400 



if a committee is appointed to take into consideration the co- 

 operation in this matter of the International Association for 

 Tropical Agriculture with the Institute at Rome. If so, 

 Professor Carmody and he would come together. 



Sir JAMES WILSON : I should like to say a few words with 

 regard to what Mr. Hamel Smith said, that it took a long time 

 to get things sent to Rome and to get orders back. As Sir 

 Sydney Olivier has explained, any Government does what it likes 

 in its own executive capacity. The International Agricultural 

 Institute only collects information and disseminates it all the 

 world over. Then as regards the difficulty of having each colony 

 represented on the institute, of course no one suggests that a 

 little colony like Trinidad should send someone to represent 

 it. As I suggested, a whole lot of colonies might combine 

 together and have a joint representative. As a matter of fact 

 the representative for France represents also some of the 

 colonies of France, and so on. It is not necessary to have a 

 separate representative at all eit'her for each colony or each 

 group of colonies. Then ag'ain, as regards giving information 

 in the bulletins about tropical products, it is the case already 

 that the institute does give as full statistics as it can about those 

 particular tropical productions I have mentioned tobacco, 

 sugar, and so on, and it is giving information as regards 

 other products as well. I would just like to add this that 

 although certain tropical countries have not adhered to it, the 

 institute desires to be a world-wide institute, and to give the 

 benefit of the information it collects to all countries, whether 

 they adhere or not. Any expert from any colony, if he 

 chooses to send information and contributions to the bulletins, 

 may be assured that the institute will be very glad to receive 

 any communication of that kind. I should also like to mention 

 tha*t the institute has a splendid library, the best library of 

 information books, magazines, and so on connected with 

 agriculture in the whole world. It is the best library to be 

 found anywhere, and this library is at the disposal of any 

 student in any particular subject. I am quite prepared, sir, to 

 have this question referred to a committee, and if the Congress 

 is agreeable to that course, I shall be glad to accept that 

 addition to my proposed resolution. 



M. E. LEPLAE (Belgium) : This question is of an international 

 character, and the delegates of the different countries have not 

 had time to discuss it. The International Institute at Rome is 

 a very active and useful body, but I do not believe it has had 

 up to the present funds enough to enable it to work usefully 

 in tropical agriculture. The question is, are the tropical 

 countries to give these means to the International Institute at 

 Rome? As Professor Carmody said, if you do not send a 



