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No. 11.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNORS AND HIGH COMMIS- SIONERS OF CROWN COLONIES AND PROTECTORATES.* (Circular.)

SIR,.

Downing Street, July 31, 1906.

It will be remembered that, on the 24th of January, 1903, the Earl of Onslow, acting for Mr. Chamberlain, enclosed in a Circular despatch† a memorandum drawn up by the Board of Trade with regard to the future management of the Imperial Institute, the control of the Institute having been vested in the Board by the Imperial Institute Transfer Act of 1902. The despatch concluded with words commending the Institute to the continued support of the Colonial Governments.

The amount of financial support which is being given at the present time is shown by a "statement of the present contributions to the Imperial Institute made by the Government of India and by the British Colonies and Protectorates" which was laid before Parliament in March last,† and which is now reprinted for conve- nience of reference.

2. In their memorandum the Board of Trade stated that it was their intention, so far as the funds at their disposal permitted, "to pay special attention to the development and extension of the important work carried on by the Scientific and Technical Department." This work, which had been entrusted to Professor Dunstan, F.R.S., who is now in charge of the Institute as a whole, was commended to the Colonial Governments by Mr. Chamberlain in his Circular despatch of 27th July, 1901; and in a later Circular despatch, dated 4th July, 1905, my immediate predecessor, Mr. Lyttelton, wrote:-"This work has since largely increased, and it is possible that I shall be asked to communicate with you further hereafter with regard to its extension."

3. In the 1901 despatch Mr. Chamberlain referred to the fact that an annual sum of £2,000 was contributed towards the maintenance of the Scientific and Technical Department by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. This contribution, which had been made provisionally by the Commissioners in order to initiate scientific and technical work in connection with Colonial development. ceased at the end of 1905; and, pending a final settlement, the deficit has been made good out of the general funds of the Institute. The Board of Trade have informed me that this cannot be continued beyond the 1st of October next; the problem, therefore, with which I am faced, is how to provide that this department, whose work has, in the meantime, grown in amount and variety and, I feel justified in adding, in the confidence of the Colonies, shall not be seriously crippled, and its sphere of action permanently curtailed.

4. A reference to the Treasury has produced a promise that for three or five years, as may be determined, the Lords Commissioners will be willing to provide one-half of any sum which may be contributed for the purpose by the Colonies and Protectorates which are not in receipt of a Grant-in-Aid from the Votes of Parlia- ment, up to a maximum Imperial contribution of £1,500. Accordingly, I now wish to place the whole matter before the Crown Colonics and Protectorates as I placed it before the Treasury, noting at the outset that I have been reminded by the Lords of the Treasury, in answer to my appeal for assistance, that a grant of £500 is already made from Imperial funds in aid of research carried on at the Imperial Institute, for the promotion of cotton growing in the Empire, and also that many or most of the Protectorates which avail themselves of the services of the Scientific and Technical department receive from the Imperial Exchequer large grants in aid of their general expenditure--which also includes in many cases provision for special enquiries into scientific and technical questions.

5. The Imperial Institute as a whole, and especially the Scientific and Technical department which more and more tends to become the practical embodi- ment of the work of the Institute, is, or ought to be, of value to all parts of the Empire, and I hope that it will continue to receive, in growing measure, support from all the British possessions; but it is to the Crown Colonies and Protectorates, little developed as they are, in many cases, at present, and often ill supplied locally

* A copy of this circular wis sent on July 31, 1996, to the Governors of Self-governing Colonies.

† 2180 not printed.

‡ [Ca. 2874].

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with the means of scientific research, that its scientific and technical work is likely to be of greatest value and importance, while for their development and progress the Secretary of State is, of course, directly and immediately responsible.

6.

The Crown Colonies and Protectorates have, it seems to me, as yet hardly received the attention to which their position in the commercial system of the Empire entitles them. If these great and growing dependencies are to be fully developed in the coming time, the fact must be recognised that, under modern conditions, the business of the Colonial Office can no longer be confined to questions of politics and administration; but, either in the office or in close connection with it, there must be a department to deal with the material development of the Colonies; and funds must be forthcoming for this purpose.

7. It may be well to note what is being done in this direction by Continental nations which own colonies and dependencies. France, Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries are spending annually large sums on scientific investigations of the products of their colonies, with a view to their commercial development. This work is being conducted (1) by laboratory investigations at home; (2) by visits of specialists not only to the countries concerned but also to British Colonies and other countries where similar developments are taking place. In France, investigations are conducted under the Ministry for the Colonies by an organisation called the "Office Colonial," which, in conjunction with the "Jardin Colonial" in Paris. conducts similar work to that carried on at the Imperial Institute, including the investigation and exhibition of colonial products. The annual expenditure amounts to about 130,000 francs, which is contributed partly from the funds of the Republic, partly from colonial funds, and partly from other sources. Additional funds are provided for the purpose of expeditions undertaken by specialists.

