-7/ €mM\\ Uttivmitg Jitatg THE GIFT OF ..lO....lr....L0..jU^7- h..^..\%.'h.2j>b 9r\./xs.l.dM- IJ87 Date Ehie Wt 2 : fr^h^ 1 ' elRJiasi, Cornell University Library HF71 .G78 1889 Reports on the constitution and function olin 3 1924 030 145 506 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030145506 . p. S. KING & SON. ©atWamentaw ffiooftaellcrB, Publishers ancTBookbinders, Gt. smith ST, Westminster. COMMERCIAL. No. 12 (1889). KEPORTS CONSTITUTION AND FUNCTIONS MimSTRlES OF COMMERCE IFlIOeOUS BRANCHES OF FOREIGN ADMINISTRATIONS. Presented to both Houses of Parliament by Command of Her Majes April 1889. LONDON: PRINTED FOR HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OPFICK BY HARRISON AND SONS, ST. MARTIN'S LANE, PRINTERS IV ORDINARY TO HER MAJESTY. And to be parchasei, either directly or through any Bookseller, from Etm and Spoxtiswoods, East Harding Street, Fleet Street, E.G., and 32, Abinsdon Street, Westminster, S.W. : or Adam and Charles Biack, 6 North Bridge, Edinburgh ; or HopoEs, Fioois, ao4 Co., 104, Grafton Street, Dublin. CONTENTS. The Marquis of Salisbury to Her Majesty's Representatives at Paris, &c., requesting information as to the Constitution and Functions of Ministries of Commerce or analogous Branches of Foreign Administrations .. Page REpriEs. 1, 2. France . , 3. Germany, . 4. Austria-Hungaty 6. -Belgium , , 6. Italy 7. Russia . . 8. Portugal . . 9. Spain 10. Switzerland 11. United States 5,30 31 51 64 85. 124 156 177 183 187 APPENDIX. Memorandum by Mr. J. A. Crowe on the Relations existing between the French Ministry of Commerce and the Com- mercial and Consular Branch of the French Foreign Office, November 16, 1882 .. 190 Reports on the Constitution and Functions of Ministries of Commerce or analogous Branches of Foreign Administrations. Circular addressed to Her Majesty's: Representatives at Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Brussels, Borne, St. Petersburgh, Lisbon, Madrid, Berne, and Washington, My Lord, Sir, Foreign Office, August 3, 1888. A QUESTION was recently asked in the House of Commons as to the difference between the constitution of the Board of Trade in Great Britain and the Ministries of Commerce, or analogous branches of foreign Administrations, and Her Majesty's Government have consented to obtain and present to Parliament, in reply to this inquiry, information as to the organization and functions of the Commercial Departments of the Governments of certain foreign countries. I accordingly inclose a list of questions bearing on this inquiry; and I have to request you to be good enough to endeavour to obtain, as far as possible, information in answer to these questions, and to embody it in a Report drawn up in the shape of replies to them. It would be convenient, for the sake of uniformity, that these questions should be answered categorically and in their numerical order, so that when all the Reports are received, they may be presented to Parlia- ment in one paper. I am, &c. . (Signed) SALISBURY. [749] B 2 Inclosure. List of Questions. 1. OFFICIAL title of Minister of Commerce, or other Minister performing the duties connected with suqh Department of Grovernment. 2. Date of establishment. 3. Into what branches is the Ministry divided, and what are the special duties of each ? 4. State briefly the extensions or contractions, if any, which the Ministry has recently undergone by the addition of Departments or transfer of control to other Ministries. 5. What is the strength of the total Staff of the Ministry ? 6. How are Departmental appointments made : By the Minister ? Or after competitive examinations ? If the latter, state briefly the scope of the examina- tion. 7. By whom is the Budget of the Ministry prepared ? If by the Minister, are his estimates subject to revision before presentation to Parliament ? If so, by what Department ? 8. Give the Budgets for the last three or five years, showing separately, if possible : (a.) Salaries. (6.) Printing, publishing, stationery, &c. Is any special tax levied for the support of the Ministry or its sub-departments ? 9. Has the Minister special control of any subjects of legislation ? If so, state what they are, and how far his initiative extends. 10. Has the Minister sole control of Commercial Treaty questions, and of Customs Tariff' matters, or is this control divided with other Departments of Grovern- ment? If the latter, state between whom, and give an illustration of the modus operandi. i/ 11. Are Consular officers connected in any degree with the Ministry of Commerce or under its control or are they solely under the control of the Foreign OflSiee ? In the latter case, do they, nevertheless, correspond direct with the Ministry of Commerce or Diplomatic officers specially charged with duties connected with trade ? 12. What is the cost of the Consular Staff? Is it borne on the Budget of the Ministry of Commerce or of Foreign Affairs ? or Is it divided, and in what proportion, between them ? Give the number of Consular officers, stating what proportions are paid or unpaid ? 13. Is the Minister en rapport with commercial men through any Council or special permanent body ? If in the affirmative : What is the body ? How is it constituted ? And what is the extent of its powers in obtaining action on the part of the Minister in any sp,ecial direction on questions submitted to it ? / 14. What control does the Minister exercise with respect to Chambers of Commerce ? Are they official or voluntary bodies ? In either case give approximately the number of these bodies, and the conditions of membership. 15. Does the Minister take the opinion of Chambers of Commerce on questions as they arise ? If in the affirmative, has the result been considered beneficial ? If possible, give ' instances of any important results following Ministerial consultation directly with com- mercial men. 16. Are Syndical Chambers or other Commercial Associations brought into official contact with the Minister ? If so, give details as to these Associations, M'ith conditions of membership. 17. What statistical or other documents are published by the Ministry, are they regularly on sale, and what is their price per copy ? How far are these documents distributed gratuitously or otherwise to the public, to Commercial Associations, to Libraries, &c. ? / •J 18. Is any special information supplied through the / Ministry to traders, or vice versd ? If so, of what kind ? i^ 4 Are there any fixed fees, subscriptions, &c., for this service, or is it gratuitous ? 19. Have any criticisms been passed upon the Ministry of Commerce in regard to its eflB.ciency, or suggestions made for extending its scope ? 20. Give any general remsirks upon points connected with Government supervision of commercial matters, not covered by the foregoing questions, and any remarks you may wish to offer respecting the difference between the functions and organization of the Board of Trade, and the corresponding Department of the Government to which you are accredited. ( 5 ) Answers to preceding Circular. No. 1. PRANCE. The Earl of Lytton to the Marquis of Salisburi/. — {Received December 7.) My Lord, Paris, December 6, 1888. With reference to your Lordship's Circular of the 3rd August, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a Eeport by Mr. Crowe on the constitution of t£e Ministry of Commerce in Erance. I have, &c. (Signed) LYTTON. Inclosure 1 in No. 1. Mr. J. A. Crowe to the Earl of Lytton. My Lord, Paris, December 4, 1888. I HAVE the honour to inclose a Report in answer to the list of questions, bearing on the constitution of the Ministry of Commerce in Erance, inclosed in Lord Salisbury's Circular of the 3rd of last August. I have, &c. (Signed) J. A. CROWE. Inclosure 2 in No. 1. Eeport on the Organization and Functions of the Com- mercial Department of the Government of France. 1. The Commercial Department of the GovernuMiiit loi Erance, so far as it is not subject to the intervention of special Divisions of the Ministries of Foreign Affau-s, of Finance, of Marine and Colonies, and of Agriculture, is managed by a Minister of Commerce and Industry. 2. The ofla.ce in its present form was created on the 8th January, 1886. 3, 4. It is now sixty years since commerce was first intrusted to a Minister who devoted his entire energies to that special subject. But seldom during those sixty years has there been any wide interval of time during which Commerce was not attached to some other Department of the State. In August 1829 Commerce was merged in the Ministry of the Interior ; from 1831 to 1834 it was combined with Public Works, from which it was only detached in 1834 to be reunited to it in 1836. At the close of 1836 it became subordinate to the joint office of Public "Works and Agriculture, and it remained subordinate to the latter under several chiefs from 1839 to 1852, Public Works having passed into other hands in 1839. In 1852 the two Departments of Agriculture and Commerce were temporarily attached to tlie Ministry of the Interior, from which they were only separated in order to be again incorporated with that of Public Works. In 1881 Public Works were finally committed to an independent Minister, and Agriculture and Commerce were treated as dependencies of a single office. Then Commerce was combined with the Colonies for a few months, and made at last a Ministry of Commerce and Industry in 1886. Previous to that year the duties of the Commercial Department were so defined as to' include encourage- ments to commerce and industry, industry being con- sidered in its widest sense as embracing arts and manu- factures ; they extended to the preparation of Treaties, to commercial legislation and French and foreign Customs Tariffs, the general movements of commerce and navigation, the drafting of Laws and Regulations relating to inland trade and industrial arts and manu- factures, commercial and industrial statistics at home and abroad, patents, inspection of infant labour centralization and study of documents in reference to the law of industrial property in foreign States, encour- agements to national fisheries, sanitary police, and weights and measures, and professional and technical education. The central impulse came from the " Cabinet du Ministre," which was under the superintendence of a " Charge du Cabinet," Director of a Department called "Direction du Secretariat ct de la ComptabiIit6." Here the general business of the Ministry, its staff and dependents, its accounts, statistics, and publications was carried on. Two great subordinate Divisions or Directions took cognizance of matters connected with home and foreign commerce; and round these again were minor organizations, known as Commissions of commercial values, international Exhibitions, and exper- tise ; Councils of commerce and industry, of pensions, of insurance ; patents and sanitation ; consultative Committees of arts and manufactures, of technical education, of children and girls' labour in factories ; schools of arts and manufactures, of commercial studies, and of arts and trade, and clock-making ; and various bodies, such as consultative Chambers of arts and manufactures and of commerce, and Councils of Elders (" Prud'hommes ") and hygifene and salubrity. After the final change which has been described as taking place in 1886 the " Cabinet du Ministre " became a separate head office ; and under it there came, first, the Secretariate Department, with three subdivisions, including Personalia and Secretariate, technical educa- tion and professional Syndicates. Next to this came the Directions of inland and foreign commerce, the Divisions of accounts and statistics, and a Council of Directors constituted under the presidency of the Minister or his proxy for the dispatch of business pertaining to the internal organization of the Ministry, or questions which might be submitted by order of the Minister. The Cabinet of the Minister now receives and registers and distributes despatches, regulates Ministerial interviews, transmits Parliamentary Bills, Decrees, and documents to the President of the Republic, the Senate, and Chamber of Deputies ; collects papers required for Parliamentary debates, deals with miscellaneous and immediate business, telegraphic despatches, communica- tions to the " Journal Officiel," appointments and pro- motions in the Legion of Honour, and other honorific rewards. The First Bureau of the Secretariate Department takes the business of the Staff, of Secretaries, the library, and records, and deals with international Exhibitions.f.:. The Second Bureau is presided by a Director " of the staff and technical instruction," who has special charge of technical education under the supervision of the Minister subject to the advice of a " Superior Council of Technical Education," composed of two Senators, as Vice-Presidents, and forty professional members, all appointed for four years. It is significant of the great importance which is attached to this Department that the Council is^ com- posed of persons connected with education in all its forms in the capital and the provinces, with whom engineers and Deputies are associated in conjunction with the Presidents of eleven of the