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4.

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The importers of manufactured articles may also be divided into two classes, viz. :-

(a) A small number of firms who are either branches of firms in the United Kingdom or who obtain their goods through purchasing agents in the United Kingdom.

(b) A large number of small traders, mainly of foreign extraction (French, Portuguese, Chinese, Venezuelans, etc.), who have no United Kingdom agents and order largely through commercial travellers.

5. The big firms do not act as importing agents for the small traders--they are retailers, with branches in most of the principal towns and villages in the Colony, and compete in every possible way with the small traders. This competi- tion has, in the course of time, resulted in the introduction of large quantities of cheap German, Austrian, and Swiss goods obtained by the larger firms through their purchasing agents in the United Kingdom, and, inasmuch as the goods were billed in the United Kingdom, they were shown in the Colony's trade returns as imports from that country.

6. The United Kingdom commercial travellers who visited the West Indies as a rule represented a certain class of manufacturers and export houses who had been dealing with these colonies for a great number of years in more or less the same class of articles. They confined themselves largely to the old established firms, and left the smaller importer to be exploited by German and American travellers. The result has been that the small trader, not in touch with the United Kingdom, has, since the War, looked to the United States for his supplies, and the danger is that, in the event of his being able to put into the market a cheaper American article, the larger importing houses will be forced to do likewise and so still further reduce the trade with the United Kingdom.

7. In addition to the efforts made by foreign commercial travellers to capture the trade, their countries, particularly Germany and America, are represented in the Colony by consular agents, whose business it is to report fully on trade require- ments and to assist in every way in bringing the importer into touch with their exporting houses and manufacturers.

8. In British colonies the United Kingdom exporting houses and manufac- turers are not so represented, which perhaps would not be necessary if the colonies gave to, and received from, the Mother Country a preference on British and colonial manufactures and products, but where no such preference is given it is only to be expected that the colonial importer will look to those countries which can supply him at a cheaper rate or with which he is kept more in touch by their trade representatives.

9. The import trade of the West Indian colonies collectively (including Their British Guiana) is valued, I believe, at about £15,000,000 per annum. distance one from another makes it somewhat difficult to devise an inexpensive and workable scheme for keeping in close touch with the trade of each colony, but, in view of the volume of the trade, I think some effort should be made to do so.

10.

I submit the following suggestions, some of which may be found useful when this question comes up for consideration :-

(1) The appointment of a Trade Commissioner for the West Indies, with

headquarters either at Trinidad or Barbados.

(2) The appointment of the Collectors of Customs of the several colonies as

Assistant Trade Commissioners.

(3) The Trade Commissioner should be required to watch closely the imports of goods of foreign manufacture, and report fully from time to time to the Board of Trade with the object of obtaining information as to whether such articles can be supplied by United Kingdom manu- facturers and export houses, and at what prices, etc.

(4) A trade directory of each colony should be compiled, giving :-

(a) The names of importers, the class of goods imported, the total imports into the colony of each class. the proportion supplied by the United Kingdom and foreign countries, the Customs duties chargeable, and the preference given to the United Kingdom, if any.

1

(b) The names of exporters, the nature of exports, the total exports of each commodity, and the proportion taken by the United Kingdom and by foreign countries.

59

(c) These directories should be printed and circulated through the Board of Trade to the several Chambers of Commerce in the United Kingdom, the members of which should be invited to communicate with the Trade Commissioner through the Board of Trade, or, if thought advisable, direct with the Trade Commissioner.

(d) Importers and exporters in the several colonies should be invited to apply to the Trade Commissioner or his assistants for information as to importers and exporters in the United Kingdom, which applications should be forwarded to the Board of Trade when necessary.

11. In the event of the appointment of a Trade Commissioner being found too costly, then I would suggest that an official in each colony, having a knowledge of local trade conditions, should be appointed as the representative of the Board of Trade. They should receive some remuneration for their services, and should be visited, say, twice a year, by an official from the Board of Trade, or, if this is again thought too costly, by the senior local representative in the West Indies.

H. B. WALCOTT,

Collector of Customs.

16911

(No. 91.)

No. 15.

JAMAICA.

THE GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received 27th March, 1917.)

SIR,

King's House, Jamaica, 10th March, 1917. WITH reference to the correspondence ending with your predecessor's Circular despatch of the 24th October, 1916,* I have the honour to inform you that I caused copies of Mr. Bonar Law's Circular despatch of the 25th September, 1916, to be forwarded to the Jamaica Agricultural Society and the Merchants' Exchange, with an intimation that I should be glad to receive the views of those societies as to any "special circumstances affecting the interest" of the Colony for which it is desirable to secure consideration at the forthcoming conference of representatives of the United Kingdom and India to consider the industrial policy of the United Kingdom after the War, and I have now the honour to transmit, for your information, the accompanying copy of a report on the subject made by a special committee of the Board of Management of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, acting in co-operation with a committee of the Merchants' Exchange.

The matter is also being brought up in the Legislative Council, when, no doubt,

a resolution will be approved which will be submitted to you in due course

2. With regard to the reference in the report to the French Customs duties, I enclose, for your information, the accompanying copy of a letter written from Brussels, in September, 1912, by a Mr. B. Donald to Captain S. D. List, formerly Manager of the Jamaica Division of the United Fruit Company. I have, &c.,

Enclosure 1 in No. 15.

W. H. MANNING,

Governor.

COPY OF A REPORT BY A SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE BOARD OF MANAGEMENT OF THE JAMAICA AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY AND A COMMITTEE OF THE MERCHANTS' EXCHANGE, JAMAICA.

1.

WHEREAS this committee have been requested to advise on certain ques- tions as to the future commercial and industrial policy of the United Kingdom raised by the conclusion of the Conference of the Allies, of which the first is :

What industries are essential to the future safety of the nation, and what

steps should be taken to maintain and establish them?

E

*45879: not printed.

† No. 1.

Reference :-

CO.885/25

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO