BRITAIN'S COLONIES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 13

BRITAIN'S COLONIES.

TRADE SHOWS INCREASE. REVIEW BY MR. AMERY. British Wireless. EUGBT, April 30. In tho course of a debate on the Colonial Office estimates in the House of I Commons Mr. W. L. Amery, Colonial Secretary, alluded to the Dead Sea area. He said it contained vast quantities of minerals. Whether they could be extracted under conditions which would yield a commercial profit was not certain. However, the lengthy negotiations between the Governments of Palestine and Transjordania and tho concessionaires had now practically come to a conclusion which was satisfactory from the point of view of the two Governments. Mr. Amery said the total trade of the Colonial Empire in 1927 came very close id £500,000,000. He had no doubt the figures for tho present year would well exceed that total. Tho situation from the point of view of the rubber growers was still difficult and anxious, but the gloomy predictions made when the Government decided to end the scheme of restriction had not been fulfilled. There was no sudden swamping of tho market last November with vast stores of rubber which had been held back. On the contrary, the price rose from that date, and although it was still less than Is, that price represented more than the same price would have represented under the restrictions. That was because it represented rubber produced under more favourable conditions as regards overhead charges. Mr. Amery said he believed the rubber was produced in almost every case with increasing efficiency all round. Referring to the Colonial Development Fund, the creation of which had been foreshadowed by the Prime Minister, Mr. Amery said such a fund would contribute not only to the welfare of the inhabitants of the colonies concerned, but directly in the form of orders for tho equipment of railways and other public works, and indirectly in the form of a general expansion of trade. Alsp, it would contribute to tho creation of much-needed employment in Britain. The Minister announced that ho had appointed a committee to consider the existing system of appointments in the Colonial Office to the public services of the dependencies not in possession of responsible Governments, and to make such recommendations as might, be considered desirablo. Ho said these were wide terms of reference, so as to give the committee a very freo hand. Sir Warren Fisher would preside, and the other members would include Sir Samuel Wilson, Sir H. Bell, Mr. John Buchan, M.P., Sir W. Riddell, Sir. John Palmer, Sir Robert Hamilton, M.P., Mr. Meiklojoliri, Dr. Cyril Norwood, headmaster of Harrow, Sir Russel Scott, Dr. Shields, M.P., and Mr. Tomkinson. Britain's exports to the colonial dependencies in. 1905 totalled £18,000,000, and in 1927 £55,000,000. Imports from the colonies in tho same years were £19,500,000 and £60,000,000 respectively.