IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

Evening Star, Issue 19410, 19 November 1926, Page 6

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE

AFFORESTATION AND SETTLEMENT SUB-COMMITTEE'S REPORT SCHEME APPROVED OF. Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright LONDON, November 18. (Received November 19, at 12.40 p.ra.) The Imperial Conference Forestry Sub-committee’s report suggests the development of settlement schemes in connection with afforestation, noted in a recent effective Empire organisation. The sub-committee welcomes the Australasian Governments’ invitation to hold a third Forestry Conference there in 1928, and recommended active preparation for, and participation therein, to Governments of the Empire. The sub-committee referred the constitution of the Empire Forestry Bureau to the conference. Mr Gepps, in an appendix to the report, emphasised tho importance of continuous production of timber, and drew attention to the possibilities of settling forest workers on agricultural land, sufficient to occupy them when silvicultural work slackened. He urged the classification of forest and agricultural lands, the management of forests for continuance production, proper distribution of planting and thinning, the selection of suitable men, and reasonable equipment for holdings. TAXATION OF. STATE TRADING. LONDON, November 18. (Received November 19, at 12.40 p.m.) The Economic Sub-committee, dealing with uniform taxation of enterprises of foreign Governments, quoted the Australian and New Zealand delegates’ announcement that their Governments accepted the principle of taxation of Government trading enterprises, the existing law providing sufficient authority fo: necessary a.ssessments. The Commonwealth Government, however, is unable to bind the States. The sub-com-mittee considered that in a true measure interimperial agreement warranted negotiating with foreign Governments, with a view to concluding reciprocal agreements for mutual taxation of their trading enterprises. Regarding the taxation of non-resi-dent traders, the Economic Sub-com-mittee reported that it was desirable to divide manufacturing and merchanting profits, restricting, income tax charges in the country of sale to the merchanting profit. The same committee, dealing with Mr Bruce’s suggestion for surveys of Empire trade, stressed the advantages of such surveys. It reviewed the existing publications on the subject, and urged that each survey should deal with one trade, or group of allied trades, as concisely ap possible, systematically condensing the reports and avoiding duplication of effort. This will probably necessitate tho creation foa statistical conference.