CO885-(25-26) — Page 582

GOLD COAST.

CONFIDENTIAL.

538

GOVERNMENT HOUSE,

ACCRA.

15TH AUGUST, 1917.

SIR,

With reference to your Circular Despatch of the 25th September, 1916, inviting a considered statement from me embodying the views of my Government on the Recommendations of the Economic Conference of the Allies held at Paris during June, 1916, in so far as they appear to call for special attention in the interests of the Gold Coast and its Dependencies; to your further Circular Despatch of the 19th November 1916, on the same subject; and to your Confidential Despatch of the 5th April, 1917, forwarding copies of the Interim Report of Lord Balfour of Burleigh's Committee on Commercial and Industrial Policy, I have to express my regret that so long a delay should have occurred in replying to the earlier of these communi- cations. This delay, however, has been occasioned by the length of time which it has taken to collect the written opinions of representative persons, in accordance with the suggestion contained in the concluding paragraph of your Circular Despatch of the 25th September, 1916.

2. I have now the honour to enclose for your consideration the following documents :---

i. A copy of a Memorandum dated December 14th, 1916, by Mr. O. Mitchell, the Assistant Comptrol-

ler of Customs,

ü. A copy of a letter addressed to the Colonial Secretary, and dated January 5th, 1917, by the Honour-

able Casely Hayford, a native member of Council who resides at Sekondi.

iii. A copy of a letter addressed to the Colonial Secretary and dated January 16th, 1917, by the

Honourable J. M. Parker, mercantile member of the Legislative Council,

iv. A copy of a letter dated the 24th April, 1917 and addressed to the Colonial Secretary by the Honour- able Ofori Atta, the Paramount Chief of Eastern Akim, who is also an Unofficial Member of the Legislative Council.

v. An undated Memorandum, which was received in the Secretariat late in May, by the Honourable

E. J. P. Brown, who is a Member of the Legislative Council and resides at Cape Coast.

vi. Copies of Minutes by the Secretary for Native Affairs (the late Mr. Francis Crowther), by the Treasurer (the late Mr. E. B. Reece), by Mr. Charles Harper, written when he was acting as Colonial Secretary, and by Mr. A. R. Slater, C.M.G., the Colonial Secretary.

3. You have invited me to express my opinions with regard to the Recommendations of the Paris Conference, in so far as their adoption is calculated to affect the interests of the Gold Coast and its Dependencies.

4. Examined from the stand-point of this, or indeed of any other Tropical Crown Colony of the Empire, the problem must be seen to be one of great simplicity. The Gold Coast differs, as regards her trade, from Great Britain and from the self-governing Dominions, in that she possesses no manufacturing interesta This Colony, as an exporter, begins and ends as a producer of certain raw material,-notably of cocoa

THE RIGHT HONOURABLE,

WALTER H. LONG, M.P.

&c.,

&o.,

&c.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

سياسا

Reference :--

885/25

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO