H.—34.

I cannot avoid expressing the opinion that a somewhat similar institution to the Philadelphian Commercial Museum, if established in London, with branches in other parts of the Empire, might be of immense service in promoting British and colonial trade. At the present time a certain amount of the kind of work done at the Museum in Philadelphia is done by the Imperial Institute at South Kensington. As far as the collection of industrial exhibits and the work of the Institute's Chemistry Department are concerned, the services of the Institute are undoubted. But outside these branches the Institute does little, or else does it very imperfectly. The business of disseminating commercial information, so far as the English Government is concerned, has been left to the Board of Trade, and though I do not wish to belittle the work done there, I do not think the system compares either in promptitude or practical value with that of the Philadelphia Museum and the Association of American Manufacturers. I cannot help thinking that if the Imperial Institute were taken over by a commission representing the chief portions of the Empire, and were reorganized, the work it does now might be carried on, and that intrusted to the Board of Trade might also be made a part of the business of the institution. In this way all that is now done in London might be better done, and a great deal that is not done now could be taken in hand. The collections at the Imperial Institute are of considerable value, and it is a mistake to ignore this, as certain critics of the Institute seem disposed to do. But it should be remembered that in a properly organized commercial museum the collections are amongst the least important features. The most valuable are, I venture to think, the information which it gathers together and the dissemination of this and of helpful suggestions. For this an energetic staff and a vigilant board of supervision, well equipped with commercial knowledge, would be necessary. Given these things, it is reasonable to believe that, were the Imperial Institute reorganized and extended into a commercial museum for the Empire, it might start on a career of activity and utility which would be in marked contrast to its past existence. I may add that, generally speaking, the views I am now expressing represent those of the Australasian delegates at Philadelphia. At a meeting of these gentlemen, at which Sir Andrew Clarke, Agent-General for Victoria, took the chair, the following resolution, proposed by myself, and seconded by Mr. Moxham, of Sydney, was carried unanimously : " That it would, be highly beneficial to the trade of the Empire if a central commercial museum and bureau of information on lines somewhat similar to those of Philadelphia were established in London." This was forwarded to the Colonial Office. Mr. Chamberlain replied thanking us for it, and since the return of the Agents-General to England Sir Robert Herbert, who is now acting as permanent head of the Colonial Office, has asked us to meet him and discuss the matter. Before closing this report I should like to add that whilst in the United States I made certain inquiries with regard to complaints which have been made to me by passengers from New Zealand to England via San Francisco. These complaints relate not to the comfort and accommodation provided on board the steamers on the Pacific or Atlantic, but to the extra charges which many passengers find it necessary to pay in order to secure comfort for themselves and their families when journeying on the railways between San Francisco and New York. The complaints made are, in effect, that after booking through to London, and paying what they understood to be the railwayfare from San Francisco to New York, the passengers found that they must either suffer no small discomfort in the trains or must pay extra for better sleeping accommodation and other conveniences. Not only is this the case, but the manner in which the extra charges are often made through middlemen results in inexperienced passengers paying more than they need. So far as I was able to ascertain, there seems to be at least some ground for the grumbling that exists, and I would suggest that the Government should exert itself to insure better arrangements, and to protect New Zealand passengers from what some of them speak of as extortion. I shall be happy, if authorised to do so, to endeavour to deal with the matter from this end. I am disposed, however, to think that the Government might do so more effectually from Wellington, with the aid of our agent at San Francisco, and that possibly the Union Steam Ship Company, if it continues to be interested in the San Francisco trade, will co-operate. It is obvious that there is every reason for protecting passengers by the shortest route between New Zealand and England from any sort of irritation. I have, &c, The Eight Hon. the Premier, Wellington, New Zealand. W. P. Reeves.

The Agent-General to the Right Hon. the Premier. Sir,— 9th March, 1900. I beg to transmit herewith a copy of the official proceedings of the International Commercial Congress held at Philadelphia in October last, and which, in accordance with your instructions, I attended as one of the delegates representing New Zealand. I very much regret to find, on receiving this publication, that an extremely incorrect version of the address I delivered at the afternoon session of the Congress on the 16th October has, contrary to my express directions, been included in these proceedings. I was furnished with a proof of the report of my remarks just as I was leaving Philadelphia, and had no time to make such an entire revision of it as would have amounted to almost rewriting the whole. I therefore requested that the report of my remarks should not be published at all, and I am at present quite unable to understand why my request has been thus disregarded. I have, &c, The Right Hon. the Premier, Wellington. W. P. Reeves. Approximate Cost of Paper.— Preparation, not given; printing (1,375 copies), £2 Bs. 6d.

Price 3d.] By Authority: John Mackay, Government Printer, Wellington.—l9oo.

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