395 



is to get the tropical countries more largely represented on 

 the permanent committee by getting the Governments of those 

 countries to adhere to the convention, paying part of the cost, 

 and appointing their representatives on the committee. Just 

 let me tell you which are the tropical countries which have 

 not yet adhered. In America, Jamaica and the other West 

 Indian Islands belonging to different Governments with the 

 exception of Cuba, the Panama Republic, the three Guianas, 

 and Bolivia. All the rest of America has adhered. In Africa 

 the non-adherents are all the colonies which belong to Britain, 

 France, Germany, Belgium and Portugal. In Asia the non- 

 adhering countries are French Indo-China, Siam, Ceylon, 

 Borneo, the Philippines, and the many other islands belong- 

 ing- to different European Powers. There are, therefore, a 

 number of tropical countries still which have not adhered, .and 

 if they would adhere and send delegates to the institute, no 

 doubt the institute would be induced to pay more attention 

 than it does to the interests of tropical agriculture. The 

 British countries which do adhere are : Great Britain and 

 Ireland, Canada, Australia, Union of South Africa, New 

 Zealand, India and Mauritius. 



Now it is possible, it seems to me, for a colony which wishes 

 to be represented there either to adhere individually there 

 is no doubt about that being possible, as in the case of 

 Mauritius and paying at the least 100 a year towards the 

 cost of the institute, or it is also possible for a number of 

 colonies to group themselves as one state with reference to 

 the institute, having one- representative, and paying one sub- 

 scription. For instance, the whole of the British Crown 

 Colonies might, I think, combine and group themselves as a 

 state with reference to the institute in the first class and pay 

 1,600 a year, distributing that 1,600 amongst themselves. 

 That is a plan which might be considered by the British Crown 

 Colonies, and also by the colonies of other powers which have 

 a number of tropical possessions. This is an International 

 Congress, and it is desirable that we should 1 look at things 

 internationally, and here in Rome you have this wealthy 

 international body permanently at work, and I think we should 

 try and secure their services more perfectly than at present is 

 done for the purposes of tropical agriculture. I suggest that 

 you cannot do better when you go home than try and persuade 

 your Governments to take part in forming a group of colonies 

 under the International Agricultural Institute at Rome. 



Sir SYDNEY OLIVIER (Permanent Secretary to the Board of 

 Agriculture) : I should like to support that resolution in a very 

 few words. I would like this Congress to take the matter into 

 consideration in the same spirit in which the International 



