph-Prose AGSociation-Oopyright London, April 3. Mr. Lewis Ifarcourt, Secretary of State for tlio Colonies, announced in tho House of Commons tho personnel of tho Xrado of tho Empire. Commission, It is as follows:Lord INCHCAPE, partner in the merchant firms of MacKinnon, Mnekenzie, and Co., Calcutta, Bombay and Kurrachec; and of Gray, Dawes, and Co., London. Lord Inchcapo will bo chairman of tho Commission. Sir EDGAR VINCENT, ex-Governor of the Imperial Ottoman Bank and one timo M.P. for Exeter. Sir CHARLES OWENS, general manager of tho London and SouthWestern Railway. Mr. RIDER HAGGARD, the novelist, who has sat on several Commissions. Mr. T. GARNETT, of Manchester. Mr. W. LORIMER, of Glasgow. Tho lion. G. E. I'OSTER, Canadian Minister of Trade and Commerce. Mr. BOWRING, to represent Newfoundland. Sir 3OSEPIT WARD, ox-Prime Minister of New Zealand. Sir DAVID DE V. GRAAF, Minister for Public Works and Posts and Telegraphs, South Africa. Mr. D. CAMPBELL (Australia). The Secretary to tho Commission -will l>3 Mr. W. A." Robinson, of tho Colonial Office. Mr. Harcourt said ho hoped tho Commission's inquiry would lx> concluded boforel next Imperial Conference 'personnel of the commission, opposition criticism. (Roe. April i, 10.25 p.m.) London, April I. The "Times" states that tho Opposition are surprised at the composition of tho Trade of the Empire Commission. The Opposition considers that tho Government has not adopted the understanding that tho personnel would bo of the first importance and impartial, and complains Hint statesmen liko Lord Grey and Lortl B'llfour, of Burleigh, have not been asked (o act on the Commission. Several of thoso appointed, it is contended, are fiscal extremists, or insufficiently trained in matters of trade and commerce. BRIEF BIOGRAPHIES. Lord Inchcapo, of Strathnaver, was elevated to the peerage in 1911. Previously, as Sir .las. Lyle Mackay, he was a member of the Legislative Council of tho Viceroy of India, from lffll to ISM. Ho has been a director of the Suez Canal, British India Steam Navigation Co., and National Provident Bank of England, and a member of tho Council of India wnce 1897. Lord Ineheape served on the Committee appointed By tho Imperial Government, to inquire into the question of inereasimr the commercial intelligence provided by the Board of Trade (183S-99). On behalf of tlie British Government he negotiated and signed a new commercial treaty with China in 1902. Ho has also been a member of many important bodies, other than those mentioned, appointed to conduct inquiries connected with commerce-, railways, shipping laws, etc. Tho firm in which Lord luchcape is a partner has establishment in several of the principal cities of'lmlia. Lord 'In'chciipe was born at Arbroath, Forfarshire, in 1552. Sir Edgar Vincent was born at Slinfold, Sussex, in lSf>7. After a brief military career, ho became private secretary to Lord E. Fitzmaurice, Commissioner for Iva-itern Roumolia, in 18S0. lie was assistant to her Majesty's Commissioner for Evacuation of Territory ceded to Greece by Turkey in ISSI. In the fallowing, year he was appointed British, Belgian, and Dutch representative on the Council of the Ottoman public debt, and in ISS3 president of the Council of the Ottoman public debt. Pram 18S3 to 18S3, Sir Edgar Vincent was Financial Adviser to tho Egyptian Government. From ISS9 to 1897 ho was Governor of the Imperial Ottoman Bank at Constantinople. Ho reprcspnted Exeter, in tho Conservative interest, from 1899 to 1906. Sir Charles John Owens was born in 1845, and was knighted in 1902. He has been general manager of tho London and South-Western Railway sinco IS9B. He is a Lieut-Colonel in the Engineer and Railway Staff Corps, and a member of tho War Railway Council;" , Mr. Henry Rider Haggard, who was born in 185G, is best known ns a writer of popular stories, but ho has filled various diplomatic and other official appointments, mostly in tho Transvaal, and was admitted as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn in ISSI. Ho has also been a.member of various commissions. Mr. Rider Ha.ggard journeyed through England investigating agricultural conditions in 1001 and 1902, and was British Government Commissioner to report on Salvation Army settlements in tho United State?, etc., in 11103. Ho was a member and chairman of tho Reclamation and Unemployed _ Labour Committee of the Royal Commission ou Coast Erosion and Afforestation. LOCAL SECRECY. TWO RETICENT PRIME MINISTERS. For somo reason tho New Zealand Government maintained strict secrecy about Iho appointment of its representative upon tho Imperial Trade Commission. Presumably this attitude was based upon local considerations, ■ for other Governments represented mado no mystery of tho matter. The Canadian representative was appointed months ago, and a cablogram from Melbourne, printed on March •t. stated that Mr. Donald Campbell, of South Australia, a Labour ox-member of tho Australian House of Representatives, had been appointed as the Commonwealth's representative. More than a month ago-Tin: Dominion mentioned a report, that Sir .lo«eph Ward would bo appointed to the Trade Commission. Kepeared attempts were nuulo to obtain a statement on tho subject from tho lute Prime Minister, but they uniformly failed, niul tli!> Hon. 'J'. Mackenzie, sinco ho became Primp Minister, has been equally uncommunicative. On March i> a Dominion reporter who ;«quira'.' at tho Primo Minister's .office was informed that tho matter of tho representation of Now Zealand upon tho Imperial Trade Commission was under consideration, but that nothing in regard to it was available for publication. Upon tho night of March 28, when the new Cabinet was sworn in, a question was addressed to Sir Joseph 'Ward himself, in regard (n tho commission, but ho adhered to his previous attitude of reticence.

STATEMENT BY THE PREMIER. Tho Hon. T. Mackenzie (Prime Minister) stated on Thursday (lint his Cabinet hiid asked Sir Joseph Ward to nllow himself to be nominated, and ho was pleased b say that tho latter had consented, with Iho result that New Zealand would linvo for that special work its most highly qualified and experienced man on tho most important commission Hint had ever been held in tho interests of the Empire. Tho position carried no salary for any of the representatives, expenses onlv being mid. Mr. Mackenzie said ho felt confident tho trado of tho Empire must bo enormously benefited bv tho work of the. commission, and Now Zealand would, ho was sure, l>o proud to have, so distinguished and capable a representative on it. SIR JOSEPH WARD'S INTENTIONS. Sir Joseph Ward stated for publication on Thursday that, when ho decided to accept a position on tho commission, ho felt Hint tliero was vory important work which could bo done by that body in the general intcresU of the Empire. "It will not interfere with my position aa a member of Iho Jlnuse of Representatives," ho continued, "it is not my intention, as n result of tho appointment, to retire from jmblio life in New Zealand. I understand it ia very probable, that tho commission will Bit in Now Zealand and Australia first." Sir Joaopli Ward also laid that he thouaht Uμ work of tho pomniiesion .jrjmlAJalaijLliont tiro jjjwfc