A.—6

During consideration of the work of the Imperial Economic Committee the general question of arrangements for the examination of economic matters of interImperial concern arose. The Committee on Economic Co-operation recommended, and the Conference adopted, the following resolutions : — " I. The Conference is of opinion that the Imperial Economic Committee should continue as at present established, but takes note of the desire expressed by His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom that their representation should be on the same basis as that of other parts of the Commonwealth. " 11. The Conference is further of opinion that the Chairman of the Imperial Economic Committee should be elected annually by the committee from among its own members, regard being paid to the desirability of rotation. " 111. The Conference considers that the general reference to the Imperial Economic Committee should be as follows : — " (1) To complete the series of investigations into the marketing of Empire foodstuffs in the United Kingdom : " (2) To undertake inquiries into the production for export and the marketing in various parts of the world of the raw materials enumerated in the Fifteenth Report of the Imperial Economic Committee : " (3) To prepare, at the instance of the Governments of the Commonwealth, preliminary surveys of any branch of Empire trade and marketing such as were contemplated in the recommendation of the Imperial Conference of 1926 : " (4) To carry out any investigations arising out of recommendations contained in reports submitted by the General Economic Committee and adopted by the present Conference : " (5) To facilitate conferences among those engaged in particular industries in various parts of the Commonwealth : " (6) To examine and report on any economic question which the Governments of the Commonwealth may agree to refer to the committee." (e) Empire Marketing Board. The Committee on Economic Co-operation recommended certain resolutions with regard to the work of the Empire Marketing Board, and the Conference adopted them in the following form : — " I. The Conference, having surveyed the work of the Empire Marketing Board, is satisfied that it is valuable to the Commonwealth as a whole, and recommends its continuance and its extension in certain directions, notably in the spheres of market intelligence, statistical surveys, and market-promotion. " 11. The Conference takes note of the Empire Marketing Board's programme of research, involving commitments approaching £2,000,000 from the Empire Marketing Fund, as well as independent contributions by so many Empire Governments. It finds that programme in accord both with the resolution of the Imperial Conference of 1926 and the policy adopted by the Imperial Agricultural Research Conference of 1927. " 111. The Conference commends especially that feature of the Board's policy which aims at the concentration and development in the most appropriate centres of scientific team work upon problems of interest to the Commonwealth as a whole, and notes as an example of special promise the recognition and extension of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Research Station as an Empire centre of research in the field of animal health. " IV. The Conference also welcomes the facilities provided by the Board for enabling scientific workers to visit different parts of the Empire. " V. The Conference is of opinion that if effective advantage is to be taken of the opportunities for co-operative action within the British Commonwealth open to the Board — " (1) The limitation of the Empire Marketing Fund to marketing in the United Kingdom should be removed:

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