principal Chambers of Commerce in ^France. A body of this kind can,, however, only meet occasionally and for matters of special importance. It is represented in practice by a permanent Committee of the Superior Council, in '' number not exceeding fourteen persons, and comprising the chiefs of the technical schools of Paris, the Directors of technical education in the Ministry of Commerce, and the President of the Chamber of Commerce of Paris. The schools on which the duty of teaching devolves are the " Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers," the Central School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris, the National Schools of Arts and Trades at Aix, Angers, and ChMons- sur-Marne, the National School of Apprentices at Dellys in Algeria, the National School of Watch and Clock Makers at Cluses, the ten Schools of Commerce and the twenty- two technical schools of Paris and the provinces* All these establishments, whether national or private, whether supported by State payments in aid or local contributions, are controlled by a. Committee of Inspec- tion, of which the Director of Technical Education in the Ministry of Commerce is the head, and eleven Inspectors appointed to various districts in France are the working officers. The staff and administration of the " Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers," the Central School of Arts and Manufactures in Paris, the National Schools of Arts and Trades in France, and the School of Cluses are in charge of the Director, who distributes the national funds in aid of these educational establishments^ allots scholarships 9 governs the School of Apprentices, and selects and deals out books, drawings, machines, and tools wherever they may be reqnired. The Third Bureau or Section of the Pirst Direction is specially charged with the supervision of the Syndical Chambers of masters and working men in trades or manufactures; the working of unions of Syndicates, co-operative Associations of production, consumption, or Syndical Chambers ; the execution of the bye-laws of these Associations, the proper holding of professional lectures, and the administration of professional libraries. It controls donations and legacies and funds accu- mulated by Syndical Associations for the payment of contributions and pensions to their memlDers. The second great Division of the Ministry of Com- merce is called the '-''Direction of Home Commerce," subdivided into four Departments, called Bureaux, of Commerce, Industry, Hygiene,* and Industrial Property. The Bureau of Commerce takes cognizance of the following : — Drafting of Laws and Begulations of internal commerce. Chambers of Commerce, elections to Tribunals of Commerce, creation and police of com- mercial exchanges, revision of Regulations of police at fairs, in markets, ports, and other public places, or in respect of the modes of carrying on business in public streets, bonded and public warehouses, public sales of wholesale merchandize, commissaries of commerce, appointment of stockbrokers in all cities except Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, Lyons, Marseilles, Nantes, and Toulouse; appointment of ship and insurance brokers throughout France, ship brokerage dues. Joint Stock Companies, life insurance tontines, savings banks, Committee of supervision of tontine societies and agencies, and Government Commissaries of the same. One of the permanent Committees attached to this Bureau is the Commission of Supervision of Toatine Associations and Agencies — a body of five taken from out the StafE of the Ministry of Commerce, with the difficult and complex duty of controlling the half-yearly Reports of Tontine Societies, examining their books and accounts, and reporting annually upon each Society at this Minister. Another similar Commission is that * See p. 30.— Ed. 10 which examines questions relative to the working of the life and accident insurance funds — a body composed of seventeen members chosen amongst professional men and Deputies and officials of the Ministries of Com- merce and Finances and the Interior. The Bureau of Industry attends to the following comprehensive business : — The drafting of Laws and Regulations affecting arts and maru'actures. The Consulting Committee and Chambers of Arts and Manufactures ; encourage- ments to industry and Societies of encouragement to industry ; local industrial Exhibitions ; the collection and sifting of periodical documents on the position of industry in Trance. The " Conseil des Prud'hommes " : Associations of mutual credit, people's banks, workmen's certificate books (" livrets "), strikes and coalitions, work in factories ; Superior Committee for controlling the work of children and girls under age in industrial establishments ; Division of Inspectors, Departmental, ditto local Committees, contracts of apprentice- ship, weaving and winding, accidents in factories, mills, shops, and others, medals to working men, pensions for old age and insurance of lives or against accidents ; Superior Committee of pension funds for the aged and insurance on lives and against accidents. Public conditioning offices for silk, wool, and cotton. Public offices for testing counts of silks and- wools. Testing of fire arms made by private makers, proof bench of St. Etienne and of Paris, metrical system. International Committee of the metre. Testing of weights and measures and staff of the testing office. Chief amongst the Committees attached to this Bureau is the " Comit6 Consultatif des Arts et Manufactures," comprising eighteen members selected by the Minister of Commerce and Industry for the purpose of studying and examining questions affecting commerce and industry, unhealthy trades, patents, and the technicalities of Tariffs and Laws of Customs. Besides the members elect the Ministers and the two Directors of Inland and Foreign Commerce belong ex officio to this Committee. The Thiid Bureau, in which matters of public health* • See, however, p. SO.-^Ed, 11 are concentrated, is in direct communication with a consultative Committee of Public Hygiene in France, and treats all matters connected with inspection of the sanitary service, sanitary Commissions and agents, quarantines, Councils of salubrity and hygiene, measures relating to public health at home and abroad, epidemics, communications and relations with the Academy of Medicine, the encouragement and increase of vaccina- tion, the staff of sanitary police, medals awarded after epidemics, mineral springs and waters, and State payments in aid of establishments of mineral waters, police of the medical profession, inspection of chemists' and druggists' stores, patent medicines, general measures of public sanitation. Dangerous, unhealthy, or incommodious establish- ments, dynamite manufactures and stores. The Fourth Bureau, entirely devoted to industrial property, has the charge of patents, designs, and models, trade-marks, commercial names, and the cen- tralization and study of the laws of foreign countries in reference to industrial property. In connection with tbis Bureau is the Committee of Publication of Patents and the publication of the weekly " Bulletin Officiel de la Propri^t^ Industrielle." Equally .extensive as a Department is the Direction of Foreign Commerce, which is also subdivided into four Bureaux. At the head of the Division is the First Bureau, in connection with the " Conseil Sup^rieur " of Commerce and Industry and the " Comity Consultatif des Arts et Manufactures.'' This OflB.ce superintends all matters connected with Treaties and navigation. It prepares the Laws and Tariffs of Customs, and studies and reports on all complaints made in respect of them. It has a Laboratory of Expertise, and appoints the commissary experts who act as umpires in cases of disagreement between ordinary experts. It issues the necessary orders for passing goods iuAvard from abroad intended to be re-exported after finishing, regulates the drawbacks on salt, meat, and fish, and classifies goods not named in the Tariflf. It controls the establishment and working of bonded warehouses and docks ; publishes In the " Annales du 12 Commerce Exterieur " all documents and acts as to tlie law and application of the Customs Tariffs of Prance, and drafts the Laws and Decrees under which the Merchant Service Rules are carried out, viz., measure- ment and tonnage, navigation dues and subsidies. It also acts as a supreme authority in respect of granting and fixing the money security required of emigration agents. Yery closely connected with the First Bureau is the Second, which takes cognizance of all the documents collected in reference to the Commercial and Maritime Laws and Commercial Treaties of foreign countries. The Of&ce also decides points and claims arising out of the working effects of foreign systems upon the commerce of Erance. It publishes in the "Annales" and " Journal Officiel " all foreign measures relating to Customs and navigation. The Third Bureau is more particularly in relation with the Commission appointed to fix the average prices of goods imported into Erance. It also cen- tralizes all documents, official or non-official, connected with the commerce, navigation, and industry of all countries, studying more particularly the points of interest to Erench trade, and comparing them with those noted in the Beports of Consular Agents. The correspondence exchanged between Erench Agents abroad and the Government respecting foreign markets is also sifted here ; translations are made and excerpts furnished to the " Annales " and " Journal Officiel." All the work connected with commercial Missions abroad is concentrated in this Office, and the pub- lication of the " Bulletin Consulaire Erangais " is duly attended to. The Eourth Bureau is confined to commercial infor- mation. It publishes the " Moniteur Officiel du Com- merce," a large weekly paper of commercial information, and the " Avis Commerciaux," which are notes periodi- cally printed in the official journal. Here, too, is centred the commercial and economical literature of the world, from which, if required, translations are made; here patterns are collected and shown, intelligence is brought together with respect to tenders for contracts abroad and other subjects in communication with the trading body of Erenchmen ; and the general correspondence between commercial people and the Government is carried on: 13 Tlie last Di\iision of the Ministry is that which deals with accounts and statistics. . The iPirst Bureau is the Central Accountant's Office, iii which the duty is vested of preparing the Estimates and Projects of Law granting supplementary or extra- ordinary credits. This office has charge of the funds at the disposal of the Ministry for rewards (" concours ") ; it determines the nature of the outlay for which credits are granted and the mode of expenditure ; it superintends the preparation and dispatch of orders for payment, claims or discharge of claims on the halances in the Ministry of Finance ; it yerifles the states furnished by the Pr^fets, keeps all- books and journals, and monthly or miscellaneous states, and general accounts, and corre- sponds with the lower grade officials of the Audit Office (" Cour des Comptes "). It has the care of centralizing and registering and verifying periodical accounts of materials ; it drafts accounts and general summaries required by the Audit Office, and furnishes the annual Report on the general account of office stock. It keeps inventories of movable property in charge of the Department. It supervises the separate accounts of schools and other establish- ments, controls payments, and verifies and corrects figures. It controls the revenue and expenditure of the Central School of Arts and Manufactures, and its accounts with the Audit Office. It deals with the succours granted to the colonists of St. Domingue, and the refugees of St. Pierre et Miquelon and Canada, and it pays premiums of navigation, ship -building, and fisheries. .The Bureau of Statistics is in connection with the 'Siip&rior Council of Statistics. It prepares the annual Tables of population, movements of population, hospitals and charitable institutions; statistics of lunacy, of savings banks, national pawnbroking and charitable grants to public establishments, agricultural statistics, and statistics of accidents, octrois, consumption, wages, and summai;y statistics of the principal trades. It superintends periodical publications, the Census, and the statistical " Annuaire " of Prance. To all these Bureaux a central office is attached for the pay of the officials and the liquidation of the expenses of the Ministerial establishment and servants. Tie 14 Cashier of tliis Bureau pays the colonists of St. Dominguej and discharges the expenses of the consultative Com- mittees of Public Health, and Arts and Manufactures. 5. The strength of the total Staff of the Ministry is as follows : — 3 Directors. I Divisional Chief. 13 Chiefs of Bureaux. 13 Under Chiefs of Bureaux. 1 Chief of the Interior service. The establishment is not to exceed : — 32 Clerks (" Redacteui-s "). 42 Copying Clerks (*' Expeditionnaires "). 