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fibres necessitates the collection of information from Mexico, the United States, Mauritius, and East Africa.
Again, the request for information as to the various machines which are in use for extracting oil from the pericarp of the oil-palm involves enquiries in France and Germany, as well as in this country.
It is obviously not desirable that this work should fall entirely, as it does at present, on the same men who are engaged in experimental investigation of these subjects, although supervision and assistance from such specialists will always be essential.
It cannot be doubted, having regard to the rapidity with which the commercial development of the Colonies is taking place, more especially in Africa, that means should be provided for the British manufacturer to acquire accurate information with respect to tropical products of commercial importance. The Imperial Institute now provides these means to a large extent. The output of work on the part of the present staff of the Imperial Institute has, however, reached a maximum, and additional funds are needed in order to make it possible more effectively to organise this work and to provide for that increase which has occurred during recent years, an increase which testifies to the utility of the work and also to the efficiency with which it has so far been carried out.
The position of India is reserved for discussion in a separate memorandum, but it may be remarked here that, having regard to the importance of the Indian work of the Imperial Institute to British industries, there seems to be no reason why the Indian contribution should not be "met " by a contribution from the Treasury.
MEMORANDUM.
The principal work of the Imperial Institute, so far as it relates directly to the development of British trade and commerce, is (1) to illustrate the products and natural resources of the various parts of the Empire; (2) to provide for the investi- gation of raw materials, more particularly those produced within the Empire, with a view to their commercial utilisation, and to supply information respecting the production and commercial employment of such materials; and (3) to issue reports and publications, including the quarterly" Bulletin of the Imperial Institute," which is a record of the results of the more important investigations and enquiries con- ducted at the Imperial Institute, and also a general record of progress in tropical agriculture and the commercial utilisation of natural resources.
Illustrations of the results of the first section of this work of the Imperial Insti- tute are seen in its exhibition galleries, in which each country of the Empire is represented by a court containing exhibits illustrative of its general condition and A general enquiry office and stand for the issue of publications relating to the Colonies and India occupies the centre of the Main Gallery. In 1911 the visitors to the Public Galleries numbered 210,633, and 16,464 publications were supplied to enquirers.
resources.
The scientific, technical and commercial work of the Imperial Institute has now attained very large dimensions, as will be evident from the detailed information given in the Annual Reports for the years 1906-1911, which have been printed as Parlia- mentary papers. This work is chiefly carried on through the laboratories and sample rooms of the Scientific and Technical Department, which Department includes a staff of skill investigators in each important class of raw materials, and a staff of external technical and commercial referees who report on the commercial prospects of materials the possible value of which has been determined by investi- gations conducted at the Imperial Institute.
The present report aims at presenting a general conspectus of this work, especially as it affects British manufacturing interests, and includes much informa- tion which is to be regarded as strictly confidential, especially as to the names of manufacturers, merchants, brokers, and companies which have consulted the Imperial Institute, and their purposes in doing so.
The investigation in the laboratories of the Imperial Institute of materials forwarded from the British Dominions, Colonies, and Protectorates, and from India. as being of probable value commercially either for export or as the basis of local industries, contributes directly and indirectly in several important directions to the advancement of British trade and industries. The exploitation of products
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derived from the Colonies and India which are found on examination at the Imperial Institute to be suitable for export is almost invariably undertaken by British firms, and the materials are usually imported into this country for use by British manu- facturers. Further, the development of the economic resources of the Colonies leads to an increased local demand for manufactured goods, in the supply of which the manufacturers of the United Kingdom have a large share. The trade thus estab- lished is also in both cases advantageous to the British shipping industry.
For these reasons the work of the Imperial Institute in finding commercial uses for Colonial and Indian products is of direct benefit to British merchants, manu- facturers, and shippers, as well as to the countries concerned. Considerable assis- tance is also rendered by the Imperial Institute to British traders in many subsidiary ways, such as by the examination of Colonial and Indian products submitted for opinions as to their uses and probable value, and the supply of trustworthy informa- tion on all matters connected with the production and utilisation of raw materials (mineral, vegetable, and animal) for manufacturing purposes.
The services which the Imperial Institute is thus rendering to British_manu- facturers and traders may be conveniently grouped under the following heads:--
I. (pp. 3-12). The introduction into commerce of new products; products prepared by new processes; and known products from new sources. This work is usually of indirect as well as of direct advantage to British enterprise.
II. (p. 12). The identification of Colonial and Indian products submitted by British manufacturers and merchants, and the supply of trustworthy information regarding their probable value and uses. III. (p. 12). The supply of information and advice to British firms, planters, and planting companies on the utilisation of raw materials for manu- facturing purposes, and on all matters connected with the exploitation of natural products.
IV. (p. 12). The dissemination of similar information through the medium of the "Bulletin of the Imperial Institute," the "Selected Reports from the Scientific and Technical Department," the "Handbooks to the Commercial Resources of the Tropics," and other publications which are issued as Parliamentary Reports.
V. (p. 13). The provision of collections in the Public Galleries, and of Special Reference Collections, containing authentic samples of Colonial and Indian products of ascertained composition, for inspection by, or distri- bution to, interested persons.
The following account gives a summary of some of the principal cases in which assistance has been rendered to British manufacturers under these five heads.
I.
INTRODUCTION INTO COMMERCE OF NEW PRODUCTS; PRODUCTS PREPARED
IMPROVED PROCESSES; AND KNOWN PRODUCTS FROM NEW SOURCES.
BY
The materials forwarded to the Imperial Institute from the Colonies and India are first submitted to chemical and technical examination in the Scientific and Tech- nical Department in order to determine their composition and suitability for com- mercial use. They are afterwards submitted for further technical trial and valua- tion to manufacturers, commercial experts, merchants, and brokers, who are informed of the results of the experimental work and suggestions of the Imperial Institute. Whenever necessary practical trials on a manufacturing scale are arranged.
A full report on the results of the investigation, including recommendations as to the further action required in the Colony, is then made to the Government con- cerned, with a view to British manufacturers obtaining supplies of promising materials.
There has been a considerable increase during recent years in the number of products submitted for examination to the Imperial Institute by the Colonial and Indian Governments or by British firms, and the number of reports furnished in respect of these enquiries have been as follows:-393 in 1908, 447 in 1909, 504 in 1910, and 480 in 1911. In the course of this work 332 samples of Colonial and Indian products were distributed to British firms during 1909, 342 during 1910, and 379 during 1911.
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