Hinv to lixpmul 41 



fully reads Mr. Wilson- Fox's statements will conclude, as 

 I have done, that he is in favour of such a proposal. If he 

 is not, then I iiave entirely misunderstood him, and not 

 only myself, but many others who have had lifelong 

 experience of the Tropics and tropical labour as well.' 



I mention this now because the entire matter, both the 

 definite statements made by Mr. Wilson-Fox, as well as 

 the rumours floating through the atmosphere seem to me 

 to be only waiting to take shape as soon as the approval of 

 the public here, wlio have votes in the House of Commons, 

 show any inclination to accept ihem and to dictate terms to 

 the pioneers and builders-up of the Empire on the outer 

 edge of our possessions who are safely out of the way and 

 cannot bother this Government with their a<iverse remarks 

 and votes. 



Mr. Fox addressed a meeting of the Royal Colonial 

 Institute on the very day that the first portion of these 

 notes was sent in to press (see p. 37), so I could not, at 

 the time, wait to include any comment on what he and his 

 friends then said. I would, however, call the attention of 

 cacao planters anil exporters to the following " quotes " 

 from what was said in the article contributed by Mr. Fox 

 to the Nineteenth Century Revieiv for October (pp. 835-858 - - 

 24 pages):— 



(1) " Their " (i.e., the Empire Resources Development 

 Committee, a self-appointed conniiittee on which, so far as can 

 be ascertained, no practical planter or trader whose interests 

 are at stake has been inchided. Hence they are being 

 judged in their absence and without a hearing) " common 

 belief is .... that a system under which practically 

 all production is left to the uncorrelated and uncontrolled 

 activities o[ private individuals has liad its day." 



' With regard to the possible effect that speeding-up the output of the 

 Tropics would have on the labour forces, see the following, among other 

 articles, in : — 



"After the War —The West Indies for ex-Warriors." T.L., January, 

 1916, p. II. 



"Savage Man in Centr.il Africa." T.L., February, 1916, p. 27, or in 

 this book, p. id et seq. 1 



" After the War and the Domination of 'Latin-America." February, 

 1916, p. 31. 



"State Exploitation of the Tropics ' (being T.l.'s. views on the paper 

 read by Mr. Wilson-Fox before the Royal .Society of Arts on December 15, 

 1916). May, 1917, p. 73. 



"The Proposed Imperial Development Board" (based on Captain 

 Jebb's proposals laid before the Royal Colonial Institute). June, 1917, 

 p. 89, or this book, p. 50. 