29 Messengers, keepers, porters, and sen^ants. 6. The Cabinet and Private Secretariate may be filled up by the Minister with persons outside the Central Administration. The clerks of all classes are appointed, after a competitive examination to which admission is given by the Minister, under the advice of the Council of Directors. But there are different examinations for "R^dacteurs" and "Expeditionnaires;" the candidates of the first must have the diploma of " Bachelier 6s Lettres," or of high commercial studies ; those of the second require no diploma. In neither class is the appointment final till after a year's probation, which is called a " stage." The law allows non-commissioned officers to be appointed " Expeditionnaires " without "stage." The examination of an " Expeditionnaire " extends to the following matters ; — Handwriting. Spelling (dictation). Arithmetic, including the four rule^i, fractions, proportiin, interest, and decimals. Geography (France). Candidates who do not pass in writing and spelling arc eliminated at once. The number of points for each sub- ject ranges from to 20. A supplement of 40 points is conceded to those who have the diploma of " Bachelier 6s Lettres " or " ^s sciences," or prove a sufficient know- ledge of the English, German, Italian, or Spanish languages. Candidates for clerkships (" R^daoteurs ") are tested in writing as follows : — in Dic-tatioii. • -Arithmetic. -Coaimercial geography. Papei- on a question relative to the service. Paper on a subject of. administrative Jaw. Oral examination includes : — Constitutional laws. \ ' Administrative laws. Civil and commercial laws. Geography and history. Any one of the modern languages. 7. The Budget of tlie Ministry is prepared by tlie Minister with the assistance of the Division of Accounts and Statistics, subject to revision by the Council of Ministers, and in concert with the Minister of Einance. ' 8. It was— * Franc=. .£ ' 1887 .. 1888 .. 1889 ... • > • • ■ 20,230,028 20,952,103 22,5'56,118 809,200 838,084 902,244 (a.) Of these sums, was : — the amount set apart for salaries Francs. £ 1887 .. 1888 .. 188'J . . « • • ■ 566;! 50 • 574,350 570,000 22,644 22,972 22,800 (b.) The amount charged for printir ig: Francs. £ 1887 ., 1888 .. 1889 a , • • • * 290,000 260,000 257,700 11,600 10,400 10,308 No special tax is levied for the support of the Ministry or its Sub-Departments. Some of the chief items of the estimates in addition [749J C 16 to those of salaries and printing will be found instructive. I give them for the three years 1887, 1888, and 1889. 1887. 1888. 1889. Francs. Francs. Francs. Office materials and miscellaneous expenses of the Central Administration , . . . 85,000 75,500 75,500 Books and periodicals . . . . . . 43,000 24,000 24,000 Conserratoire des Arts et Metiers 441,150 441,150 441,150 StafF and materials and inspection of other schools of art and trade , . . , . . 1,304,100 1,304,090 1,304,090 Cluses School , . , . . . • . 42,220 43,220 43,220 Dellys School 90,550 100,000 60,000 Bursaries, Central Schools of Arts and Manu- factures . . • • . . ■ • 50,500 50,000 60,000 Inspectors of children's work in factories 176,000 176,000 176,000 Inspectors of Joint Stock and other Companies . 29,000 29,000 29,000 Consultative Committee of Arts and Manu- fectures . . • . • . . . 35,000 35,000 35,000 Rewards to workmen and encouragements to manufactures and commerce , . . . Nil 18,000 18,000 Industrial property a«d its oificial newspaper . . 36,000 30,000 30,000 Contribution to the International Bureau of Berne .. .. 4,390 4,390 4,390 Foreign commerce, expertises, values for Cus- toms .. .• .. •. 118,000 81,000 81,000 General statistics .. .. .. .. 10,000 5,000 5,000 Encouragement to sea fisheries 3,000,000 4,000,000 4,900,000 staff of Establishment of Weights and Measures 1,102,800 1,065,000 1,065,000 Materials and miscellaneous ditto ,. .. 95,682 95,682 95,682 Expenses of International Metre Commission , , 16,341 16,341- 16,341 Verification of alcoolmeters 35,000 25,000 25,000 Expenses of mineral water establishments 157,775 140,000 140,000 Sanitary Service Staff, Hygiene Commission .. 335,000 335,000 335,000 Material and miscellaneous expenditure of the foregoing .. .. •. .. 125,600 125,600 125,000 Inspection of imported meat .. .. • • .. 120,000 Inspection of chemists' and druggists' stores , . 262,000 262,000 262,000 Colonists of St. Domingue and others 75,000 60,000 60,000 Weights and measures in Algiers 68,000 68,000 68,000 Sanitary service Cmaritime of Algiers) 11,500 11,500 11,500 Exhibition of l8S9 .. .. •• 2,000,000 2,336,365 17 The salaries of the various members of Departments in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry are as foUows :— "^ Francs. £, Directors • • • • • • 12,000 to 18^000 480 to 720 Sttb-Directors • • • • • • 10,000 12,000 400 480" Chef de Bureau- — Ist class • • .a • • • 9,000' ■ 360 :2nd „ • » • • • • 8,000 320 3rd „ • • • » • ■ 7,000 280 4th „ . • • • k • • 6,000, 240 Sous-Chef de Bureau- _ 1st class ■ • • ■ 5.500 rt' 220 2nd „ • • , , 5,000 200 3rd „ ■ • , , 4,500 170 4th „ • • , , 4,000 160 Redacteurs — ■ 1st class • • • • 4,000 160 ,2nd „ , , . , 3,700 148 3rd „ t • > • 3,400 136 -4th „ • • , , 3,100 124 5th „ • . • • 2,800 112 6th „ • • • a 2,500 100 Slagiaires* • • , , 2,200 88 Exp^ditionnaires— ' 1st class • • • f 3,300 ■■ 132 2nd V , , • • 3,000 120 3rd „ ; ■ • , , 2,700 108 4th „. • • a a 2,490 96 5th „ i . a ■ 2,100 84 ' 6th class and stagiaires . . • • 1,800 < 72-"" Messengers^ porters, office men, and ' servants • * • • • a 1,200 to 2,200 38' to 88 A first class " ExpMitionnaire," after twenty years*^ serdce, may get a salary of 3,600 fr.:(144^.) a year. 9. The Minister of Commerce controls all subjects of legislation in which points relating to industry and - commerce are inrolved. His initiative extends to the preparation and drafting of laws respecting such matters as he presentis to the Legislature. ^^ 10. The control is joint when the Department of Qommerce is required to act in conxrert with Ministerial bodies. On questions of customs, for instance, concert is absolutely necessary, because the Customs are not, as with Us, a sepiarate establishment, but a Division of the Ministry of Knance. * Men on probation.— Eo. [749] c 2 18 But before the Minister of Commerce can go before Parliament with any Bill, he is bound to take the advice of the Council of State, and, in some cases, where, for instance. Colonial TarifPs are in question, he must obtain the approval of that body. Having done this he consults the Cabinet, and his Bill only goes forward if approved in Council. Otherwise he wields extensive powers throughout Prance in matters pertaining to his own Department and others respecting which he is in concert with his colleagues. He can even issue orders having force of law, or orders interpreting laws, or altering earlier interpretations, without reference to Parliament. To cite instances : the Minister has special control of all Laws and Regulations relative to inland trade, Chambers and Tribunals of Commerce, and consultative Chambers of Arts and Manufactures. His competence in this respect extends to technical and commercial schools and schools of arts and trades ; brokerage of goods and ships and cargo; emigration, epidemics, and sanitary inspections, inland or at ports; sanitary police and quarantiue ; docks and dock warrants ; Companies and Syndicates, including tontines; hours of work in manufactures; children and girls' work in factories; weights and measures ; tonnage and navigation dues. He shares control in other cases with his colleagues, as, for instance, in reference to laws regulating explosives, mineral springs, sanitary inspection of meat at the frontier, merchant shipping, sea fisheries, Tariffs, and Treaties of Commerce and Navigation. 11. A Memorandum dated the 16th November,* inclosed in my despaitoh of the 16th November, 1882, ■describes in some detail the relation existing between the Prench Ministry of Commerce and the Commercial and Consular Branch of the French Foreign Office. But in. addition, and more particularly useful because of more recent date, I am enabled to communicate the substance of a Memorandum quite recently and with great kindness furnished to me by the Direction of the Commercial Department of the Prench Poreign Office, from which it appears that in Prance, in a general way, the negotiation of International Treaties or arrangements is in essentials alwiays dependent on the Poreign Office, though, apart from exclusively Political Treaties, the Foreign Department islnound, according to circumstances, • See jA.ppendix. — Ed. 19 to act in concert with other Ministries whose advice in view of their competence in such matters is special and indispensable. Indeed, no settlement of questions of this kind is final unless this concert has been attained. Thus the preparation of Treaties of Commerce and Navigation to which Customs Tariffs are appended can only be perfected by correspondence between the Departments of Foreign Affairs, of Commerce and Industry, and Finance and Agriculture. If qiTCstions connected with the Colonies, or the estab- lishment of French subjects and their rights of succes- .sion are involved, a previous understanding is required with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministries of Marine, Colonies, and Justice. As an instance of the modus operandi, I may take the negotiations for a Commercial Treaty between France and England in 1860. The Commissaries of the French Government on this occasion were delegate* of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, of Commerce, and Finance. The general Tariff of Customs, or any changes which may be required in it, is specially within the province of the Ministry of Commerce, yet even here there must be concert with the Departments of Finance and Agriculture. Consular officers are not con- nected in any degree Avith the Minister of Commerce, nor are they under those Ministers' control. They are exclusively under the direction of the Minister for Foreign Affiaira, to whom alone they give account of their doings. No Consul or officer can correspond with any other Ministry than that of ForeigrT Affairs unless, he has a special permission from the latter to do so. The only partial exception to this rule is where a Consul is authorized to communicate with the Minister of Marine ; and then his communications must be con- fined to duties of police on board of vessels, life-saving from wreck, or general questions relative to the victual- ling^ of ships. On the other hand, there is no provision in the French Diplomatic Service for centralizing correspon- dence with Consuls in respect of commercial matters ; but Chiefs of Missions are bound to report on commercial matters as well as on political questions, and they are at liberty to depute any one of their subordinates to perform these duties, being, ipso facto, at the head of the Con- 20 sular establisiiment in tlie country to which they are accredited, and in a position to call upon the Consuls within their jurisdiction to furnish, and then to cen- tralize, all information of an economical kind that may be required. 12. The cost of the Consular StafE is borne exclu- sively on the Budget of Toreign Affairs. Por 1888 the expenditure for Consular o£B.oers of every grade receiv- ing pay, including " Chanceliers," Dragomen, and Inter- preters, may be taken at 4,854,000 fr. (194,164/.). This amount is divided amongst 27 Consulates- General, 87 Consulates, 12 Acting Consuls, 100 Vice- Consulates, 59 Dragomen and Interpreters, 118 " Chan- celiers " and Secretaries in charge of archives. Besides these paid officers there are 554 unpaid Consular Agents abroad, who are allowed to retain the fees and chancery dues levied in the Consulates under their orders. 13. The Minister of Commerce is in touch with com- mercial men through different bodies, in touch, through special Councils, such as the Consultative Committee of Arts and Manufactures, or the Superior Council of Commerce and Industry; in touch also, through the Permanent Committee of Customs in the Chamber of Deputies.