Science and Colonial Development 



been published, it can be seen what has been done 

 to carry out Mr. Chamberlain's ideas. Most of 

 the crown colonies, Victoria, and New Zealand, 

 have appointed local agents, who will be prepared 

 to reply to inquiries ; and the Committee has 

 appointed correspondents, though not so as to 

 supersede colonial agents, in five cities in South 

 Africa. It also had a special inquiry carried out 

 for it in South Africa, and a similar one in Australia 

 is now in progress. But it has been handicapped 

 by the limitations of the Annual Grant, of which 

 it could dispose, to .1000. Out of this amount it 

 managed, its activity not being confined to the 

 British Empire, also to send commercial missions 

 to Persia and Siberia. This record of achievement 

 would, however, have been smaller if Mr. Birch- 

 enough, who had already been entrusted with a 

 mission to South Africa, had not been willing to 

 give his services gratuitously to the Committee. 

 And it does seem rather ridiculous to starve a 

 body of this character, even though it be prudent 

 to try a new experiment tentatively, when hundreds 

 of thousands of pounds are being spent year by 

 year upon grants-in-aid to tropical colonies with- 

 out, so far as can be seen, any genuine attempt 

 to reduce the outlay. 



This Committee works in close co-operation 

 with the authorities of the Imperial Institute, which 

 has entered upon a new lease of life since it was 

 taken over by the Board of Trade in 1903. The 

 Imperial Institute Journal has been merged in the 

 Board of Trade Journal, which is published weekly, 