In Germany, the Imperial Government subsidizes directly and also indirectly through the permission to hold lotteries, both the German Colonial Society and the German Colonial Economic Committee, which carry on work on the same lines as the Imperial Institute. The annual income of the Colonial Committee is about 500,000 marks, and the Imperial Government has recently made a special grant of £10,000 to aid the systematic study and development of cotton growing in German colonies.

Enquiries have been made of these Governments, through their Embassies in this country and through the British Embassies abroad, in order to ascertain to what extent the work is assisted financially by Government. Precise figures have not been forthcoming, but it may safely be concluded that the French and German Governments are each spending over £10,000 per annum upon the work of developing the resources of their colonies on scientific lines.

The example thus set by other nations, none of whom have Colonial interests approaching in variety and magnitude those of the British Empire, is one which it is necessary to follow if the British Colonies are to compete on even terms with theirs; and, while very large sums are being spent upon the administration of new territories, it would seem worth while to expend the further comparatively small sums required in order to enable the resources of those territories to be investigated, and to secure the best return for the money laid out upon them.

8. The Scientific and Technical Department of the Imperial Institute supplies the nucleus of what is required, and it will be borne in mind that it was estab- lished ten years ago, in 1896, in order to conduct investigations and acquire informa- tion regarding the natural resources of the Colonies and Dependencies of the British Empire, with a view to creating new openings in trade and promoting agricultural and industrial development.

During these ten years reports upon many subjects involving special scientific and technical investigation have been made to the Governments of the British Colonies and Protectorates; while in the United Kingdom commercial firms, manu- facturers, brokers, and others are making increasing use of the Department as a means of acquiring information and advice respecting new supplies of the products which they require, new materials suitable to their needs, and improvements in the processes employed in utilizing these materials in manufacturing operations.

9. But, in addition to the conduct of investigations in this country and the collection and supply of information concerning the development of agricultural and mineral resources, with which the Department is at present mainly occupied, there is another direction in which the organisation can be of very great assistance. namely, in supplying competent and trustworthy persons to visit the Colonies and

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Protectorates for the purpose of making special investigations and reports. The work of examining and reporting on the value of products when received in this country, and bringing them to the notice of merchants and manufacturers, must be supplemented by systematic exploration of the Colonies and Protectorates them- selves, if their resources are to be speedily and fully developed. With this object, mineral surveys are now being conducted, under the supervision of the Director of the Institute, in Ceylon and in Nigeria, and the results achieved indicate that this plan of operations could be usefully extended. The plan is that trained specialists attached to the Department should proceed to the Colony or Protectorate for a limited period in each year for the purpose of exploration and to collect exact data and material for examination at the Imperial Institute, returning to this country each year, in many cases, to assist in dealing with the problems which have arisen. The work is thus carried on in constant touch with the Colonial Governments and others in the Colonies, as well as with scientific, technical, and commercial experts in this country.

There is no lack of young men in this country who have received a sound scientific education, and there are many who have received, in addition, a general agricultural or geological training, or have been engaged in mining operations; but the persons employed to visit the Colonies and Protectorates must not only be thoroughly versed in the sciences on which agricultural and mineral development depend: they must also have been thoroughly trained in the special work of examin- ing and determining the value of different kinds of natural products, and it is essential that, while familiar with the commercial aspects of the subject, they should have no connection with any commercial enterprise, but should be in a position to make reports which could be relied upon as independent.

It is desirable, therefore, to provide a staff of trained specialists, possessing not only the requisite knowledge and experience, but also independence of any com- mercial interests, who could both be employed in London upon the work of examin- ing the composition and the possibilities of the raw materials sent from the Colonies and Protectorates, and also be from time to time detached for the purpose of pro- ceeding to the countries concerned in order to explore their resources and collect complete information, as well as the materials required for further enquiry.

10. The staff of the Department at present consists, or consisted until quite recently, of (1) eighteen skilled assistants (in addition to six who are conducting mineral surveys in the Colonies under the general supervision of the Director), and (2) a number of external referees on various subjects, who supply special information and undertake technical trials and valuations of materials the composition and pre- bable uses of which have been ascertained in the laboratories. Six rooms at the Imperial Institute have been fitted and equipped as laboratories and working rooms, and in these the investigation of the composition and uses of the raw materials is conducted. Reference sample rooms containing selected samples of various Colonial and Indian products of ascertained composition and value have also been arranged for the convenience of enquirers; and for the information of the general public the resources of each Colony and Protectorate and of India are illustrated by the exhibi- tion of their products fully described and accompanied by maps, diagrams, and tabular statements, in the public galleries.