- I shall not enter into any description of the Parliamentary Committee. It will be easily understood that a body of that kind, which is empowered to present Bills independently of the Grovernment, wields iafluence in proportion to the support upon which it can reckon from its friends in Parliament and in the country. But I am asked more particularly for information respecting special permanent bodies, and the Committee of Customs in the Chamber of Deputies only lives the life of the Parliament out of which it was created. The Consultative Committee of Arts and Manufac- tures, of which I have already given a sketch, came into existence more than a century ago to help the Govern- ment in solving technical questions such as might arise in the application of measures prepared to favour the progress of industrial arts and manufactures. A Decree of the 18th October, 1880, reorganizing this body, declares that its duties are limited to the study and examination of points submitted to it by the Minister in reference to — "■21 '{a.) Tlnhealtty establishments. Ik.) P^^eats. ,, (c.) The teehmcal applioatioij. of Tariffs and Customs LawSi The Committee may likewise be called upon to act as a Commission of Inquiry on questions akin to those above mentioned which may be drawn up by the Minister. /A Decree of the ,8th March, 1884, instructs the i Minister pro tern, to select the members from the " ConseU d'Eltat," the Academy of Sciences, the Corps of Engineers of the " Ponts et Chfiussdes " and Office of Mines, and the . general body of commercial men and manufacturers. ■The Chief jDicector'of Customs and the Directors of the Home andf Ppreign Departments in the Ministry of Commerce are, as already stated, ex officio members. ^ As to the ^tent of the powers vested in this Com- mittee in pbtaaning Ministerial action, in any special direction, on questions submitted to it, I cannot do better than, refer to the proceedings which led to the reforin of the Prench Tariff in 1881. So far b^ck as AprU 1875 the Minister of Com- merce issued circulars to the Consultative Chambers of Commerce and Chambers of Arts and Manufactures throughout Prance, to ask them " to deliberate as to what economical conditions would be best suited to soothe, satisfy, and conciliate the interests which they represented." The Chambers replied with sufficient unanimity on certain points to enable the Minister to formulate and submit the results to the Committee of Arts and Manufactures as bases for discussing and drafting a new Tariff, and converting the ad valorem duties then in existence into specific duties. Upon this tlie Committee, presided by M. Chevreul, divided itself into two Sections, and, within six months, drew up Tables which served as a basis for the Tariff enacted by the Prench Parliament in 1881. In other respects the Committee is an authority which the Minister never omits to consult on technical points ; , and there is not a Custom-house circular in which technical questions of Tariff are treated which does not set forth that the Committee was called upon, that it gave its decision, and that, in accordance with that decision, the Tariff was ordered by the Director of Customs to be modified. 22 The " Conseil Sup^rieur du Commerce et de I'lndus- trie," which superseded the larger Council of 1853 in which agriculture was represented, performs the same functions with reference to TarifEs and Treaties of Com- merce and Navigation, or questions connected with the foreign relations of the country, as . the Committee of Arts and Manufactures perform in relation to technical home requirements. In some respects the two bodies overlap, because the " ConseU Sup^rieur " is divided into two bodies, the Section of Commerce and the Section of Industry. The whole of the forty-eight members, selected from the Senate, the Chamber, the Presidents of Chambers of Commerce, and the mass of persons "notoriously acquainted with commercial, industrial, and financial matters," is presided over by the Minister. Additional members, who sit ex officio with the right to vote, are the Directors of Home and Poreign Com- merce, the General Director of Customs, the General Director of Indirect Taxes, the Director of Commerce in the Ministry of Foreign AfEairs, and the Director of the Colonies; and these members vote indifferently in the Section of Commerce or the Section of Industry, each of these Sections being composed of twenty-four persons. The Council meets at the bidding of the Minister, and sits for the purpose of deciding single points referred to it, or as a Commission of Inquiry, with power to hear witnesses and draft Reports. I may note, as an illustration of the working of this institution, that when the question of regulating free imports into Prance of pig iron declared for re-export in a finished state was raised in 1886 and 1 887, it was first submitted by the Minister of Commerce to the Com- mittee of Arts and Manufactures, then submitted to the "Conseil Sup^rieur," and, "after they had agreed," the system of convoy under warrant to the mills was put in force. In addition to these permanent bodies which have a consultative voice only, we find in the same class the " Comitd Consultatif d'Hygifene " — of which something has already been said — a body appointed for the special purpose of studying sanitary questions. It was this Committee which recently gave an opinion in favour of stopping meat at the frontier and subjecting it to 23 examination ior contamination under a Tariff of frontier sanitary charges. _We have likewise the " Ecole de Pharmacie," to which the Minister of Commerce must appeal for advice as to the admission of medicines and medical products across the frontier, and the " Bureau National des Poids at Mesures.". As to weights and measures, it is to be borne in mind that the staff of officers selected for test purposes all over Prance is appointed and paid by the Minister of Com- merce; and, since an International Commission was created for the test of the "mhtre," it became neces- sary to institute the "National Bureau," of which the Minister of Commerce had the first appointment, and the Director of Home Commerce is a member. Another permanent body connected with the Ministry of Com- merce is the " Commission des Valeurs," to which I have already alluded, but which requires to be men- tioned anew in connection with control. It is the duty of this Commission every year to revise the scale of prices under which the value of imports by weight is ascertained for statistical purposes. The Annual Report of the Commission appears in October, and deals with the prices of the previous year. It is, however, as interesting as it is late, and is one of the trustworthy documents which give us most insight into the history and fluctua- tion of prices in respect of goods imported from abroad into Erance. To these Commissions we mast add the "Conseil Sup^rieur de Statistique," established by an Order of the 21st Pebruary, 1885, presided by the Minister of Com- merce and Industry, and comprising ten members selected amongst men of mark as statisticians, and twenty-five delegates from the public Departments. 14. The Minister of Commerce exercises a limited control with respect to Chambers of Commerce and Chambers of Arts and Manufactures, which are certainly official, as distinguished from voluntary, bodies. The number of Chambers of Commerce at present in Prance is ninety-seven. The conditions of member- ship are these : — In the first place no Chamber of Commerce can be constituted unless it has been created by Decree, and the Minister of Commerce will always hesitate to recommend 24 the issue of such a Decree if he is not satisfied that the expenses can be borne by the district in respect of which it has been thought desirable, on one side or the other, that such a body should be called into existence. It will presently be seen how the question of expense is met, and on whom the charges fall. No person can be a member who is not in commercial business or a stockbroker, or who, if retired, canaot show that he had been previously for five years in business. The number of members is limited to twenty- one, but cannot be less than nine. Each member is elected for six years, and the Chamber is renewable by "a third every year, with the faculty of re-election conceded to those who retire in rotation. No one can be elected who is not of good repute ; he must also be elected by the votes of men chosen amongst traders (" commer9ants ") "respected for honesty and a spirit of order and economy." The number of electors required to choose a member must always be equal to one-tenth of the total number of men in commercial business who pay the '' patente," that is, a tax specially levied on persons in business either as shop-keepers oi as commercial and business men, whether sole or in partnership. The number of electors again cannot exceed 1,000 or be less than 50, except in the Department of the Seine, where 3,000 are allowed. The register of electors is drafted by a Commission, at the head of which is the President of the Tribunal of Commerce of the locality and various public of&cers, including Presidents and members of Chambers of Commerce and Arts and Manufactures. The expenses of Chambers of Commerce are not paid by voluntary contributions, but by an annual charge which is levied as a municipal tax ^ro raid on all persons taxed to the " Contribution des Patentes " by the State. 15. The Minister of Commerce invariably takes the opinion of Chambers of Commerce on questions as they arise. When called upon to revise the Tariff in 1875 and 1876 he consulted, not the Chamber of Commerce only, but the Chambers of Arts and Manu- factures also. These Chambers were addressed by Circular, and "invited to deliberate and set forth the economical conditions under which their interests might 25 best be represented." There were at this time in iPrance but eighty-three Chambers of Commerce and eightyi-four Chambers of Arts and Manufactures, and it is on record that replies were furnished by forty-seven only of the first and twenty-two of the second. The Minister, it thus appears, consulted aU the bodies which he had to consult, and several of them neglected to reply. In another instance, where the Chambers addressed were those of ports, the response was more complete. In a circular of the 25th May, 1883, addressed by the Minister of Commerce to the Chamber of Rouen, which was published in an English Blue Book of 1885,* the substance of certain complaints respectiag ship-brokerage is given, and the Circular states that " the Minister would feel obliged by an immediate communication of the remarks which an examination of the various questions set forth may suggest, and an equally immediate communication as to what action should be taken to meet the complaints made." To this Circular all the Chambers consulted sent a reply. That of Eouen "invited the G-overnment to issue instructions," and expressed an opinion that " certain changes should be made." The fact is that in practice the Chambers have two forms to go through. Under a Decree of the 31st Sep- tember, 1851, they are instructed generally to tender advice on the following subjects : — (1.) The means of increasing the prosperity of commerce and industry. (2.) The improvements that may be attained in all branches of commercial legislation, in Tariffs of Customs, and in octrois. (3.) The execution of works and the organization of public services interesting commerce and industry, such as works of ports and navigation, of rivers, postal service, railways, and the like. Subjects upon which the Chamber has to wait to be asked are specified by the Decree as follows : — (a.) Projected changes in commercial legislation. lb.) Creation and Eegulations of Chambers of Com- merce. (c.) Exchanges and establishment of stock or other brokers. * See "Commercial No. 16, 1885," p. 25.— Ed. 26 {d.) Customs Tariffs. (e.) Tariffs and Regulations of transport and other services established for the use of commerce. (/.) Commercia;l customs and usance, Tariffs and Regulations of ship-brokerage, and brokerage of in- surance, merchandize, exchange, and public securities. (g.) Creation of Tribunals of Commerce within the district. (h.) Establishment of banks, discount ofi&ces, and branches of the Bank of France. (i.) Plans of local public works relative to commerce. Ij.) Proposed local Regulations respecting commerce. Chambers of Commerce are, however, not merely dejiberative bodies. They have rights and duties. If an Exchange and a Chamber of Commerce exist in the same locality, the latter has charge of the Exchange saving such rights as may ex officio be exercised by the Mayor and municipal police. If there are port improvements to carry out, the Chamber either borrows the money and distributes it, or it distributes the subsidy of the State. It can also, when so authorized by laws, raise money in the shape of passenger and tonnage dues for the purpose of paying the interest and capital of its loans. All commercial establishments are also managed by the Chamber of Commerce if they are establishments created for commercial purposes, such as bonded ware- houses, conditioning establishments, public lectures, &c. But the correspondence and accounts and the estimates must always be submitted, through the Pr^fet, to the Government for audit and approval. And this is a natural consequence of the mode in which the expenses of Chambers of Commerce are paid, and the conditions of their constitution. There can be no doubt that in Erance the results accruing from the consultation of Chambers, of Com- merce have been considered beneficial. But it is not to be forgotten that commercial questions in Erance are always determined by the consultation of producers, and it is evident that Chambers of Commerce and Arts and Manufactures or Agriculture are not the sole authorities in matters respecting which the whole country might also be consulted. Yet, as Parliament is elected by universal suffrage, and the majority in the Chamber and 27 Senate is always iii favour of measures advocated "by producers, it would seem that Prencli consumers are not averse from conceding to the producer the advantages which they advocate under the specious name of national protection. In great cities like Bordeaux or Marseillesj even in Paris, the Chamhers have frequently shown themselves most liberal. In the great majority of other places, the local interests of the Chambers have found their way to the front, and it is a fact that the consumer appears in a totally diEEerent light to Englishmen from what he appears to a majority of Prenchmen. I spoke of the consultation of the Chambers of Commerce and Arts and Manufactures iu respect of the Tariff which finally took shape in 1881. The important result of that consultation was the establishment of a General Tariff, which required to be materially reduced when Conventional Tariffs were negotiated with foreign nations. It is very much to the action of the Chambers of Commerce at Erench ports that we owe the high and in some respects quite unfair charges made upon British shipping under the head of brokerage and iuterpretation dues. 16. Syndical Chambers and other commercial Associa- tions are only in official contact with the Ministry of Commerce in so far as the latter has a general duty of supervision. The whole question of the status and position of these Societies has been the subject of a paper which I addressed to Her Majesty's Government on the 14th June of the present year, and which I have reason to think will be laid before Parliament.