283
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
TPIEC.O. 885
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COPYRIGHT.PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
PUBLIC
ALLY W
BE REP
PERMISSION OF THE
OFFICE, LONDON
ED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
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“question would, of course, continue to do his ordinary duties at the Colonial Office, with which his work on the Committee would not be allowed to interfere, and to draw " his official salary." So far as I was personally concerned this provision was harmless, as I was no more than one of several volunteers who wished to try an interesting experiment, and had not the slightest wish to be paid, but I submit that the terms must be different if, as my Committee desire, the work of the Emigrants' Information Office is, as a matter of business, to be permanently supervised from the Colonial Office.
13. The second recommendation relates to the paid staff of the Office; and I do not propose to trouble the Secretary of State with regard to it, as it was laid down very explicitly, when the vote was first sanctioned, that the appropriation of the money in payment of salaries or in any other way was left entirely to the discretion of the Committee, who could make their own terms with their employés. It must, however, obviously always be difficult to avoid claims arising on the part of those who are paid regular salaries from Government funds without having the position of Government
servants.
14. The third recommendation is two-fold: (a) that the telegraph be made use of for the collection of information; (b) that more frequent visitors be sent to the various Colonies to study the problems of each Colony and report to the Committee of Management.
The use of the telegraph in connexion with the work of the Office has long been contemplated, and with this end in view one or two special words were added to the Colonial Office Code. For a short time the experiment was tried in the case of Victoria of sending out each quarter to the Government Statist at Melbourne the new circular relating to the Colony, and asking him soon after receipt of the papers to telegraph, at Government expense, whether the statements as to demand for labour, &c., still held good or needed modification, so that the information could be received in time for the following quarter. It will probably be advisable to revert to some such practice, but if so it will, in my opinion, be necessary that the Office should have a paid agent in each Colony, whose duty it will be to send information by post, as well as by telegraph. These postal and telegraphic communications should be paid for by the Colony, but the agents should receive moderate fees from the vote for the Emigrants' Information Office. This will, of course, mean somewhat increased expenditure, but on no other terms will what is desired be secured, for the work in question will not be deemed of sufficient importance to ensure permanent attention from any other than those who If Mr. Chamberlain is of opinion that have a pecuniary interest in attending to it. this suggestion is reasonable, we will try to work it out more in detail for his approval hereafter. I would add that I am not so impressed as are some other members of the Committee with the necessity of having constant intelligence by telegraph. It is obvious that the information which is given to the public should be reasonably up to date, but the extreme accuracy as to the rate of wages at a given moment which is required for statistical purposes perhaps hardly contributes much to the guidance of intending emigrants.
The suggestion that more frequent visitors should be sent to the Colonies, with a view to furnishing reports to the Committee, is, in my opinion, most important, and I have always advocated it. Every year some capable delegate ought to visit one or other of the three groups of colonies, Canada, Australasia, and South Africa, so that each will be visited once in three years. Occasionally special missions to Foreign
group countries would be required. The delegates should collect information not only for the Emigrants' Information Office, but also for the Labour Department of the Board of Trade. They should be varied from year to year, and should be often, but not always, connected with the working classes. It would be their duty, in addition to securing local correspondents for the office, more especially to study and report upon the conditions of labour, but at the same time to bear in mind that accurate information is also required for such classes as professional men and small capitalists. additional grant would be required to cover the cost of these visits, though it is probable that in some years the services of volunteers would be available.
An
15. To the fourth recommendation I have already referred, and need only add that at present very limited information is given with regard to the United States, which might with advantage be somewhat amplified; though it would not be possible without considerable expense, and would probably not be advisable, to attempt to give such detailed information in their case as is given in that of the British Colonies.
16. With the fifth recommendation, as to advertising the office in local newspapers, we need not trouble the Secretary of State, except so far as more expenditure may be involved. I do not anticipate that it will be a matter of more than a few pounds.
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17. The sixth recommendation is that the Colonial Governments be requested to assist the Office both in the collection and in the distribution of information. This is practically a suggestion that the attention of the Governors and of the Agents General should be called anew to the work of the office. When the office was first proposed the Agents General were consulted, and, in my opinion, it would be well if they were now asked in the first instance whether they have found it of use and whether they can make any suggestions with a view to increasing its usefulness.
On this
18. The seventh recommendation refers to the branches of the office. subject the opinions of the Committee are much divided. The present system is that at a good many local centres, reading rooms and the like, notice boards are provided by the office and the free circulars and notices are available for distribution. At a few centres, such as Glasgow, Newcastle, &c., personal inquiries are answered, and books are sold. In the latter case an annual fee of 107. is given to cover any small clerical work which may be involved, Colonial directories are supplied, and a little help is At Liverpool the branch is at the Board of given in the way of advertisement, &c. Trade Office, elsewhere it is at the public library. The results have been small hitherto, but they have grown from year to year in consequence of the great interest taken in the experiment by a member of the Committee who has now, I am sorry to say, retired.
Some of my colleagues consider that these little branches are not worth the money spent upon them. My own opinion is very strongly on the other side. If it be granted that the distribution through the United Kingdom of information relating to the British Colonies and likely to be useful to British emigrants is the object to be aimed at, then I am persuaded that in the large towns, and if possible in the country districts also, there ought to be depôts where the printed information can be procured and where personal inquiries can be answered; it is essentially work which the librarians. of the large public libraries are well qualified to provide for without any real difficulty, and I know that, at any rate, some of them consider it to be work which is at once useful and a matter of interest.
The branches, in short, should not, in my opinion, be abolished; on the contrary, they should be multiplied, if the idea of an Emigrants' Information Office is to be thoroughly carried out. This again will involve additional expenditure, and it will be worse than useless to increase the number, unless adequate supervision is secured.
19. The last recommendation is that, if necessary, Parliament be asked to increase the grant to the office.
If the former recommendations are to be carried into effect it will certainly be necessary to have a larger grant, but my Committee agree with me as to the following suggestion. Our experience has been that more money could usefully be spent in one year than another, but at present we have a fixed grant, and whatever is saved on one It has been our practice to year's vote lapses altogether in the ordinary course. estimate towards the end of each year the probable appropriation of the grant in the coming year; and we would ask that, within such limits as may be thought reasonable, we may be allowed to vary our estimate slightly from year to year, provided that every year it is submitted to and approved by the Secretary of State. The object is to gain more elasticity than there has been in the past; and it is submitted that, if the expenditure is subject to the Secretary of State's approval, it will be sufficiently safe. guarded.
20. These proposals are now only put forward in outline; they will, so far as they are approved, have to be worked out more in detail hereafter. I do not anticipate any very large increase of expenditure. Some more money will be required for the staff, for agents in the Colonies, for visiting the Colonies, for the multiplication and super- vision of more branches at home. I do not at present attempt to give a definite estimate; but the whole amount will be very moderate, and the maximum will certainly not be required at once. My contention is that if this work is worth doing at all it is worth doing well, and to do it thoroughly well more money is required.
In conclusion, may I ask that whoever is to supply my place may as soon as conve- nient be associated with me in order to begin as soon as possible to take up the work, and again venture to point out that it would be well to ascertain in the first instance the views of the respective Agents General as to the merits or defects of the Emigrants? Information Office?
I am, &c.,
C. P. LUCAS..