WAR AND TRADE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 56, 29 November 1917, Page 6

WAR AND TRADE

BRITAIN LOOKS AHEAD

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE 11FPARTMENT.

Tim scheme adopted by tho War Cabinet for the creation of an important Commercial Intelligence Department to foster British trade after the war was based in part upon a report prepared by a committee of the Foreign™ Ollico. This report, which has been laid before tho House of Commons, illustrates well the new relation established by the war between the Imperial Government and the manufacturing and trading interests of the United Kingdom.

"For the last half century," states tho'report, "successive Governments in this country have not thought it right to take an active part in di«-ct-ing tho development of foreign trade. This has resulted from various causes, and especially from the fear of Governmental interference and from the competitive character of tho rslaiiins cf British traders among themselves. Distrust of Governmental interference, a distrust common to both traders snd Governments, has tended to craato in the mind of both a confusion between the idea of interference and rJiac of legitimate Government assist-ince, and the normal reaction on trade by such assistance has been v.r.->ng],v regarded in the light of dictatorial intervention." The British manufacturer, in other words, has fought fer trade; unaided at a time when the Gdvernments of foreign States, notably Germany, were using national effort and national funds against him.

' only has this country (Great Britain) omitted to create or use fully adequate channels of commercial inadds the report, "but other functions also of an efficient intelligence organisation, such as tho rendering of active diplomatic assistance in obtaining commercial or industrial concessions, or in obtaining orders for British supplies in connection with loans for foreign States, have been rarely exercised except to some extent in recent years. ... In future the _ instructions issued to our diplomatists must place trade and finance in a different relation to general policy than the case before the war, and thoir notions in regard to such matters will therefore take on a new character. Trade and finance can no longer be things apart, outside the sphere of their general diplomatic work. Trade and finance must become an essontial subject of their study. The way for this has boon prepared, _ and the attitude of the foreign service has already been radically altered by the work done, the experience gained, and the information collected during the war, and it is therefore a_ question of maintaining and extending temlencies already fairly well established. . . . There must be no divorce between those concerned with the trade side and those concerned with general foreign policy, and care must be tnken that in promotion, emoluments, and ultimate prizes and rewards this view is put into practice."

The report insists that the commercial attaches, who will undertake the work of the Commercial Intelligence Department, must have personal knowledge of British industry. They must visit the great manufacturing centres periodically, and must take their nosts abroad with information that will enable them to deal promptly and intelligently with their paramount duty of helping Britisli trade. The committee suggests that the commercial nttfiches sliould be recruited mainly from the consular service, and their posts sliould be recognised as the normal reward for efficiency in the disehnrge of consular duties, more especially of those relating to commerce. This, in turn, will involve a large increase in the consular service, in order that t> higlier officials may he relieved from merely routine work and given time to attend to commercial matters. An interesting paragraph refers to the relation of the Commercial Ihtelligenre Department to tlie British Dominions. "Some efforts have hem made in the past to put the, commercial work of tli" consular service in some definite relation to the Dominion?, especially Canada," pMtes the report. "These efforts will be more fruitful in proportion as some measure of unity in comrwcial policy is ppcured betwen the different parts of the Empire. So far as commercial intelligence is concerned, some co-ordinat-ing authority at least i* needed to advise in cases where tlie encouragement of exports from the Dominions to foreign countries appears likely to chsli with exports from the TJniWI Kingdom. Oupstions of policy of the first magnitude are liere involved. Wo can onlv express the bopn thr>+-- the organisation above outlined will be nn Imperial service, contributing to the commercial prosperity of the whole TCmpire. and we Imp made our recommendations witli this object in mind."