* I need only here observe that the number of professional Syndicates, including masters and men, in existence on the 1st May of the present year was 2,082. But I spoke of Chambers of Arts and Manufactures as well as Chambers of Commerce, and I observed that the former were consulted much in the same way as the latter by the Minister of Commerce. It remains for me to say that the status of Chambers of Arts and Manufactures is much the same as that of Chambers of Commerce, but that they are now less numerous than the latter, being at present limited to seventy-one inland towns of Prance. * See " Commercial No. 4, 1889," p. 61— Ed. 28 17, 18. Por answers to Questions 17 and 18, I; beg: to refer to my: Report on Statistics and Commercial Museums, drawn up on the 15th July, 1886,. and pub- lished as a Parliamentary Paper in that year, which contains all the information that can be given on this intricate subject.* 19. Criticisms upon the efi&oiency of the Ministry of Commerce hare not been wanting in the past, and will probably not be wantiag in the future. But lack of efficiency is not so much cha,rged upon the institution itself as upon its relations with Other Ministries, and especially with the Ministries of the Colonies and Foreign Affairs. M. Eouvier was created joint Minister of Commerce and of the Colonies in 1881-82. There are many persons in and out of Parliament iu Prance who think that the whole administration of the French Colonial Empire should be placed in the hands of the Minister of Commerce. But the experiment tried under M. Eouvier seems to have shown that there were disad- vantages incident to the change which could not l)e overlooked ; and certainly the attempt to deprive the Ministry of Marine of the control of the Colonies has, for the present, been abandoned. The q^uestion is made all the more difficult of solution because it is not un- mixed with , that of the balance of power in the Government. I have heard it stated that the holder of the Ministry of Commerce has not politically the influence. which the Chief of an independent Department ought to possesSi Yet it would appear . to be inevitable that Ministers should have unequal shares of influence and prestige; and the colleagues' of a Minister of Commerce and the Colonies might think that he was unduly favoured in the distribution of patronage and power. , . The commercial community are disposed to think that, under the system in force at the present time, commerce is not sufficiently consulted,, particularly in reference to the conclusion of Treaties of. Commerce. Yet, during the negotiations which took place when an. effort was made, not long since, to renew commercial relations with Italy, the Government then in office, not only consulted the Chambers of Commerce, but; the, Syndical Chambers also. Merchants, however, think * Foreign Office Reports, 18S6. Miscellaneous Series No. 6. — Kd. 29 that the eonsiiltation should be more methodical; and they have been agitating for a reconstitution of the Superior Council of Commerce and Industry, which ought, they allege, to be enlarged and endowed with more than consultative powers. I am bound to say that I see no signs as yet that this idea is making progress towards practical realization. Nor is there any symptom that changes in another direction to which merchants incline are Mkelv soon to be made. They claim to have more assistance from Consuls than is at present afforded by these officers. They ask for more frequent and more comprehensive Reports from abroad. They say that in this respect, although improvements have taken place since 1883, much remains to be done ; and they assert that publica- tion is insufficient and slow. But as it is quite uncertain whether the ill effects of the present system are due to the fact that Consuls are in the hierarchy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and not in that of the Minister of Commerce, it is boldly insisted by the mercantile community that all Consular Reports on commercial questions should be addressed directly to the Ministry of Commerce. 20. As regards Question 20, 1 can only observe that there are very few points of comparison between a Prench Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Board of Trade, as regards organization. The Ministry of Commerce here has under its charge explosives and factories, which in England are dealt v^ith by' the Home Office. The Railway Department, which belongs to the Board of Trade, is ia Prance a Depart- ment of the Ministry of Public "Works. Bankruptcy, likewise, is here a dependency of the Ministry of Justice, just as the registry of sailors is the business of the Ministry of Marine. Technical education and the registry of Priendly Societies, which are intrusted in Prance to the Minister of Commerce and Industry, belong to independent Councils in England. Medical and sanitary matters, which the Ministry of Commerce here superintends, is, in England, in the hands of the Local Government' Board. (Signed) J. A. CROWE. Paris, December 4, 1888, 30 m. 2. The Earl of Lytton to the Marquis of Salisbury. — {Received January 10.) My Lord, Paris, January 8, 1889. With reference to my despatcli of the 6th Decemher last, I have the honour to transmit herewith to your Lordship a Report by Mr. Crowe on some recent changes in the organization of the Ministry of Commerce. I have, &c. (Signed) LTTTON. Inclosure in ^o. 2. Mr. J. A. Crowe to the Earl of Lytton. My Lord, Paris, January 8, 1889. In a Report on the Commercial Department of the Government of Trance, which I drew up on the 4th of last December, I called attention to the fact that for many years past there had been seldom any wide interval of time during which the internal organization of the Ministry of Commerce had not undergone some change. I have to record a fresh instance of this. By a Decree of the 5th January, promulgated in the "Journal* Officiel" of the 6th instant, the service of Public Hygiene,* " hitherto performed by the Ministry of Commerce, is transferred to the Ministry of the Interior, and the service of the Post Office and Tele- graphs, which was transferred not long since to the Ministry of Finance, is now made a Division of the Ministry of Commerce," I have, &c. (Signed) J. A. CROWE. * See o«fe,.pp. 9 and 10.— Ed. ( 31 ) No. 3. GERMANY. Mr. Beauclerk to the Marquis of Salisbury. — (Received November 12.) My Lord, Berlin, November 6, 1888. With reference to your Lordship's Circular of the 3rd August last, I have the honour to transmit herewith a Report, which I have compiled upon the orgaiiization and functions of the Prussian Ministry of Commerce, as required by your Lordship's above-mentioned despatch. I have, &c. (Signed) W. BEAUCLERK. Inclosure in No. 3. Report on the Constitution of the Ministry of Commerce in Prussia. On inquiry at the Imperial German Foreign Office for information in order to answer the list of questions annexed to the Marquis of Salisbury's Circular of the 3rd Augustj 1888, Her Majesty's Embassy at Berlin was referred to the various works quoted in this Report. The following answers to .the questions referred to contain all the information which it has been possible to obtain concerning the organization and functions of the Commercial Department in Prussia. 1, " The Minister of Commerce and Industries." 2. 17th April, 1848. 3 and 4. The Ministry of Commerce and Industries [749] D 32 was formed by separation from the Ministry of the Interior and by the formation of a new Ministry of Commerce, Industry, and Public Works. Later the Postal Administration was handed over to this new Ministry, but it was subsequently transferred to the Empire. The Ministry of Commerce also had to deal with the business of the commercial section of the Department of Finance, the Administration of Salines, Mines, and Foundries, and the Administration of Commercial Fac- tories and Buildings; It likewise had assigned to it, from the Ministry of the Interior, all business connected with agriculture and the administration of the police system, as far as concerns buildings and industrial establishments. The Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Public Works were subsequently founded by separating these branches from the new Ministry of Commerce; and a part of the technical education system was trans- ferred to the Ministry of Public Worship. Consequently the Ministry of Commerce now only retains the management of affairs relating to trade and industry; but these include private banking institu- tions, navigation, shipping, and pilotage. Under the administration of the Ministry are : the Technical Deputation for Industry, tbe Permanent Com- mission for Technical Education, the Industrial and Art- Industrial Technical Schools, the Training Schools, the Porcelain Manufactory, the Assay authorities, and the I^avigation Schools. 5. The following is the strength of the total staff of the Ministry ^.ccoyding to its several branches ;— 33 '— — • — ' — ■ 1.' ■ .^ ^ Ministry of Commeree and Industry. N^mnber. Prince V. Bisinarclf , Minister of State 1 Under-Secretary of State . . . . .', \\ 1 Heads of Department . . . . , , ,, 7 Employes in " Central Bureau " , . . . [[ 16 Director of Technical Deputation for Trade 1 Membei's of ditto Q Assistants of ditto .. 8 Permanent Ccmmiseion for Technical Educatioo , . 25* pitto 4t Directors of the Navigation School 3 ©ire(}tor of Schools of Hfl,Tidicraft and Architecture 1 Director of Royal Porcelain Manufactory 1 Artistic Director of ditto . . . . , I Other pfiiiwpal employes ^)f ditto 9 Members of Council for Political Economy 70 Total ., 149 * Elected for 3 years. f Permanent members. •/ Several of the branches under administration of the Ministry of Commerce are managed by officers in theip respective provinces ; such as the Assay authorities, the Navigation Schools, Technical Schools, &c. ' Certain business belonging to the Ministry is now connected with other Departments ; such as E-ailways, which are under the control of the Ministry of Public Works.* - The Prussian Ministry of Commerce is distinguished from the Administration of the Grerman Empim. Thus the Kingdom of Prussia still retains most of the other Departments which exist side by side with those apperf taining to the Administration of the Empire. 6. Appointments in the official classes in Prussia are made for all branches and Departments of the Admin- istration on an unifoym system, Nominations belong to the King, and are made either by him directly or by the higher officers of State delegated to nominate for him, Examinations for the public service of the State differ according to its various branches, There are no competitive examinations, but candidates must have passed througli a regular course of education, the exami- * Vide ^{Han^hnch liber den 1887-88, pp. 102-104. [749] ich Preussischen Hof uiid Staat." D 2 34 nations of the " Gymnasium " and two Government examinations must be successfully -passed, and in some cases a further course of Law, or other technical know- ledge, is required. 7. The draft Budget of the Ministry is prepared by the Minister in consultation with the Minister of Finance. After the approval of the Minister of Finance has been obtained, the draft Budget is adopted by the whole Cabinet ; and, after obtaining the Royal approbation, it is submitted to the House of Representatives. The same system is followed in preparing the Budgets of every Department of State. The Kingdom of Prussia has a separate Budget from that of the German Empire. After the draft Budget has been brought before the House of Representatives it is subject to revision, before its discussion in Parliament, by a Permanent Committee appointed for the examination of all Government mea- sures of finance. It is also allowed to the President of the Chamber, and with his consent to the Committee, to elicit infor- mation as to the necessity of items in the Budget, and to discuss and render an account of the same to the House. The Budgets are subsequently discussed in Parlia- ment for their first, second, and thiid readings by full sittings of the House, just as are all other Bills brought before the Chamber.