1 66 



NATURE 



[April 26, 191 7 



and tliat their future contributions to the Empire's 

 strength and greatness will far surpass those of the 

 past. These parts of your Majesty's oversea posses- 

 sions are vitally linked with the self-governing 

 Dominions ; the destinies of all are interwoven. 



Secondly, we have been equally strongly impressed 

 by the almost infinite variety of Empire domain, the 

 extent of its area, the inequality of distribution of 

 its papulation, and the disconnected character of its 

 governing and directing machinery. 



In other words, the only practicable subject of 

 investigation turned out to be the British Empire 

 itself. Successive interim reports on the five 

 Dominions, following on the four tours under- 

 taken by the commission, have already appeared. 

 The opening chapters of the final report are 

 historical and descriptive, and show the leading 

 characteristics of the Dominions and the develop- 

 ment of their trade. ,They analyse briefly their 

 chief resources and prospects of expansion. The 

 siirvey falls under five heads, viz. agricultural 

 ■ and pastoral resources, minerals, forests, fisheries, 

 and water-power. They describe also some of 

 the chief measures for controlling and utilising 

 natural resources for the common benefit which 

 have been taken by the Governments concerned 

 during the war, and lead up to two chapters out- 

 lining a policy in respect of the scientific develop- 

 ment of natural resources for the future. Migra- 

 tion and its intimate bearing on the problems of 

 development of the Empire forms the subject of 

 the next chapter, succeeded by three dealing with 

 Imperial communications. In the first of these 

 stress is laid on the need for deeper harbours and 

 the co-ordination of. harbour depths in order to 

 facilitate cheap, speedy, and efficient transport. 

 Recommendations for developing fast Imperial 

 services on several of the most important trade 

 routes of the world are made. Ocean freight 

 rates and the respective liabilities of shipowners 

 and shippers under bills of lading come under 

 consideration. In the second the handling of 

 produce brought to, and distributed from, the 

 ports of the United Kingdom is passed under 

 review, while in the third cable and wireless ser- 

 vices between the United Kingdom and Dominions 

 are discussed and suggestions made for their 

 improvement. Questions of commercial import- 

 ance form the subject-matter of the next two 

 chapters, and in the final one the commissioners 

 criticise the past and existing deficiencies in Im- 

 perial organisation and outline a scheme for the 

 creation of an Imperial Development Board, 

 charged with the duty of undertaking and pro- 

 moting the development of the natural resources, 

 trade, and communications of the Empire. 



As a preliminary to considering the conserva- 

 tion and development of natural resources in the 

 future, the commissioners point out that before 

 any adequate measures can be taken towards this 

 end a preliminary survey is needed of the relation 

 between Empire production and Empire require- 

 ments throughout the whole range of the articles 

 required for the sustenance and well-being of the 

 people, for the maintenance of industry, and for 

 the production of munitions of war. As they say 

 NO. 247S, VOL. 99] 



truly, no such survey has ever been undertaken. 

 They go on to point out that it should divide the 

 necessary materials of trade and corrimerce into 

 the following three main categories : — 



(i) Materials of which the world's requirements 

 arc mainly or wholly produced within the Empire^ 

 As instances, it may be mentioned that Canada 

 produces much the largest proportion of nickel, 

 cobalt, and asbestos, and, in conjunction with 

 India, of mica. New Zealand produces practically 

 the only supply of kauri gum and' phormium 

 fibre. The Unipn of South Africa has a virtual 

 monopoly of diamonds and ostrich feathers. India 

 has a monopoly of jute, while the West African) 

 Colonies yield the major portion of the world's 

 supply of palm-nuts and palm-kernels, and the 

 Eastern Colonies of plantation rubber. The 

 British Empire produces from 40 to 45 per cent, 

 of the world's total supply of wool, and more than- ' 

 60 per cent, of the world's output of gold. To 

 take one instance only of how little a valuable 

 mineral is worked up into a manufactured article 

 in the country of its origin, it may be mentioned 

 that, although Canada is practically the only pro- 

 ducer of raw asbestos in the world, the United 

 Kingdom is largely dependent on outside sources, 

 especially the United States, for the manufactured! 

 asbestos which it requires, and that even Canada 

 imports manufactured asbestos to the average 

 value of 70,000/. per annum. 



(2) Materials of which the Empire's require- 

 ments are approximately equalled by Empire pro- 

 duction. Examples of products falling within 

 this category are wheat, butter, cheese, and wool. 

 In certain cases, instances of which are zinc, 

 tungsten, and monazite, the commissioners indi- 

 cate the necessity for sf>ecial action in order to 

 secure the control and utilisation of Imperial sup- 

 plies for the Empire's use. 



(3) Materials of which the world's require- 

 ments, and with them those of the Empire, are 

 mainly produced and controlled outside the 

 Empire. Most careful inquiry is obviously 

 needed in regard to substances of this kind, in- 

 stances of which are cotton, petroleum, nitrates, 

 and potash. Investigation should take two direc- 

 tions : (a) the possibility of finding new sources 

 of supply within the Empire, and (b) the possi- 

 bility of finding substitutes within the Empire. 

 Means of preventing waste in existing sources of 

 supply of all minerals should also be investigated. 



The commissioners recommend that the respon- 

 sibility for a survey and investigations on the 

 lines indicated should be entrusted to a new Im- 

 perial Development Board. They say : — 



We believe the time has come when a body should 

 be created which could be referred to at anv time 

 and by any of .he Governments, in order to smooth 

 the path of Imperial development. There is, indeed, 

 both scope and need for a new Imperial Development 

 Board, which, without displacing any existing body, 

 would devote its energies and experience to a con- 

 tinuous survey and consideration of Empire resources 

 and opportunities and to a study of the best means 

 of co-ordinating Empir- effort for the development 

 of these resources, for the extension of Imperial trade, 



