71-
No. 1914
20
HONGKONG.
INVESTIGATIONS BY THE IMPERIAL INSTITUTE FOR PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS AND FIRMS.
Laid before the Legislative Council by Command of His Excellency the Governor, November 5th, 1914.
CIRCULAR.
DOWNING STREET,
11th September, 1914.
SIR, I have the honour to inform you that my attention has been directed to the yearly increasing demands which are being made on the Imperial Institute by private individuals and firms for reports on technical subjects and especially on the composition and value of raw materials.
2. In the past it has generally been impossible to accede to such requests for investiga- tions from private individuals and firms owing to the pressure of other work.
At the same
time the conduct of such investigations seems to me to be a legitimate function of the Insti- tute, and I have been given to understand that the demand for such reports would be consi- derably extended if it were known throughout His Majesty's Possessions that the Institute was prepared to undertake for individuals special reports of the kind indicated in paragraph 8 of the Earl of Elgin's Circular despatch of the 31st of July, 1906.
3. The Institute, however, is now so completely occupied with the scientific, technical, and commercial researches demanded by the Agricultural, Mines, and other technical depart- ments of the Governments of those parts of His Majesty's dominions which contribute to its funds that it is impossible to undertake investigations on any considerable scale for private individuals and firms without adding to the technical staff, and therefore to the general expenses, of the Institute. But, having decided to meet what I believe to be a growing demand for such work, I am authorising the Imperial Institute to undertake in future for an appropriate fee researches, investigations, analyses, etc., required by private individuals and firms, either in this country or any of His Majesty's oversea dominions.
4. It will be left to the authorities of the Institute to decide in the case of each applica- tion whether or no the request for researches, etc., is one with which the Imperial Institute can properly comply.
5. Any reports which may be supplied under this arrangement will become the property of those who pay for them and will not be communicated either by the Imperial Institute or by any Government to other persons, or published without the consent of those concerned.
6. As it is undesirable that the Imperial Institute should compete with the professional expert, I propose that only special investigations, etc., should be undertaken, ie, on subjects of a technical character with which the Imperial Institute is exceptionally qualified to deal, especially those relating to the production and utilisation of materials which occur in the British Empire or which might be introduced into British countries and are considered likely to be of value to British commerce or trade.
Page 75Page 76