* 8. The following is a summary of the Budgets of the Ministry of Commerce for the past few years : — Vide " Ronne," Liber i, p. 606. 35 1885-86. Harks. Departmental expenses Administration of Trade and Comma Commercial, industrial, scientific, general education . . Royal Porcelain Manufactory . . Various expenses . . , . , Extraordinary expenses * . . • ■ rce., and • • • • • • • a « ■ • ■ 274,505 987,006 935,846 702,076 28,498 70,350 Total Receipts 2,998,191 961,638 101,827 13 Total expenditure 2,036,553 = It was estimated that the above total would subsequently be reduced by about 15,000 marks = 750/. 1886-87. Marks. Departmental expenses Administration of Trade and Commei Commercial, industrial, scientific general education . . , , Royal Porcelain Manufactory . . Various expenses Extraordinary expenses . . ce .. and • • 282,215 978,871 1,036,676 698,076 29,550 189,510 Total Receipts 3,164,898 965,057 £ s Total expenditure 2,199,841 = 109,992 1 It was estimated that 15,630 marks = 781/. would subsequently be returned to tbe Treasury from the above total. 3^ 1887-88. Marks. Departmental expenses Administration of Trade and Commei Commercial, industrial, Scientific, general education . . Royal Porcelain Manufactory . . Royal Glass-painting Institution Various expenses Extraordinary expenses • ■ rce.. and • • • ■ • ■ • ■ 286,745 1,040,559 1,414,343 698,076 56,700 ■ 32,900 167,800 ; Total Receipts 3,697,123 1, 023,648 " 133,673 13 Total expenditure 2,673,475 = It was calculated that the above total would subsequently be reduced by about 11,900 marks = 595^. 1888-89. Marks. Departmental expenses . < Administration of Trade and Commerc( Commercial, industrial, &c., education Royal Porcelain Manufactory . . Royal Glass-painting Institution Various expenses Extraordinary expenses • • • • • • ■ • > • • • • 303,335 1,068,838 1,497,3&7 701,221 56,700 40,300 153,930 Total Receipts 3,821,681 1,004,012 ■ £ s Total expenditure . . 2,817,679 = 140,883 19 It was estimated that the above total would subsequently be reduced by about 12,000 marks = 600Z. 37 The following are some of the details appertaining to the Budget of the Ministry of Commerce for 1888-89 :— No. Departmental Expenses. Ordinary IVtark^* Expenditure. 2J.X further direct Government supervision of commercial matters beyond the question of inland duties on sugar, tobacco, spirits, &c. With the functions and organization of the Board of Trade in England he is not suflB.ciently acquainted to give an opinion respecting the difference between it and the Prussian Ministry of Commerce. Kiel. — The B/cports sent in to the Minister from various commercial Corporations are frequently at variance with one another. In such cases the supervi- sion of Minister becomes an obvious necessity. The Vice-Consul is not sufficiently acquainted with the Board of Trade to make a comparison between it and the Ministry of Commerce. Frankfort. — Trade and industry, as far as this district is concerned, fare pretty well under Government super- vision, all the more so as in commercial matters the Ministry will willingly listen to any fair representations. As the functions of the Ministry of Commerce bear exclusively on trade, commerce, and industry, this surely forms a striking contrast to the organization of the Board of Trade, with its numerous and manifold Depart- ments. Besides the Prussian Ministry of Commerce, the other German States have also got their Commercial Depart- ments. Memel. — As far as the Vice-Consul knows, there is not much difference between the functions and organi- zation of the Board of Trade and the Ministry of Com- merce in Prussia. Concerning the Government supervision in commer- cial matters, he is unable to give any information of importance. Konigsierg. — The Prussian Government supervises all commercial matters except sales. All sworn experts, harbour and port officials, are appointed by Government on the nomination of the mercantile community. The principal difference between the Board of Trade in England and the Ministry of Commerce in Prussia is that the former has control of matters connected with shipping and seamen^i whereas the latter has no such control. DUsseldorf. — The Government supervision of commer^i 4^ cial matters is exercised- %" the Mlmster of Commerce, who holds the decisive ruling in all questions ; but in all cases of importance h6 takes into <3onsideration" the opinions^ and Reports of the Presidents of Provincial Governments, and the wishes of commercial men through the medium of their Corporations and Associations. Full opportunity is thus afforded for the representa- tion of the: interests i9f trade andindustry ; but in view of the great'power vested in the Minister, much depends upon his personal character, experience, and capacity. His decisions and his administration of the Laws are, however, subject to the criticism of Parliament — a right which has often been exercised. As a rule, the Government supervision has for its object the greatest possible development of commercial and industrial progress, and with this end in view, all possible freedom of action in the transaction of business is duly accorded. Such restrictions as do exist are of a nature to afford protection to industry and commerce against excessive foreign competition, by means of Customs Tariffs so graduated that only such products as are required for home manufacture, or are not found or manufactured in the country, are admitted free of duty. Duties on other articles are, as a rule, not so high as to cause an undue inflation of prices. It will have been seen that, whilst in some respects the functions of the Ministry of Commerce are similar to those of the Board of Trade, its organization is diffe- rent, in so far as a difference exists between the Consti- tutions of the two countries under which the Depart- ments in question have been founded. Berlin. — The opinion of the Berliu Chamber of Com- merce, styled " Altester Collegium der Berliner Kauf- mannschaft," is often taken by the Law Courts, and almost invariably decides the issue of a suit. The Minister of Commerce in Prussia, besides exer- cising a general supervision over trade and commerce, has direction over the particular branches under its several Departments (vide answer to question 3). The following Departments, which ia England are under the control of the Board of Trade, are not con- nected in any way with the Prussian Ministry of Comm.erce : — [749] E 2 50 1. Office of Inspector of Railways. 2. Bankruptcy Division. 3. Official Eeceiver's Office. 4!. Officers appointed under the Metropolitan Gas Acts. 5. Shipping. 6. Patent Office. (Signed) W. BEAUOLERK. British Embassy, Berlin, November 6, 1888. ( 51 ) No. 4. AUSTRIA-HUNGARY. Sir A. Paget to the Marquis of Salisbury. — (Received December 17.) My Lord, Vienna, December 13, 1888. With reference to your Lordship's Circular of the- 3rd August, I have now the honour to inclose herewith a Report drawn up by Mr. Phipps on the organization and functions of the Ministry of Commerce in Austria, and also a Report from Her Majesty's Consul- General in Buda-Pesth on the same subject as regards Hungary..' I have, &c. (Signed) A. PAGET. Inclosure in No. 4. Answers to Questions concerning Organization of the Ministry of Commerce in Austria. 1. Opfioial title of Minister: "Minister of Com- merce." 2. About thirty-five years ago; 1853 was as near as possible the date of establishment. 8. The Austrian Ministry of Commerce is divided into the following branches : — (a.) Commerce, Industry, and Navigation. (6.) Posts and Telegraphs, (c.) Railways (State). These three Departments deal with absolutely >lt matters in connection with the above-mentioned sub- jects, and enjoy all patronage connected therewith. 52 4. No extension or contraction of tlie duties of the Ministry has recently taken place. 5. The total strength of the Ministry is as follows : — In the Ceatral Department . . . . 1 Minister. 3 Chiefs of Sections. 16 Councillors. 17 Secretaries. 17 Under-Secretaries. 17 Clerks. In the Statistical Department . . 1 Councillor. In the Hydrotechnic Department ., 2 Councillors. In the Trade Mark Office , . . . 1 Archivist. In the Account Office . . . . 10 officials. In the Railway Department . . . . 35 officials. 51 servants. , 6. Departmental appointments are made by the Minister, and Austria does not as yet enjoy the benefits of competitive examination for the Public Service. The example of such countries as have introduced that system is not likely to be foUowed by Austria. All persons entering the service of the State must, however, have gone through satisfactorily certain exami- nations (" Staatspriifung "), a different standard being required from the various categories of employes. All oflEicials employed on the StafE of the Ministry of Commerce must have gone through certain of these examinations. In regard to appointments to the Post Offices or Telegraphs, candidates must go through a technical pass examination. 7. The Budget is prepared by the Minister and the functionaries attached to him. It is subject to revision by the Council of Ministers and the Department of Finance, and is then submitted to Parliament. 8. The Budgets of the Ministry of Commerce, strictly speaking (i.e., exclusive of the State BailwaySj Posts, and Telegraphs), during the last three years were as follows : — 53 1889. 1888. 1887, Central organization of Ministry — Ordinary expenditure Extraordinary expenditure . . For native Exhibitions and for foreign Exhibitions when no special credit voted Subvention to Imperial Museum of Com- merce . . . . Sundry special objects £ 31,300 3,550 683 1,666 540 £ 30,000 3,530 583 1,666 125 £ 30,650 3,700 . 417 1,666 ' 566 Total cost . . 37,300 36,400 37,000 Note. — All amounts in these answers are converted into sterling at 12 fl. to the £, excluding fractions. The receipts, wMch make up a trifling sum, hare been deducted. Salaries amounted in 188S to about' 26,500/., and vary but little from year to year. Office expenses, including stationery, printings &c. are each year quoted at 1,750Z. Each year the sum of 400/. appears for the expenses of the official paper issued by the Ministry, termed the "Austria." No special tax is levied for the support of the Ministry or its Sub-Departments. I, of course, leave out of consideration the Railways, Posts, and Tele- graphs, which in this country are under the Ministry of Commerce. 9. The Minister has special control of all subjects of legislation connected with his Department, and he has entire initiative therewith, subject to previous con- cert with the Council of Ministers. 10. The Minister has sole control of Commercial Treaty questions and of Customs Tariff matters. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the whole Monarchy acts only as intermediary with foreign Governments for the settlement of such matters. The Minister takes the opinions of the Ministers of Commerce of Austria and Hungary, either by the exchange of written communi- cations or by means of conversation, If necessary, he consults also the Ministers of Agriculture of the two countries, or the Minister " of Communications " of Hungary. (See that country, Inclosure 2.) When the 54 interests of the two countries are divergent, it is the aim of the Minister of Poreign Affairs to conciliate those interests. The Ministers of Commerce of the two coun- tries also consult together, either vivd voce or by notes, as occasion arises. When important questions arise affecting the interests of the two countries, it is often necessary to call together, at Vienna or Pesth, what is termed a "Gemeinsame Zoll Oonferenz," or Common Customs Conference. This is generally presided over by the Secretary- General of the Poreign Ofl&ce, and attended by the Austrian and Hungarian Ministers of Finance, Commerce, and Agriculture, the Hungarian Minister of Communications (B/ailways, Posts, &c.), some of the principal employes of their Departments, and the Head of the Commercial Department in the Porei'gn Ofl&ce. To the above must often be added the Prime Ministers of the two countries. As a rule, every modification in the indirect taxes or in the Customs Tariff must be elaborated in such a Conference, and, as a further illustration, I may mention that, at almost every stage of negotiation on the Sugar Bounties question, all or most of the above functionaries had to be consulted. ■ In order to go further into this subject, it would be necessary for me to write an exhaustive treatise on the dualistic system. 11. The Consular oflficers are common to both halves of th'e Monarchy, and consequently are under the control of the Poreign -OflBce, with whom they correspond directly, or else with the ordinary Diplomatic officers when requisite. Por the sake of expedition, they may sometimes correspond direct with the Ministers of Com- merce on certain matters. 