i67 



T. L. Roxburgh, Acting Colonial Secretary, to act as a Member of 

 the Board, and as Chairman in the room of Mr. Bourne, Colonial 

 Secretary, who had been granted leave of absence from the 9th 

 inst. Mr Roxburgh then took the chair. 



The Secretary read the minutes of the previous meeting which 

 were confirmed. 



Commercial Agent in London — The Archbishop said as a mat- 

 ter arising out of the minutes he would like to ask the opinion of 

 the Board whether they should drop the matter of a Commercial- 

 Agent in London owing to the adverse reply of the Governor, or 

 whether they should go on with it, and if so what should be done. 

 He quoted from a lecture delivered at the Colonial Institute, what 

 South African Colonies were doing to find new markets for their 

 products. He believed that what His Excellency had quoted as 

 Mr. Chamberlain's decision against Crown Colonies having Agents 

 did not refer to Commercial Agents, but referred first to a political 

 agent and second to a man doing business on his own account, 

 but what we wanted was purely a Commercial Agent whose atten- 

 tion would be wholly devoted to the commercial interests of the 

 Colony. There was need in this Colony for Government support, 

 not only for the stimulus it would give the matter but for the status 

 it would give the Colony. 



Mr. Middleton supported the idea of going on with the matter. 



Mr. DeMercado said he supported the idea, but in this matter 

 almost everything would depend on the personality of the agent. 



The Board unanimously agreed that the Committee already ap- 

 pointed to deal with the matter should take it up again, viz : the 

 Archbishop, Mr. Middleton and Mr. Murray. 



Elder Dempster & Co. £500 & Instruetors — The Secretary read let- 

 ter from the Colonial Secretary's Office transmitting copy of a 

 despatch from the Secretary of State for the Colonies stating that 

 this Government would receive £500 a year to be paid by Messrs. 

 Elder, Dempster & Co. in lieu of their Instructors, provided the 

 money was devoted by the Government to the same purpose. 



The Secretary submitted letter from the Colonial Secretary's 

 Office stating that the Governor had perused with interest the 

 report on the successful working of the High Ether Instalation 

 at Hampden Estate. 



Labourers on Estates — The Secretary read letter from the Secre- 

 tary of the Northside Sugar Planters' Association in reply to his 

 letter, stating that with reference to the sale of beef, pork and bread 

 by overseers on sugar estates the practice did not prevail on the 

 northside estates as it was the general rule on them that particular 

 care be taken to pay the labourers in full, and no compulsion 

 was put on them to buy anything, and that it appeared the 

 present law was sufficient to meet such cases. 



The Secretary stated that he had no reply from the Secretary 

 of the Westmoreland Sugar Planters' Association. 



Mr. Cradwick & St. Mary Shoiv — A letter from the St. Mary Show 

 Committee was submitted stating that as rains prevented Mr. Crad- 

 wick from carrying out his programme for week ending June 9th 



