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way of agriculture and fruit-growing, welcome the proposal which has been made to-day, and feel sure that it will commend itself to the Governments of Australia generally.
MR. BLANDFORD (Minister of Agriculture, Newfoundland): I should like to say, on behalf of Newfoundland, that we are now developing a country that is practically new, and in moving ahead it has been deemed wise by the Government that we should borrow, shall I say, practically all the information that it is feasible to get from other British Colonies. I might mention in particular that Canada has been supplying us with a lot of information. Potato canker has made its appear ance in our Colony, and we are taking steps with reference to anything coming from Europe and the British Isles, as we understand that the disease came from this side of the Atlantic. At all events, we are taking what precautions we can in that direction. Personally, I feel sure that the proposition that has been put forward by your Lordship will meet with the approval of almost all the Colonies. As far as my Government is concerned, I have no authority at the present moment to say anything with regard to the payment of money, but I certainly feel they would he only too pleased to pay their proportion of the expense of a Central Bureau. It is badly needed, and if we could get information from this central organisation we should be able to do very good work.
MR. DUFF (Minister of Agriculture, Ontario): I occupy a somewhat different position from the other gentlemen who are here this morning, from the fact that I represent a Province within our Dominion, and it is the Dominion that has the status in the Colonial Office. But I desire to say that it was the interest I take in the subject, and the work that we are doing ourselves, that led me to come here. At the same time I was in hopes that possibly the Minister of Agriculture for the Dominion or someone representing the Dominion Government would be here to speak for the Dominion as such. Of course, my position is a very limited one, but. I desire
to say I am delighted to have heard what has been said with reference to the object in view, and I think a move in this direction cannot fail to be of great benefit to the British Isles and the Empire at large, and of very great benefit to the Overseas Dominions. If there is no one here representing the Dominion, I shall be very glad to take on myself the responsibility of forwarding to the Honorable Sidney Fisher an account of what has been done, and an outline of the scheme that has been pro- posed, because I think it cannot fail to be of the greatest possible interest to British people the world over.
MR. MALAN (Minister for Education, Union of South Africa): I have only just come from the meeting of another Committee, and I would like to know a little more of what has been done before I express an opinion.
LORD CROMER: The proposal is to form a Central Bureau in London which will be a means of communicating information about insect pests and other objects of entomological interest throughout the whole Empire. There would be some very trifling cost involved which we put at a minimum of £500 and a maximum of £1,000 a year, and that, divided up amongst India and the other Dominions would come to a very trifling sum for each of them, and practically all those who have spoken have been warmly in favour of the scheme that has been outlined. Would you like to express an opinion on it now?
LORD. LUCAS: Perhaps I might supplement the information Lord Cromer has already given by saying that the intention is simply to disseminate information and nothing else.
LORD CROMER: Yes, it is merely to disseminate information in order to form the basis of any action taken by the Executive or Legislative Authority.
MR. MALAN: I have read the paper that was circulated and have compared it with an Agricultural Pests Bill which we passed during our first Session, and I find there is nothing inconsistent with the scheme as laid down here with our Act.
I believe this will be a very useful body to collect information and send it round.
LORD CROMER: It would not interfere in any way with any executive or legislative authority in any part of the British Dominions. It is simply a means of disseminating information in order to guard against any pests that may be intro- duced, and also, as Mr. Lefroy has pointed out, to prevent unnecessary measures being taken against insects which are not harmful, and which may even be of good.
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