12. The total cost of the Austro-Hungarian Consular Staff amounts to 896,450 fl., from which has to be deducted 128,060 fl. received as Consular fees or in way of income tax, leaving the total cost at 668,390 fl,, or something over 55,700/. It is all borne on the Budget of the Ministry of Poreign Affairs. The number of Consular officers receiving pay in the Austro-Hungarian Consular Service is 165, with 20 Consular students. This number of 165 includes chan- cellors,, clerks, &c. There are in addition 46 Consular functionaries, not 55 m the regular Consular Service, who receive various allowances hut who are not salaried, 23 English Consular functionaries in China and Japan, and 119 Consuls who appear to receive in the Budget no regular salaries, hut whose expenses may he included ia other Consulates or in Emhassies or Legations. Roughly speaking, half the Austro-Hungarian Consular oflB.cers are in receipt of regular salaries. 13. The Minister is not en rapport with commercial men through any Council or special permanent hody. He consults the Chambers of Commerce as necessity arises. (See 15.) 14. The control which the Eoyal and Imperial Ministry of Conimerce exercises with regard to the Chamhers of Commerce and Trade consists in — (a.) In seeing that these corporations do not overstep their legal sphere of action, and that in their councils and decisions they formally observe the Law for Chamhers of Commerce of the 29th June, 1868, as also the order of business and election. (6.) In controlling expenditure, supervision with regard to (a) is exercised (a) by means of a Royal Commissioner appointed by the Minister of Commerce, who is entitled to attend the plenary sittings of the Chamber, and who can demand to speak at any time, but has no right to vote ; (^) by the obligatory publica- tion in print of a Protocol concerning the proceedings at each session, which Protocol has to be submitted to the Ministry of Commerce. The right exercised by the Royal and Imperial Government with regard to the Budget, as referred to in clause (6), is enforced in the following manner: the estimates of necessary expenses which are yearly issued by the Chamber, as also the yearly account of expenditure, are submitted for approval to the Royal and Imperial Ministry of Commerce, which approval is a preliminary condition to levying an additional tax* on the mercantile and industrial classes required to meet the deficit in the income of the Chamber. The Chambers of Commerce and Trade are free autonomous corporations. The number of the present Chambers of Commerce is at present twenty-nine. * A percentage upon the taxes paid to the State. 56 , As to conditiojas of membership, the appdintmerit of the regular members of the Chambers of Commerce and - Trade is managed by means of direct election according to election categories and cl£issification in the Census, concerning which the different election regulations of the various Chambers of Cominerce contain more precise rules. , Eoughly speaking, the following are the most noticeable points : — As regular members of a Chamber of Commerce may be chosen, those members of the trading and commercial class who (a) are Austrian citizens, who are oyer 30 years of age, and who have possessed for at least three years the qualifications required for exerpising the franchise, and (0) who have their fixed residence in the district of the Chamber. But the right of electing which is a preliminary condition to the right of beiiig elected appertains to those members of the conaihercial and industriial class who are in the full exercise of their civil rights, and who carry on commerce, industry, or mining either indepen- dently or openly as members of a Company in the district of the Chamber ; further, those persons who are at the head of commercial or industrial joint-stock enterprises, as managers or directors, if the prescribed tax for the right of suffrage is paid by the firm in question. The amount of this tax is fixed at different sums in the various Chambers, but in all cases the payment of the amount of the tax equal to the Census tax for obtaining the right of suffrage for the Provincial Diet is sufiB.cient to acquire the right of suffrage for the Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Those persons are excluded alike from exercising the suffrage and from being elected who, according to the established laws, are excluded from taking part as electors or candidates for election in the commercial elections. 15. The Minister constantly takes the opinions of the Chambers of Commerce on questions as they arise. Beneficial results have been caused by such reference during the negotiations for the renewal of the Austro- German Treaty of Commerce, and during those preceding the Treaties with Italy and Switzerland. But whether the results were always beneficial to Austrian interests depends whether these interests are regarded from a free 57 trade or a protectiomst point of yiew. There is little doubt that the opinions' expressed by the majority of the Chambers of Commerce as to the desired action of the GoTernment in domniercial (][uestions with B/Oumania have had. an injurious effect on the interests of both countries. It is therefore difficult to generali^se in replying to such a question. . 16. Syndical Chambets Or othet official Associations are not brought into offibial , contact with the Minister. They are occasionally consulted in matters affecting the interests of their respective trades as in all other countries. 17. Special information is supplied through the Ministry to traders, &c., by means of three categories of statistical and commercial publications : — (a.) The "Austria," a monthly publication relative to legislation and statistics in respect to trade, commerce, and navigation. To it are annexed the Reports received from the Austro-Hungarian Consulates. It publishes foreign and Austrian Treaties relating to trade, commerce, and navigation, and the more important "Ordinances" upon these subjects, as well as such B-egulations and Ordinances of the Ministry of Commerce as may not appear in the official Gazette; informa- tion as to the " restitution " of certain duties in certain cases ; statistics (even when published by the Finance Ministry) relating to imports and exports; and other miscellaneous commercial information. It costs 11. yearly, and monthly numbers can be purchased. The Consular Reports can be purchased separately from the "Austria" at a price varying in accordance with their volume, or by subscription at 6s. 8d. per annum. (6.) "Nachrichten uber Industrie Handel und Yerkehr," issued by the Statistical Department of the Ministry of Commerce. The parts vary in price, according to size, from 8(?. to 6s. 8d. (c.) The "Handels Museum," published by the "Museum of Commerce," which is subventioned by the Government, and wlaich , may be regarded as an official publication. It supplies information similar to the " Austria," with a few leading articles, but it refers mainly to foreign countries. These documents or papers are supplied gratis to 58 the foreign Missions in Vienna, In isolated cases they may he supplied also gratis to libraries, commercial institutions, &c. 18. Circtdars are addressed to the Chambers of Commerce by the Ministry as necessity of supplying information arises. Insertions are also made in the pubMc prints, 19. No special criticisms are made upon the Ministry of Commerce, nor have I ever seen any complaints as to to its want of efficiency; but it has frequently been suggested that the Department has too many subjects to deal with, and that there should be a separate Department of the Ministry for Railways, Posts, and Telegraphs. 20. The circumstances differ so widely in Austria and Great Britain that it is impossible to reply to this question. The Austrian Government is essentially a paternal one, and much less is left to private enterprise and initiative than in England. (Signed) E. C. H. PHIPPS. British Embassy, Vienna. Inclosure 2 in No. 4. Answers to Questions concerning Organization of Ministry of Commerce in Hungary. 1. The official title of the Minister is " Royal Hungarian Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce." 2. The Ministry was established in 1867. 3. The Ministry is divided into a Central Control Department, and twelve other Departments, amongst which duties are distributed as follows : — The Clerical and Registration Division forms part of the Central Department, which deals with matters con- nected with the Staff and servants of the Ministry ; with the household and buildings of the Ministry ; with con- fidential business ; with proposals for conferring marks of distinction and for appointments as Court Purveyors ; with the preparation of the Budget ; with correspon- dence with the Audit Office ; with supervision of the 59 Statistic Office ; with periodical publications issued by the Ministry. Departments I, II, and III conduct the business arising out of the management of forests, forestry schools, and game. Department IV: Horse-breeding, State studs, and stallion dep6ts. Department V : Sanitary control (animals) ; veteri- nary institutions ; quarantine ; breeding of animals (other than horses). Departments VI, VII, and VIII : Agricultural matters ; agricultural schools ; travelling instructors in agriculture ; silk, milk, and honey industries ; chemical testing establishments ; phylloxera and parasitic affec- tions of plants ; police measures affecting agriculture and land generally; water rights; agricultural engi- neering ; fisheries ; agricultural reporting and statistics ; subsidies to papers on agricultural affairs. Department IX a: Industrial matters; Stock Ex- change; public warehouses; encouragement of 'manu- factories; official publication of registered commercial firms. Department IX b : Chambers of Commerce ; fairs ; import and export duties ; weights and measures ; State pawn-offices. Department Xa: Matters of Trade and Customs Regulations ; Customs and Commercial Treaties ; Con- sular Heports : Buda-Pesth Commercial Museum. Department Xb: Maritime matters; marine schools; Austro-Hungarian Lloyd and Adria Steam- ship Com- panies ; European Commission of the Danube. Department XI : Patents and trade-marks. Department XII : Mining matters ; Geological Institute. 4. Since the establishment of the Ministry, the fol- lowing matters have been added to its control : — (1.) Maritime affairs. (2.) Water rights. (3.) Agricultural engineering. (4.) Agricultural statistics. (5.) Eisheries. (6.) Milk. _ (7.) Commission for wine supervision. (8.) Silk industry. 60 (9.) P%Koa!e^flf^jPxamin£^tion Coinmissidn^ : ijivia (10.) Industrial Inspectorships. . oJj (11.) TravelMing instructors in arboriculture f and fruit-growing. ^^ , - ■ .. (12.) Travelling instructors in wine-growing., (13.) Travelling instruptprS( in bee-keeping.. : (14.) Commercial Museum. The following have been transferred : — ' (1.) Post and Telegpph matters from this Ministry to that of Communications and Public "Works, ...j > , . , (2.) State forests from the Pinance to this Ministry. 5. The strength of the Staff of the Central Admini- stration at Buda-Pesth is about 120, and 20 servants. 6. Departmental appointments for higher posts are made by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Minister, approved by the Cabinet. Other appoint- ments are made by the Minister. There is no competitive examination, but candidates must qualify by producing certificates that they have completed their .educational course, including law and politics, and passed the public examinations therein. 7. The Budget of the Ministry is prepared in the Department, and its pecuniary requirements are sub- mitted to the Ministry of Pinance, and finally approved by the Cabinet, after which it is laid before Parliament. 8. The Budgets of the Ministry show the following totals for three years : — Ordinary. Expenditure. Receipts. 1885 1886 1887 Florins. £ 10,048,806 = 803,904 10,875,576 870,046 10,973,977 877,918 Florins. £ 10,114,223 = 809,138 10,677,026 854,162 10,770,472 861,638 Expenses of Ministkt Pkopee. Florins. £ 1885 .. .. .. 245,210 = 19,617 1886 289,717 23477 1887 .. .. .. 300,320 24,026 61 In the Central Office salaries represent an annual average of — Florins. £ Minister .. .. .. .. 14,000 = 1,120 Secretary of State . . . . . . 7,000 560 118 other functionaries and clerks, • . • Sophia (vacant) Tangier • • • • Odessa . , • , Santiago Zanzibar • • _ Algiers Cologne • • • • • • j 15,000 Luxembourg . , •• • • 8,000 Indemnities to certain unpaid Consular Agents . . • ■ • • 3,900 At Santiago the Consxil-General is also accredited as Charge d'AflFaires for the Republics of Chile and Peru.* At Cairo and Tangier there are Ministers Resident charged with the functions of Agent and Consul- General. At Yokohama the Belgian Envoy is also commis- sioned as Consul- General for Japan. ' In addition to the above paid posts, there are over 420 towns in which unpaid Consular Agents reside. Many of the Consuls-General, both paid and unpaid, are assisted in the discharge of their duties by subordinate Consular Agents ; the total number of Agents, therefore, considerably exceeds 450, the number of existing paid and unpaid posts. Paid Consuls m.ay not take part, directly or indirectly, in any commercial enterprise, and may not marry Tvithout the previous consent of the Minister for Poreign Affairs. 