REPORT
OF AN
INTER-DEPARTMENTAL CONFERENCE WITH SUBSEQUENT CORRESPONDENCE
RELATING TO THE
DESTRUCTION OF
OF PLUMAGE BIRDS.
19812
No. 1.
THE INTERDEPARTMENTAL CONFERENCE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
SIR,
Downing Street,
25th June, 1912.
In January, 1910, the Marquess of Crewe, whose attention had been drawn to the constant destruction of wild birds for the sake of their plumage, invited the Trustees of the British Museum to depute some members of the staff of the Natural History Museum to meet representatives of the Colonial Office in an informal conference, with a view to considering how far it might be possible to restrict the demand for plumage by legislation in this country and the Colonies or by international agreement. In response to this invitation the Trustees authorised Dr. S. F. Hariner, F.R.S., Mr. C. E. Fagan, and Mr. W. B. Ogilvie-Grant to confer, as representatives of the Museum, with Mr. G. W. Johnson, C.M.G., Mr. H. J. Read, C.M.G., and Mr. R. E. Stubbs, whom Lord Crewe appointed to represent the Colonial Office. After the first meeting, which was held on the 25th of May, 1910, the Hon. E. S. Montagu, M.P., Under Secretary of State for India, was asked to join the Conference as a representative of the India Office and at the same time the Board of Trade nominated Mr. P. H. Illingworth, M.P., to represent their department. Mr. Montagu took the Chair at the second and subsequent meetings. Mr. Stubbs has acted as Secretary of the Conference and his colleagues desire formally to express their appreciation of the patience and ability which he has placed at their disposal.
2. Owing to a variety of causes, the Conference has only been able to meet at com- parative long intervals, but now after ten meetings we feel that we are in a position to place before you the result of our discussions.
3. The original intention appears to have been that the Conference should be of a wholly informal character, and should serve merely as an opportunity for the interchange of views between members of various public departments; and, no doubt for this reason, we were not furnished with any specific instructions or terms of reference. It soon, however, became apparent that it was not possible to preserve this informal character. The existence of the Conference became known to the public, and, as a consequence, the merchants who deal in the plumage of birds took alarm and urged, both by letters to Lord Crewe and through the medium of questions in Parliament, that additional members should be appointed to the Conference to represent the trade interests concerned. This request was refused but it was eventually decided by Lord Crewe that the traders should be given an opportunity of stating their views in person to the Conference.
4. As the character of a formal Committee had thus been forced on us by circum- stances, we thought it well not to confine ourselves to hearing the evidence of the representatives of the trade alone but to invite expressions of opinion from persons who
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