HIGH COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3698, 27 January 1925, Page 18

HIGH COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE.

(WHAT THE PUBLIC* SHOULD KNOW. LONDON, December 16. For many years the High Commissioner’s Department in London has provided a subject for debate and criticism inside—;and outside—the House of Representatives. Anyone well acquainted with the Department and its activities who takes the trouble to read the Hansard reports of these debates must be amazed at the ignorance displayed by some of the members of Parliament. A year ago I sent a Aeries of articles to New Zealand describing in detail the activities of the various branches of the High Commissioner’s Department. These, in due course, appeared in the leading newspapers of the Dominion, and should have done something towards enlightening some of those public men who insist on making statements upon a subject about which they know nothing whatever. Since then, however, public men have been over to London and have shown a sympathetic eagerness to find out what exactly is done by the Department, but even these have shown by the simplicity of their questions and the surprise with which they have received information that a true conception of a New Zealand Government Department in London is a lhatter beyond the average imagination. For this reason a repetition in some measure of what has been said before in more expanded form can do nothing but good, and it may help the public to appreciate the importance—indeed, the evergrowing importance—of the High Commissioner’s Department. Sir James Allen, on several occasions recently. has very wisely expressed the opinion tna\t High Commissioners chosen by the dominions must be the very best men it is possible to find. He has not added, though it is very evident to one who is in touch with public life here, that the High Commissioner of the future must have the outlook of a great statesman; he must have tho culture which will enable him to move on easy terms of equality with the Ministers of the Crown in this country, and with the brilliant representatives of European countries Incidentally, ft would be a considerable advantage to irigh Commissioners if they spoke French fluently. With those qualifications, however, they will need to combine an intimate knowledge of the trade and commerce of their own dominions, and some general knowlodge of all the dominions would be a useful asset.

As Sir James Allen has pointed out, representatives of the dominions who in future probably will be in constant communication with the Government of this country would lie quite useless unless they had the knowledge of dominion affairs which a High Commissioner has. Ninety per cent, of the questions discussed with tho Prime Minister and other Ministers of tho British (Cabinet necessarily have to deal with arrangements for the development of trade. A dominion representative who is to take on tho duties of an ambassador for his own country would bo entirely unqualified if ho were not fulfilling the duties of High Commissioner Oil well. If, therefore, there havo been suggestions that two distinct officers jhould be appointed—one to look after the interests of the dominion from tho point of of an ambassador and the other to

act as a Trade Commissioner —the suggestions have came from, those who are entirely without knowledge of the real position of affairs. The situation would be absurd, for the ambassador would have to bo ccached continually by the Trade Commissioner before he was able to take his place in conference. It would be like the office boy representing a firm at a conference of managers. At the present the High Commisisoner combines tho duties of an ambassador with those of a commercial and financial agent. His department acts in tho United Kingdom and in Europe cm behalf erf all the New Zealand Government departments, besides carrying out many duties for public bodies and individuals in the dominion. A statement recently issued by the department shows the constitution of the staff. Over all the sections is the Secretary of the Department. The assistant secretary controls the head office anti secretarial section, which includes tho chief clerk, 37 clerks and typistes and messengers. Under the finance officer and accountant are the assistant accountant, the insurance and public trustee clerk, and 23 clerks and typistes. The trade, produce, and indent officer has under him an assistant trade and produce officer, and 19 clerks and typistes, and the immigration officer has under him an assistant officer and 27 clerks and typistes. Of the total number on the staff 1116) 14 of the officers were born in New Zealand, and a further eight have had some experience of the dominion. Two of the heads of sections are New Zealanders who have been transferred from the New Zealand public service, and tho other two heads have had New Zealand experience. Several of the other New Zealanders on the staff are also occupying senior positions.

The duties carried out by the head office and secretarial section are exceedingly varied. In addition to the usual routine work associated with a head office this section deals with such divers matters as travel arrangements for visitors to the registration of war graves and our cemeteries, the New Zealand navy, assistance to distressed New Zealanders appointments for Government departments and public institutions in the dominion, the League of Nations and work connected therewith, including the mandate for Samoa —in fact, all matters which cannot be definitely assigned to any of tho othor soctions. Under this section is the library and the Goneral Information Bureau. New Zealand visitors make the utmost possible use of tho library. Their letters are received and forwarded, dominion nov/spapors are available for perusal, passports are obtained, and every offort is made to impart the fullest information to visitors on matters of interest to them. The past summer, it may bo added, has been an exceedingly busy one for the library staff owing to the thousands of visitors who came over for the British Empire Exhibition.

