OTTAWA CONFER ENCE

Stratford Evening Post, Volume II, Issue 23, 19 August 1932, Page 3

OTTAWA CONFER ENCE

ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION DISCUSSIQN~BY COMMIT | TEE I BEST DIVISION OF INDUSTRI- j AL ACTIVITIES ! Press Association. —Copyright. OTTAWIA, Thurs.—The report of j tit;; committee on methods of econo-j mic co-operation will he issued to. day. It-states that, the discussed economic' cd-ope'ration between Imperial Conferences, also means of securing adequate and stable financial support tor inier-Imperial economic organisations. ; It was decided to recommend the appointment forthwith of a commit, (-c consisting of not more than two representatives of the participating • governments to consider facilitating, economic consultation and co.opera. fioii between Empire countries, including a survey of the functions of existing bodies. Mr llavenga (South Africa) recorded an objection to the appointmen! of a permanent secretariat, and said Scuth Africa would not. be committed to financial support of economic organisations. The committee draws attention to Ukj sub-committee's recommendation that no reference to the Matson Une should be made in the official record! of the conference's proceedings. . The sub-committee expresses the] opinion that' the policy of industrial j co-operation should aim at the best div'sion of industrial activities among! the several parts of the Empire and] ordered development in each part. With a view to ensuring the maximum of efficiency and economy of production and distribution. The precise nature and extent of the co-operation to be achieved in industry must, largely depend upon effective consul tation between those engaged in that] industry in any two or more parts ot thp Empire. The sub-committee there.! lor- recommends the earliest possible consultation between responsible: | representative bodies and the Gov.j ernments giving all possible assist., •nice. The report of the sub-committee on industrial standardisation says it considered the possibility of adopting national standardising agreements within the Empire upon steel, timber, industrial chemicals, component parts of industrial implements and machinery with a view to replacement and interchangeabttity. The sub-committee desires to bring prominently before the Empire Gov. ernments the importance of the judicious development of national standard specifications and the im. poitance of buying upon nationally recognised specifications as safe, guarding purchasing and ensuring quality and performance. It urges also that the central standardising bouy in ' everv Empire country should ho given active Governmental, finuncia. and technical assistance. Simplification Sought Simplification is being promoted at: part 01 the ordinary standardising activities Thu Governments of all] parts of the Empire are adopting j s'undard specifications and industrial organisations are also recommending them The committee say it is ad-! bring the value of this j practice more prominently to the) notice of consumers. The committee recommends witn a ' view to co-ordinating- national standards, first tha, specifications should be in accordance with the industries' needs and fulfil general}' th t . recognisedl want; secondly, the community of interest of the producer and the consumer should be maintained throughout; thirdly, specitiea-| ticus should be arrived at by general■ fcorvsent; fourthly,, a pteirnodical re-! view is necessary to keep abreast of, progress. The committee specially recom-1 mem is common specifications for air., craft materials-, and .suggests that; trade commissioners;! slipuld act as liaison officers with the central standardising bodies in the various Dominions. The sub-committee on grading and standards ,ot agricultural poducts reports that, the drafting of grades and standards involves a more de. tailed study than is possible in the limited time the Ottawa conference affords. Moreover, the technical offi cers of all countries are net prosent Therefore the committee had decided to confine its attention to the principle involved and the desirabiL I ity or otherwise of recommending ! measures for improved grading stand 1 ards. . ' Many Empire countries have I adopted nationa! standards of quality i and packing which, if harmonised I would greatly facilitate trading, en. courage goodwill and increase consumption. If a greater degree of uniformity obtained a greater degree ot qualitative control would result. ] which would lie beneficial to ail con. ! cei ned. Containers should be stand. | ardised in the highest degree as to i size, quality and appearance. The committee recommends an i interchange of memoranda describing ine grade standards of Empire covin tries with a view to facilitating their unification, and suggests that a con. ference of Dominion, representatives ! be held later. Regarding the extent to which recommendations of the 1930 Imperial Conference had been carried out, the report, state:; that central standardis. jug bodies have been formed in Britain, Australia i.nd New Zealand. Substantial progress has also been made iii Canada, Little has been done in South Africa, India ami the Irish Free State. Regarding the co-opera-tion of Government purchasing agents, great progress has been made in Britain, where the Governments, purchasing departments and local authorities are increasingly adopting British standard specifications, j Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa have made progress ii the same direction.

The. committee recognises the value of the visit which the director of the British Standards Institution re ceiitly made to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. A standardisation mark, "British standard," has been registered in Britain by the British Standards institutions. N.o corres. ponding action has been taken else, where, but Australia and South Af ilea are considering it. The sub.conudittec on 'films and) broadcasting, of which Mr. Coates is chairman, reports it. is gratifying to record an improvement in the quality and the wider exhibit!' n of Empire films, which are helped by the quota operating in some Dominions, it had for-en suggested that apart, from the "u.p Customs duty now enforced n--.-,-■ rhf-Mld'tc a further tax en the

volume if the films, hut it is difficult to ascertain this value when films enter the country. It is only possible when renting contracts are made. Misunderstandings regarding the various Dominion censorships re. cently were largely overcome, but the producers should maintain close contact with the Dominion censorship authorities with a view t 0 minimising film mutilation.

The sub-committee suggests the High Commissioners in London should keep a closer liaison with the Board of Film Censors. It recommends that all ihe responsible bodies controlling Empire broadcasting should come together to enable the vast populations to hear all the best programmes. The sub-committee on the existing machinery of economic co-operation reports that the following 11 Empire organisations are in being: Imperial Economic Committee, Imperial Ship, ping Committee, Imperial Agricultural Bureau, Imperial Institute, Im. perial Institute of Entomology, Imperial Mycological Institute, Imperial Communications Advisory Committee Mechanical Transport Council, Imper hers Committee and Empire Marketial Forestry Institute, Empire Tim. ing Board. The committee explains how each is financed but refrains from commenting on possible overlapping or gaps in the functions of these bodies. This report, which ranks second in importance to the currency report, is more voluminous and comprehensive than any other the conference will produce. It represents the result of many sittings of the experts of all Empire countries for la mpnth, while the leaders of the delegations have assisted business advisers engaged in the main task of planning methods to revive intra-Empire trade

REPORT OF SHIPPING COMMITTEE Press Association. —Copyright. OTTAWA, Thurs.—The sub. committee on the "special ship, ping question," of which Mr. Coate s is chairman and on which Mr,, Gullett is representing, Australia, reported: "In the trade be. tween North America, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia damage has been caused to the British lines which operated these ser. vices for a long period by the intrusion into the trade of the Matson Line. "The position was aggravated by the tact that the British line was excluded from trade beween Honolulu and San Francisco, which is reserved as coasting trade, while foreign ships are allowed to share in the trade between Australia and New Zealand. "The sub.committee considers this American subsidised competition con. sttutes dumping of service; . Nevertheless the application of tiie recommendations of 1923 conference might have important repercussions on Empire trade in other directions, which must be fully examined. "The sub-committee fchterefbrev re. commends that tPie question be refer. red for full examination to the representatives in London of all the Governments concerned."