45

A.—2

5. Under head (1) your Ministers will perceive from the minutes that, while adopting certain general principles— e.g., that the year 1901 should be taken as a general starting-point for statistics, and that details should be restricted to the main products of a dominion and the principal articles of trade—the Commission decided to refer the question of the preparation of statistics to a sub-committee which will be convened during July. It was thought that the dominion Governments were in a better position than the Commission could possibly be in to furnish statistics as to natural resources and production, distribution, and manufacture of articles of commerce. It was felt, however, that these statistics should be as far as possible on a uniform basis, and the basis will be considered by the Committee. When the Committee has completed its deliberations the Commission hope to be able to state the extent of the assistance to be invited from your Ministers in the matter of statistics. 6. As regards head (2), your Ministers will find appended to the minutes of the second and third meetings memoranda of questions for circulation in connection with the general inquiry as to trade and the special inquiry as to migration. Copies of these memoranda as finally approved are enclosed. Of the migration memoranda, (A) is designed for circulation to Government Departments, and (B) for circulation to private organizations and persons interested in the subject. (A) is being sent, among others, to the High Commissioners and Agents-General, as being in a position to state what arrangements now exist in the United Kingdom for migration to their respective dominions, provinces, or states, and as possibly having suggestions to make which may assist the Commission. 7. The memoranda are all designed for circulation both in the United Kingdom and in the dominions. The intention of the Commission being to reassemble early in October to hear oral evidence in the United Kingdom, circulation here will take place at once; and the trade memorandum is being sent to Chambers of Commerce and other organizations connected with Imperial trade, and to the Press, so as to secure the widest publicity for the work of the Commission. In the dominions the view of the Commission is that, as a general rule, circulation should be deferred until such a date as will enable replies to be received at the offices of the Commission in London, and circulated to members for preliminary consideration before they leave for the dominion concerned. The date of the tours to Canada and Newfoundland and to South Africa, and the date of circulation in those dominions, will be decided later. As the Commission has determined to proceed to Australia and New Zealand, so as to arrive about the end of February or beginning of March next, despatch of the memoranda to those dominions will be made as soon as possible under cover of a separate communication, and answers will be made returnable by the 30th November next. 8. As regards the actual distribution of the various memoranda in the dominions, the Commission desires to invite the co-operation of your Ministers, and to leave the distribution to their discretion, the object being to secure that all Departments of Government, and organizations and persons of standing interested, shall have an opportunity of assisting the Commission. 9. A further question arises as to the itinerary of the Commission in the dominions, and connected with it is the question of the arrangements as to oral evidence to be heard. One of the conditions on which the United Kingdom members were appointed was that there should be three tours in different years, six months approximately for the Australia and New Zealand tour, three months for the Canada and Newfoundland tour, and three months for the South Africa tour, the period in each case to include the time required for the journey to and from the dominions or dominion in question. The period stated is, of course, a maximum limit, and the length of the tours will naturally be restricted to what is required for the hearing of evidence in the centres of population, with possibly some allowance for a visit or visits to selected districts of a dominion. The Commission would be glad if your Government would consider an itinerary for their tour. In the cases where two dominions are to be visited in the course of a single tour, the Governments of those dominions would naturally communicate with each other as to the arrangements. It is proposed as a matter of convenience on the first tour next year to take New Zealand first, and after completion of the work there to