The West Indies : Their Common Interest and Imperial Aim. 335 



The other is from Sir Owen Philipps, Chairman of the Royal Mail, 

 who is always one of the first to encourage anything that will promote 

 the welfare of the West Indies. He says : 



"I am very pleased to hear of the proposal for the formation of the Asso- 

 ciation and wish the scheme all success. I should be very pleased to grant free 

 passages to three delegates representing different Chambers of the Association 

 to future meetings of the Congress of Chambers of Commerce of the Empire 

 and also to allow three representatives from each Chamber in the West Indies 

 a reduction of 20 per cent, from the ordinary fare by any of the steamers under 

 my control when travelling to meetings of the Association in the West Indies." 



Direct Appeal to Imperial Government. 

 There is just one other point. The Imperial Council of Commerce 

 takes powers in its articles that, in addition to promoting the Congresses, 

 whenever the British, South African or Australian Chambers appeal to it 

 direct on any special matter, it shall, if it so wishes, bring such matter 

 directly before His Majesty's Government and it has expressed its willing- 

 ness to consider adding to these the name of the West Indian Chamber. 

 This, I think, a matter of great importance, It means that in the future, 

 whenever an urgent commercial question arises, w T e should have the 

 means of approaching the British Government through the Imperial 

 Council, in addition to the present mode of approaching it through the 

 respective Governors of the colonies concerned and the Colonial Office. 

 And now let us turn to one of the chief subjects which the Association 

 will have to deal with but which I would rather now consider by itself. 

 I mean the question of Customs. Here we find the realisation already 

 apparent that there is a benefit in uniformity. The idea was, I think, 

 initiated by Mr. Cameron, the late Administrator of St. Lucia, in 1909, 

 and in 1911 the British Board of Trade put forward a scheme for securing 

 uniformity in trade statistics and in the classification of articles of import 

 and export. At the Steamship Conference held in Trinidad in 1913 the 

 subject was again brought up and resolutions were passed asking for the 

 consideration of such important points as a model Customs Ordinance, a 

 model Customs Duties Ordinance, a model set of regulations for the 

 classification of imports and exports and the preparation of Customs 

 statistics and various other matters. Following on this businesslike 

 proceeding I think it possible that a conference of West Indian Customs 

 Officers may be held this year, when the subject w T ill be taken in hand 

 and, I hope, brought a step towards actual accomplishment. 



West Indian Free Trade. 

 There is however one other point which has been already suggested 

 and to which I hope attention will be directed and that is the possibility 

 of establishing a Customs Union and Free Trade between the West Indian 

 colonies. This idea divides itself into two parts, firstly, the possibility of 

 free trade in indigenous products, and secondly, the possibility of free 

 trade in imports. As regards the first, we are at present in the anomalous 

 position of giving a preference to British and Canadian products and of 

 giving none to those of our sister colonies. But why not a step further 



