95
497
30465
SIR,
No. 27.
FEDERATED MALAY STATES.
THE HIGH COMMISSIONER to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.
(Confidential.)
(Received 15th June, 1917.)
*
Government House, Singapore, 3rd May, 1917. WITH reference to my open despatch No. 133, of the 3rd May, on the subject of the commercial and industrial policy to be adopted after the War, I have the honour to forward a copy of a letter from the Secretary of the Federated Malay States Chamber of Commerce referring to their fourth recommendation, which was
as follows:-
That no company, firm, or individual be allowed to trade, carry on business, or hold land in the Federated Malay States except under licence. Further, that the registration of partnerships be made compulsory." 2. The restriction proposed is, they state, aimed at Japan as the country from which competition is most feared by mercantile firms.
3. I have stated in the open despatch that I am in favour of forbidding the subject of a nation hostile to us in this War from holding land or establishing himself in any trade, shipping, or banking concern for a period of years, and after that period has elapsed that he should not be permitted to trade, carry on business, or hold land in the Federated Malay States except under licence.
4. I am not, however, in favour of requiring the subjects of our Allies and neutrals in this War to be licensed, as suggested by the Chamber of Commerce; it would, as I have mentioned in the open despatch, tend to prevent capital being introduced, and I fail to see how the object desired could be gained.
5. It would not be possible for the Government to refuse licences wholesale to the subjects of Japan, the country to which the Chamber of Commerce refer, and to grant them to the subjects of another country, say, China; it would soon be apparent that the subjects of Japan, our Ally in the War from practically its commencement, were not being treated the saine as subjects of other countries, and strong representations would no doubt be made by the Japanese Government.
6. If licences have to be given the Government would be obliged to consider whether the applicant was a fit person to be granted a licence, and such a system would give no protection to British trade against any particular nation.
7. The intention is to exclude by means of licences the traders of a particular nation, and my view is that it is not practicable to carry it out by means of the recommendations put forward by the Chamber of Commerce.
SIR,
(Confidential.)
I have, &c.,
ARTHUR YOUNG.
Enclosure in No. 27.
Kuala Lumpur,
Federated Malay States, 23rd April, 1917. WITH reference to your letter No. 2 in 5083/1916, of the 4th November last, and subsequent correspondence on the subject of German trade, I am directed by my committee to forward a copy of the recommendations on the subject unanimously adopted by the Chamber.
2. With regard to the recommendation numbered 4, my committee request me to explain, for the confidential information of the Government, their reason for including a suggestion which
be extremely difficult to introduce and the development of the country and apparently act as a restraint on trade and effectively enforce.
3. My committee are of opinion that the competition which British mercan- tile firms will have most to fear and difficulty in dealing with, after the War, will come from Japan, and not from Germany.
4. For reasons which my committee feel the Government will readily appre- ciate it appears impolitic to suggest restrictions applicable equally to our Allies
* No. 26.
and to enemy countries, and, as a possible solution of an extremely difficult problem, they submit the recommendation for the licensing of all trades, etc., irrespective of nationality.
5. This will enable the Government to exercise a controlling influence, which may in future of the greatest assistance to British trade, without resorting to legislation which anyone of our Allies might consider was especially aimed at its
I have, &c.,
trade.
The Under-Secretary to Government,
Federated Malay States.
31591
SIR,
P. N. GLEESON,
General Secretary, Federated Malay States Chamber of Commerce.
No. 28. GAMBIA.
THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 23rd June, 1917.)
(Confidential.)
Government House, Bathurst, Gambia, 31st May, 1917.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Circular despatches of 25th September and 24th October, 1916, and your Confidential circulars of 20th January and 5th April* of this year, on the subject of the commercial and industrial policy to be adopted by the Empire after the War.
2. In February last I invited an expression of opinion from the newly- formed Bathurst Chamber of Commerce on the questions involved, but nothing in reply has so far reached me.
3. The matters treated of in the correspondence are of very large and wide- spread consequence. This is a small place, and I do not know that there are any local circumstances which are of sufficient importance to call for special attention and consideration in connexion with His Majesty's Government's survey of the Imperial situation and the recommendations for meeting it.
4.
The pre-war factors that mainly arrest attention in regard to Gambian imports are the considerable (proportionately speaking) trade from Hamburg consisting of inferior spirits and cheap hardware, cutlery, glassware, jewellery, beads, and other similar matter; also a large proportion of rice came through this channel, and small but yearly increasing quantities of many other commodities, e.g., cotton gcods, hats, boots, iron bars, furniture, cement, etc., etc.
It.
5. Taking the 1914 figures, Asiatic rice from Germany was 3,500 tons against 2,000 tons from France and 1,500 tons from the United Kingdom. would seem to me that some way should be found of bringing this necessary com- modity to the West Coast direct from our Asiatic possessions which produce it, without passing through a foreign channel.
6. By far the larger proportion of flour consumed here appears to have come formerly from France, and the same applies to sugar.
7. It has occurred to me that a valuable Imperial link might conceivably be formed if an adequate steamer service could be inaugurated between the Dominion of Canada and the West Coast of Africa via the West Indies, whereby rice, flour, and sugar could be carried for African consumption, the ships filling up on the return with cocoa and other West African produce. I am not expert enough to Bay what hard business reasons there may be against such a service proving a paying concern, but there does appear to me to be some possibilities in the idea; such a service would certainly serve to bring together important portions of the Empire which at present are very far apart.
8. With regard to exports: these, as you are aware, in the case of the Gambia are limited.
With the increased milling plant erected during the War it is fairly certain that the requirements of the United Kingdom and France will together practically absorb the whole Gambian crop, and means to that end will no doubt be devised.
I have, &c.,
EDWARD J. CAMERON, Governor and Commander-in-Chief.
* No. 1, and 45879, 40058 and 9585: not printed.
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