11. The direct expenses of the department (i.e., salaries of the scientific staff. Post of chemicals, apparatus, &c.), amount to about £4,000. This does not, how- ever, include certain indirect cost, i.e., part of the total maintenance and administra- tion charges for the Institute as a whole, such as light, water, cleaning, office expenditure, and clerical assistance. Of this sum of about £4,000, £2,000 was, as already stated, contributed up to the end of 1905 by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, the balance being made up of special grants for short periods by India and by certain Colonies and Protectorates and from other sources.

12. I now propose to consider (a) what additional funds are required for present needs and for possible expansion in the near future, (b) what conditions should attach to the provision of those funds, and (c) from what sources they should be derived.

13. In order to replace the annual grant of £2,000 which has been withdrawn and to allow for expansion of the work, I propose, subject to the conditions stated in the next paragraph, to aim at an annual income for the Department of from £5,000 to £6,000. Of this sum I would ask the Crown Colonies and Protectorates, which are self-supporting, to contribute about £3.000, as against the conditionally promised Imperial contribution of £1,500, leaving the balance to be made up partly by the contribution from general funds of the Institute, which has already been

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mentioned, and partly by contributions from India, the Egyptian Sudan, or other

sources.

14. The conditions which I would propose to attach to the collection and admin- istration of this sum of £3,000, which the Crown Colonies and Protectorates will be invited to contribute, are as follows:-

(a) The sum will be a maximum. Not only will it not be exceeded in any year, but the limit will not be reached in any year unless necessity is shown. In other words, the staff will not be increased simply because funds are available, but funds will be forthcoming up to the limit named if, and only if, the work necessitates an increase of the staff.

(b) The sum will not be in effect quite as large as is stated, for in the £3,000 I propose to include the small sums which appear in the annexed statement under "General Funds including Collections," so far as they are contributed by the Crown Colonies and Protectorates named below.

I may explain that these sums have hitherto been paid on the basis of the space occupied by the respective Courts.

My reason for doing so is this. While I regard what has hitherto been the technical and scientific branch of the Imperial Institute as constituting the main value of the Institute to the Colonies, I do not think that it should be treated as separate from the collections. In future, from my point of view, the collections should supplement the technical and scientific work, whereas in the past-unti! recently that work has been supplementary to the collections: but in any case the subscriptions for which I ask should be devoted to the Imperial Institute as a whole. The sumn named will also include, of course, the figures in the second column of the Statement," ¿.e., the "Contributions to the Scientific Department" for special work. The only charge which will not be included in it will be the actual cost of special missions of enquiry to and in the Colonies and Protectorates themselves.

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(c) The money will be asked for and if given, as I hope it will be given, should be granted for a term of not more than three or five years. I do not wish to involve the Colonies in an unlimited liability. I wish to invite them to try an experiment. If it succeeds, they will desire to continue the grants. If it does not, the whole position must be again reviewed. (d) If the contributions from the Crown Colonies and Protectorates are increased, it will only be reasonable that the contributor should, through the Colonial Office, have a stronger voice than hitherto in con- trolling the expenditure. Arrangements are now being made between the Colonial Office and the Board of Trade under which the control of the fund so contributed will, for all practical purposes, rest with the Colonial Office. The Board of Trade have expressed their readiness to facilitate this object, which can be attained without interfering with the authority over the Institute vested in the Board by Act of Parlia-

ment.

It will be remembered that Sir Cecil Clementi Smith is one of the two members of the Managing Committee of the Institute, the appoint- ment of which was communicated to the Colonies in my predecessor's Circular despatch of the 4th of July, 1905,* and his lifelong knowledge of the Crown Colonies should be a guarantee that any money contri- buted by them will be paid out as their interests would dictate. In apportioning this expenditure it is not possible to make an allotment on first principles without having regard to the pecuniary circumstances of the Colonies; but I think that the £3,000 might equitably be paid, as to one-third by the three Eastern Colonies, as to one-third by the West African Colonies and Protec- torates, and as to one-third, or possibly rather more, by certain other Crown Colonies. Of the Eastern Colonies I would ask Ceylon (which is at present paying £400 per annum for special scientific work), to pay £350 per annum all told. I would ask the Straits Settlements and the Federated Malay States combined to pay £450, and from Hong Kong I would invite a contribution of £200 per annum.

The West African Colonies and Protectorates I would ask to contribute in the following proportions:-

Gambia

Sierra Leone

17853; not printed.

£100

200

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