MON DIEU DROIT IMPERIAL SHIPPING COMMITTEE. INTERIM REPORT ON RATES OF FREIGHT ON CANADIAN FLOUR IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC. Presented to Parliament by LONDON: PRINTED & PUBLISHED BY HIS MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. To be purchased directly from H. M. STATIONERY OFFICE at the following addresses: Adastral House, Kingsway, London, W.C.2; 28, Abingdon Street, London, S.W.1; York Street, Manchester; 1, St. Andrew's Crescent, Cardiff; or 120, George Street, Edinburgh; or through any Bookseller. APPENDIX I:-Copy of Letter, dated 13th November, 1923, and enclosures from Hon. Thos. A. Low, Minister of II:-Copy of Letter, dated 19th April, 1924, from Col. W. I. Gear, representing Montreal Shipping III-Extract from Statement submitted to Sub-Committee of Imperial Shipping Committee at Montreal, The Imperial Shipping Committee have already made the following (1) On the Limitation of Shipowners' Liability by Clauses in Bills of Lading and on certain other matters relating to Bills of Lading. (2) On the Functions and Constitution of a Permanent Imperial Body for Shipping Questions. (Cmd. 1483.) (3) On the Deferred Rebate System as obtaining in the trade between the United Kingdom and Australia [Interim Report]. (Cmd. 1486.) (4) On Rates of Freight in the New Zealand Trade. (Cmd. 1564.) (5) On the Deferred Rebate System [Final Report]. (Cmd. 1802.) (6) On the Work of the Imperial Shipping Committee, 1920 to 1922. (7) On the Economic Size and Speed of Vessels for the Australian Trade and on the Subsidies necessary to maintain Speeds in excess of the (8) On the Methods of Assessment of Shipping to Income Tax within (9) On the Prospective Size of Vessels in the Eastern and Australian Trades via Suez in relation to Proposals for the Deepening of (10) On Canadian Marine Insurance Rates [Interim Report]. (Cmd. 2249.) INSTRUMENT OF APPOINTMENT OF THE IMPERIAL SHIPPING COMMITTEE. WHEREAS the Imperial War Conference, 1918, passed on the 26th July, 1918, the following resolution : 1. That in order to maintain satisfactorily the connections and at the same time encourage commercial and industrial relations, between the different countries of the Empire, this Conference is of opinion that shipping on the principal routes, especially between the heart of the Empire and the Overseas Dominions, including India, should be brought under review by an inter-Imperial Board on which the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Dependencies should be represented. 2. That for this purpose an Imperial Investigation Board, representing the various parts of the Empire, be appointed, with power to enquire into and report on all matters connected with ocean freights and facilities, and on all matters connected with the development and improvement of the sea communications between the different parts of the Empire, with special reference to the size and type of ships and the capacities of harbours; the Board to include, in addition to representatives of the Governments concerned, persons with expert knowledge of the problems involved, including representatives of the shipping and trading interests; AND WHEREAS it has been represented to me, the Right Honourable David Lloyd George, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, by the Secretary of State for the Colonies after consultation with the Governments of the Dominion of Canada, of the Commonwealth of Australia, of the Dominion of New Zealand, of the Union of South Africa and of Newfoundland, by the Secretary of State for India and by the President of the Board of Trade, that it is now desirable that a Committee should be appointed under the title of the Imperial Shipping Committee, with the following functions, viz. :— (i) To enquire into complaints from persons and bodies interested with regard to ocean freights, facilities and conditions in the inter-Imperial trade or questions of a similar nature referred to them by any of the nominating authorities, and to report their conclusions to the Governments concerned. (ii) To survey the facilities for marítime transport on such routes as appear to them to be necessary for trade within the Empire, and to make recommendations to the proper authority for the co-ordination and improvement of such facilities with regard to the type, size and speed of ships, depth of water in docks and channels, construction of harbour works and similar matters. 48327 A 2 Now I, therefore, do hereby appoint the following persons to form the Imperial Shipping Committee and to exercise the functions herein before set forth : Sir H. J. Mackinder, M.P. (Chairman) Sir A. H. D. Ramsay Steel-Maitland, Bart., M.P., nomi- Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith, G.C.B., nominated by the Hon. Sir George H. Perley, K.C.M.G., nominated by the Mr. H. B. G. Larkin, nominated by the Government of the The High Commissioner for New Zealand, nominated by the Captain G. Bowden, M.C., nominated by the Government Hon. Sir Edgar R. Bowring, nominated by the Government of Newfoundland. Sir Kenneth Anderson, Bart., K.C.M.G.,§ Sir Alfred Booth, Bart.,|| Mr. W. Lionel Hichens, Mr. Kenneth Lee, Mr. J. W. Murray, being persons experienced in shipping and commerce. I further appoint Mr. E. J. Elliot,¶ of the Board of Trade, to be Secretary to the said Committee. June 15th, 1920. (Signed) D. LLOYD GEORGE. On July 26th, 1922, Sir Gilbert Grindle, K.C.M.G., C.B., was appointed a member of the Committee in the room of Sir Frederick Butler, K.C.M.G., C.B., who resigned on joining the Foreign Office. Sir Frederick Butler had on October 2nd, 1920, succeeded Sir A. H. D. Steel-Maitland, who had resigned on the ground of ill-health. + On February 13th, 1923, Mr. J. W. Bhore, C.B.E., I.C.S., was appointed a member of the Committee in the room of Sir W. S. Meyer, who died on October 19th, 1922. Mr. Bhore was succeeded by Mr. (now Sir) D. M. Dalal, C.I.E., on May 31st, 1923. On April 15th, 1922, Hon. P. C. Larkin was appointed a member of the Committee in the room of Sir George Perley, resigned. †† From March 17th, 1923, to March 14th, 1924, Mr. E. A. Eva served on the Committee during the absence from the country of Mr. H. B. G. Larkin. § From January 19th, 1921, to June 7th, 1921, Mr. William J. Noble (now Sir William J. Noble, Bart.), served on the Committee during the absence from the country of Sir Kenneth Anderson. || On May 9th, 1921, Mr. T. Harrison Hughes was appointed a member of the Committee in the room of Sir Alfred Booth, who had resigned on the ground of ill-health. From February 3rd, 1922, to May 1st, 1922, Mr. L. C. Harris served on the Committee during the absence from the country of Mr. T. Harrison Hughes. Sir Alfred Booth was reappointed on the 15th Jan., 1924, to serve during the absence of Mr. T. Harrison Hughes from the country. ¶ Mr. R. D. Fennelly, of the Board of Trade, was appointed Secretary on February 13th, 1923, on the resignation of Mr. E. J. Elliot. |