The Finance .Section carries out for the Government all the work in this country eonnoctod with Now Zealand finances, including tho raising of publio or private loans und advances, the investment of Government balances to the best advantage, the transfer of moneys to and from New Zealand or Australia, the receipt of all moneys for tho public account and subsidiary accounts, and all tho various payments in London (including tho payment of interest on loans, and for all tho material purchased on behalf of Government departments, etc.). The sums dealt with are very considerable, and involve much responsibility, besides an

enormous r mount of detail work. Tho various accounts are rendered twice a month to the dominion Treasury. The Finance Section also acts as agent in London for the Government Life Insurance Department, State Fire Insurance Department, the Publio Trustee, and the Post Office Savings Bank. Insurances are also arranged on all goods shipped by the High Commissioner’s Office on behalf of Government departments. Besides these matters the section deals with reparations and the settlement of ex-enemy debts, and the realisation of exenemy property under tho various peace treaties.

Medical boards are arranged and inquiries made regarding the pensions of over 1000 ex-members of the N.Z.E.F. discharged in this country and their dependents Payments of these pensions are also arranged each month as well as those of about 150 retired members of the New Zealand public service. Questions concerning land and income tax axe also attended to by the finance section.

“We should be glad if you would furnish us with information regarding trading facilities with your dominion. We should also be glad if you would let us have tho names of all importers and exporters in New Zealand.” This i 9 the substance of a letter addressed to the trade and produce section by an important firm of general merchants. _ It probably indicates that tho Empire Exhibition has awakened some business firms to the fact that there is a possibility of further trade outside Europe, but. it also indicates tho type of communication the Trade and Produce Section has to deal with. Again a timber miller wants second-hand railway lines, asd asks the High Commissioner to find a- vendor. Parasites are needed to destroy earwigs in the dominion. The section arranges tho shipment. There is a very varied assortment of duties undertaken by the Trade and Produce Section. In tho first place the officers of the section watch the English markets and send their weekly cablegram for the benefit of New Zealand producers. Inquiries regarding Customs duties keep a man and a boy and a typiste constantly engaged. The section has to deal with complaints regarding incoming shipments of produce. An officer of the Dairy Department inspects the butter and cheese cargoes that arrive in this country and reports direct to his department in Wellington. Any defective meat shipments are examined and reported on by tho veterinary officer. The representative of the Fruitgrowers’ Federation also works in conjunction with the Trade and Produce Section. Legal matters pertaining to tho misrepresentation of dominion produce are taken in hand by the section, and tho interests of tho producers are watched over in a way that the producers themsolves are probably not aware of Investigations are carried out for the departments in Wellington. For instance, the Government wishes to know of a profitable way of dealing with the carcases of whales, and also what now methods recently developed would encourage farmers to grom more wheat. Individual firms in this country send in a flood of letters asking innumerable questions, of spocial interest to themselves, and business firms in the dominion write to the High Commissioner making inquiries concerning business matters in this country. Matters of legislation also oomo under the control of tho Beotion. The section is also responsible for advertising New Zealand produce by means of displays in tho windows of the High

Commissioner’s Office an<] at various trade and other exhibitions in London, toe provinces, and elsewhere.

The indents side of this section deals with all the orders for materials, etc., required for Government departments in the dominion (chiefly Railways, Public Works, Post and Telegraph, and Printing and Stationery Departments). Tenders are invited, and, after careful consideration, contracts are accepted inspections are arranged with the Government’s Consulting Engineers, and the shipment of the materials to the dominion fixed up. The contracts dealt with oach year are very considerable in value, and therefore a vast amount of work is involved-

All public matters relating to Samoa come under the control of the section, and Samoan produce is sold by the section through brokers.

The work of the Immigration Section of the High Commissioner’s Department has a wider publio interest than the other sections, and for that reason deserves an article to itself.

In addition to the various duties outlined as pertaining particularly to the several sections, the High Commissioner personally carries out work in connection with a great number of subjects of very considerable importance. Among these subjects might be mentioned the League of Nations, the annual assembly of which he attends, and also the various meetings connected with tho mandates, the Pacific Cable Board, the Advisory Council of the Board of Trade, the Imperial Shipping Committee, the Imperial Institute, the Imperial War Graves Commission, and others of greater or lesser importance. During certain London sessions the public dinners and luncheons which the High Commissioner has to attend and at which more often than no he has to make speeches are probably much more wearying than most people imagine. The nights on which a High Commissioner is free from public duties are surprisingly few, and any carelessness or unpreparedness in public speaking is a reflection on the dominion he represents. On the other hand, by the weight and importance of his utterances are the Government and the people of his dominion judged. Special lectures which are given by the High Commissioner, it may be added, are not prepared in the lunch hour, a» it were, but require sacrifice of many Saturday afternoons and Sundays.