Report of the Forty -Seventh Annual General- Meeting. 347 



of the Committee's attention in the past, have been brought prominently before the 

 public mind in the enquiries into foreign trade methods which have been aroused by 

 the War. Although constructive legislation is not at the moment possible, there is no 

 doubt that the experience of those persons who have been induced to study these 

 problems by the stress of War conditions will convince them of the justification of 

 the continued and urgent representations of the Trade and Industry Committee for a 

 simple and direct system oi booking in transportation, and entirely reorganised 

 Consular Service on commercial lines, and a Conference of Statisticians of the 

 Empire. 



British Trads with India and the Crown Colonies. — The Committee continues to 

 urge the appointment of Trade Commissioners to India and the Crown Colonies. 

 In many cases the issue of handbooks, a course which has been so long recommended 

 to the Government by the Committee, has actually been begun ; an excellent example 

 of the type of handbook mentioned is that issued by the Crown Agents for the 

 Colonies on Uganda. 



Appointment of Secretary of the Committee.— In July last, the Council of the 

 Institute, on the recommendation of the Committee, appoiiited Mr. Harold T. Pooley, 

 Barrister-at-Law, to be Secretary of the Committee. 



Speaking generally, it may be stated that the Committee has exercised in the period 

 under report a great part of its functions with increasing activity. The immense range 

 of the Institute's oversea sources of information, together with the representative 

 knowledge of the Members of the Committee, and the access to the very large collection 

 of commercial works and reports in the Institute Library, have enabled the Com- 

 mittee to carry on a practical and widely extended campaign. A pleasant feature of 

 the work of the Committee is the fact that it has been able to pursue its propaganda 

 in excellent and friendly relationship with other organisations concerned in the 

 securing of enemy trade, or in the development of inter-Imperial commercial and 

 economic relationships. 



City Luncheons. 



20. In connection with the work of the Empire Trade and Industry Committee, 

 mid-day luncheons in the City were held up to the period of the outbreak of war. 

 The following guests were entertained : — - 



E. H. Cunningham Craig, B.A., F.G.S. 



The Hon. Digby F. Denham (Premier of Queensland). 



The Right Hon. Sir George Reid, G.C.M.G. (High Commissioner for the 



Commonwealth of Australia). 

 Sir J. Percy Fitzpatrick, K.C.M.G. 



Visit of the Secretary to Australia and New Zealand. 



21. In accordance with the hope expressed in the last Report, the Council made 

 arrangements for the Secretary to visit Australasia during the latter half of the year. 

 He left England in July, and, after touching at Cape Town and visiting in turn all the 

 more important cities of Australia and New Zealand, he returned in January. Despite 

 the preoccupations of the war, his mission was everywhere successful, not only in bring- 

 ing the aims and objects of the Institute before the public of those Dominions at a time 



