EMPIRE TRADE COMMISSION.

West Coast Times, 28 January 1914, Page 3

EMPIRE TRADE COMMISSION.

COMPREHENSIVE REPORT PUB-

LISHED,

SOME VALUABLE ADVICE.

GREAT NATIONAL QUESTIONS

DISCUSSED.

[m ran* association. —copyright.] LONDON, Jan. 27. The Dominion Commission’s Report hay keen published. The Report states that the moat urgent problem in Australia concerns the better distribution of the population and improved oversea communication. At present the Dominion Is spending a, great deal with doubtful success, in an attempt to secure agr.cultural workers. It is, therefore, natural to &ugoest that some portions of the expenditure could be more profitably devoted in bearing with the Mother-Country a share of the cost of some system of Government farms for the, testing and training in the United Kingdom. This scheme would be easier if emigration were placed under the control of Australia. Kven under the existing regura the efforts are hopeful of success. The Report states that Australia mainly requires youths with adaptabilitv. This requirement could he met rquillv from the towns <* the conntiy if suitable training were provided, although Australasia’s need is not <l< The Commission Is unable to endorse the view that a suitable surplus exists in the United Kingdom. Family immigration is. open to serious objections under present arrangements which are -qscept.hle of improvement. me „ s tem Vhereunder emigrants are reunited is antiquated and defective and the arrangements in Australas.a for the reception of women need More/ emigrants are needed to fiff tionical and sub-tropical Australia, wherefore Malta seems a suitable recruiting ground. It would be advantageous to divert to Australasia some part of the present Irish emigration. The emigrant ships should ptov.de adequate privacy and segregation in the case' women and an increase m the largely of the Empire harlsiuis is urto meet lurthcr re. l u.rcments^n the Inter-Impenal trade. , harbour should have a working p at least forty feet. The Report regrets that at was u - «!.S in fake a favourable view of the oversea postal facilitiesVnjoyed by Australia. He postal service is -and costly. The speed of the mad services does not justify large sut«enhanced speed \dot obtainable at a reasonable cost, the Hen would prefer to sec the ma.ls car tied at statutory rates and the money boT saved devoted to improving Impenal communications m other directions. The new mutes Australa ss oP!"^g u P are therefore unjustifiable. The R port states that the snteidjsed service is bevong a brief per.od offer mination. but the Peuiusula « eontrarts renders the time opportune to reex the problem on broad Imperial lime. The Australian cable rates ate too high, restricting the use to commercial classes and checking the free mterSmTwith the Motherland andM*e Dominions. The mblfs work far bebw thcr mamimum capacity Edifications in the way of deferred mSLra and weekend cables shouW be made immediately. The daily cable letters should he introduced and the minimum week-end cables should be reduced to twelve words at sixpence a word to which the British Office is favourably dispos'd. The Commfes'on fonnd that tnere is a freight discrimination against the British” shippers, whereby certain .British sliipowners transport foods from the Continent to New Zealand at a lower rate than from British’ ports. This Is .thoroughly unsatisfactory and runs directly counter to the patriotic and Imperial intentions of New Zealand. The Leeslative Acts act detrimentally to British trade. No adequate progress (is made, though repeated opportunities are given to further scientific investigation arising from the water supply—one of Australia s important questions. The Report recommended the substitution of bulb bamlling of wheat instead of bagging; further coordination of statistical methods to secure a uniformity urgently durable. The Report recommends an Empire Conference of Statisticians. The preferential advantages granted to British woods f* prejudiced to some extent bv the fact that each Dominion required a different form of certificate of origin The Reoort urges uniformity. The Commission is gratified with the cotton-growing experiments in Queensland. the improvement at Port Phillip and the confining of loan issue? to definite remunerative purposes.