13. There is no Council or special permanent body * The rank of Charge d' Affaires given to Consuls in countries where there are no regular Diplomatic representatives is purely local, and ceases on transfer. 74 through, which the Minister is ahle to communicate with commercial men. 14. Chambers of Commerce, which in one form or another have existed from time immemorial in the Low Countries, were suppressed in 1791, oflicially re-estab- lished in 1802, and reorganized in 1815, and again in 1841. The following were the attributes of these Chambers : — (1.) To present to the Government or to the Chambers their views on the means of increasing the industrial, commercial, and maritime prosperity of the kingdom. (2.) To inform the competent authorities of any causes which might check this prosperity. (3.) To furnish such information and special reports as might be required by the Government or the Chambers. (4.) To advise the provincial and municipal autho- rities within their several districts. And lastly, to make an annual Report to the Commercial Department on all matters relating to the commerce and industry of their districts. These E/eports, now preserved in the archives of the Tariffs and Statistical Bureau of the Foreign Depart- ment (in MS. for the years 1835-57, and from that date up to 1874 in print), form an interesting epitome of the commercial needs of Belgium and of the industrial progress made during the last forty years of the existence of the Official Chambers of Commerce, at that time twenty-three in number. In 1875 a Law was passed suppressing the Chambers, or, perhaps more correctly, taking away their official character; and free Commercial Associations, entirely independent of the Government, have since that date been started in the chief manufacturing and industrial centres. In the larger cities, such as Brussels, Antwerp, Li6ge, and Ghent, the principal trades have each a separate Commercial Association or Syndicate; in others there are rival Conservative and Liberal Chambers; the small towns are generally content with one. The new free Associations, like their official pre- decessors, usually publish a yearly Report on the trade of their districts, and occasionally bulletins and mono- graphs on special subjects ; copies of these are presented 75 to the Tariffs and Statistical Bureau, in exchange for the official puhlications of the latter, and are found of great use in enabling the Government to form a just estimate of the commercial needs of the country. The following is a list of the principal Commercial Associations now existing in Belgium : — Province of Antwerp. 1 . Antwerp Cliamber of Commerce. 2. Antwerp Federation of Industrial and Commercial Associations. 3. Union of Old Students of the Higher Commercial Institute. 4. Antwerp Boatmen's League. Province of Brabant. 1 . Brussels Association of Trade and Industry. 2. Belgian Brewers' Association (Brussels). 3. Brussels Brewers' Society. 4. Syndicate of the Metal and Coal Bourse. 5. Syndical Union at Brussels. 6. Association of Belgian Distilleries. 7. Federation of Commercial and Industrial Associations, at Brussels. 8. Free Chamber of Commerce of the Arrondissement of Louvain. 9. Brussels Union of Printers, kc. Province of West Flanders. 1 . Syndical Union of Commerce and Industry, Ostend. 2. Commercial, Maritime, and Industrial Association of Ostend. 3. Commercial and Industrial Club, at Bruges. 4. Traders' Club of Commerce, Bruges. 6. Flax-sellers' Union, at Kortryk. 6. Chamber of Commerce, at Kortryk. 7. Commercial and Industrial Club, at Ypres. Province of East Flanders. 1. Commercial and Industrial Club, at Ghent. 2. Provincial Syndicate of Industrial Arts, Ghent 3. Chamber of Commerce and Fabrics, at Ghent. 4. Commercial and Industrial League, at Ghent. 5. Horticultural Syndicate, at Ghent. 6. Industrial Society of St. Nicolas. Province of Hainault. 1; Coal Mines Committee, at Mons. 2. Ironmasters' Association, at Charleroi. 3. Colliery Association, at Charleroi. 4. Glassmasters' Association, at Charleroi,- 5. General Comniittee of Coal Industry) Charleroi. 6. Charleroi Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture. 76 Province of Liege 1. .Syndicate of Leather dressers, at Stareloi. 2. Vewiers Chamber of Commerce. 3. Verviers Industrial and Commercial Society. 4. Syndicate of the Verviers Arrondissement. 5. Commercial Union of Huy. 6. Union of Coal and Mine-owners of the Province of liego 7. Chamber of Commerce of Liege, Huy, and Warcmme, at Liege. 8. Industrial Bourse, at Liege. 9. Liege Syndicate of Fire-arms Manufacturers. Province of Luxembourg. 1. Arlon Chamber of Commerce. Province of Namur. 1. Namur Chamber of Commerce. 2. Coal Association of the Namur Province, at Tamines. 15. In addition to the annual Reports and other pub- lications of the Commercial Associations which, as stated above, are regularly communicated to the Tariffs and Statistical Bureau, and enable the Minister to keep in touch -vrith the Chambers on current matters, his Excellency consults the Antwerp Chamber of Commerce before filling up the unpaid Consular posts; when a vacancy occurs, the Department forwards to the Chamber the list of candidates for their opinion as to the relative merits of the several applicants ; great weight is attached to the recommendations of the Antwerp Chamber, in. view of the extensive relations of Antwerp merchants with foreign countries ; and the system has been found to work well in practice. The Antwerp Chamber is also consulted on questions relating to Commercial Treaties. The recent inquiry into the North Sea fisheries may be cited as an instance of the consideration bestowed on Chambers of Commerce in Belgium ; not only were the fishing and trading interests directly represented on the Commission of Inquiry, but M. Van Imschoot, the Vice-President, and two other members of the Ostend Chamber, were nominated members of the Commission, in order that the views of that body might be fully represented. The Report of this Commission is important, as foreshadowing the action which will probably be taken by the Belgian Government with regard to the 77 North. Sea risheries Convention of the Hague of the 6th May, 1882, and the modifications which this country desires to see introduced into that International Agree- ment. To give another instance : a considerable number of the Commercial Chambers were consulted by the Royal Commission on Labour, instituted in 1886 to inquire into the moral and material situation of the working classes, and into the means for improving their condition, and gave useful information on the points submitted to them. 16. As stated above, the Syndical Chambers and other Commercial Associations are entirely free in Belgium, and are not brought into official contact with the Government. In addition to the yearly Reports, they transmit to the Ministry and to the Legislative Chambers Petitions and observations on special subjects ; as, for example, customs duty levied on certain mer- chandize, railway and canal rates, and other cognate matters ; criticisms on the economic measures submitted to Parliament. 17. " Recueil Consulaire." — The Ministry for Foreign Affairs publishes the yearly Reports received from Belgian Consuls in the "Recueil Consulaire." Eor several years (1856-65) these Reports were also published in the " Moniteur Beige," but in view of the small circulation of the official organ, this practice has now been abandoned. The public can subscribe to the " Recueil Consulaire " at the rate of from 2 fr. to 2 fr. 40 c. a volume, according to its size ; for foreign countries within the Postal Union the subscription is 3 fr. 50 c. a volume ; there is no fixed limit to the number of volumes published each year. The actual publication of the " Recueil " is undertaken by a private firm, the Department subscribing at the ordinary rate for 700 copies, which are subsequently distributed to the Belgian Consuls abroad, to the Chambers of Commerce and other commercial institutions at home, and to foreign Governments. The Consular Reports should contain separate sec- tions relating to the following subjects : (1) Commerce ; (2) Navigation ; (3) Industry, Mining, and Agriculture ; (4) Commercial and Industrial Legislation ; (5) Commer- cial, Navigation, and other International Treaties; 78 (6) Emigration ; (7) Means of Oommunioation; (8) otlior subjects of interest. Consular Rfports on Harvests. — Besides this general Report, Consuls in Europe, tlie United States, and Brazil send home each year in May an approximate estimate of the coming harvest, and in September an approxi- mate Return of the season's yield. "Bulletin duMusee Commercial." — The Eoreign Depart- ment also publishes the weekly " Bulletin du Musee Commercial," on sale at the rate of 50 centimes. {5d.) a number, but not distributed gratuitously. Subscribers arc charged at the following rates : — In Belgium — ; Fr. c. 1 jear . . . . . . . . . , 12 00 6 months . . . . . . . . , . 7 00 3 months . . . . . . . . 5 00 Abroad (Postal Union) — 1 year .. .. .. .. , . 18 CO 6 months.. .. .. .. . , 10 00 3 months . . . . . . . , . . 5 50 Eor countries n,ot in the Postal Union, the postage is charged in- addition to the Belgian subscription. "Collections des Tarifs Douaniers." — The Tariffs and Statistical Bureau publishes from time to time, in the form of a supplement to the " Moniteur Beige," translations of the Customs Tariffs of foreign States ; these are distributed to subscribers to the " Moniteur," and (also gratuitously) to those subscribers to the " Bulletin duMus^e Commercial" who apply for them. They can also be bought separately at the rate of 10 centimes per double sheet of eight pages. Patents and Trade Marks Journals. — The Industry section of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Public Works has hitherto only published the Patents and Trade Marks Journals, entitled respectively " Re- cueil Officiel des Brevets d'Invention," and " Recueil " OfRciel des Marq[ues de Eabrique." These are not dis- tributed gratuitously ; the annual subscription for each publication amounts to 10 fr. It is proposed shortly to publish a new statistical work on labour and trade. " Bulletin Administratif du Ministere de V Agriculture, de V Industrie, et des Travaux Publics." — The same Ministry further publishes the yearly " Bulletin Administratif du 79 Ministere," containing the text of the Ministerial Decrees, Circulars and Acts relating to the Department. This work is furnished gratuitously to the clerks of the Department, to the other Ministries, and to the Public Libraries. " Les Annates des Travaux Publics." — Lastly, the Ministry publishes " Les Annales des Travaux Publics," distributed gratuitously to the official Departments, Libraries, &c., and costing 6fr. a-year to subscribers. 18. The G-overnment from time to time furnishes special information to the Chambers of Commerce, and draws their attention to matters of interest. Such in- formation is supplied gratuitously. Emigration Inquiry Office. — In 1884 an Inquiry Office for Emigrants was organized in the foreign Department, and a notice was published in the " Moniteur,"* inviting all intending emigrants to apply to the Bureau, where every information at hand as to the conditions offered to emigrants to foreign countries would be gratuitously supplied to them; and to enable the Poreign Depart- ment to fulfil this duty the Belgian Consuls are ordered to keep the Government well informed on all matters relating to emigration, f Investors' Inquiry Bureau. — This year another step has been taken in this direction, and an Investors' Inquiry Bureau has been organized for advising those who intend to invest money in foreign loans. Companies, &c. The very last number of the "Recueil Consulaire" (tome * Fide " Moniteur Beige," 26th November, 1884. f Since the above was written the Government, in view of the steady increase of Belgian emigration, have still further extended the measures taken by them to afford information to Belgian subjects respecting the countries to which they may wish to emigrate. In addition to the Central Emigration Inquiry Office in Brussel-, which will be moved in January 1889 from the Ministry for Foreign Affairs to the State Commercial Museum, branch offices have been opened in all the provincial capitals, where full information will be furnished in French and Flemish as to the economic and social state of foreign countries, where intending emigrants can obtain copies of the Emigration Law and Transport Regulations, and lists of the .^rms autliorized by the Government to undertake emigration work, and where the clothes and tools requisite in foreign countries, together with samples of their several products, will be on view. The above measures are taken not so much to encourage emigration as to enable intending emigrants to learn the truth and control the often too highly coloured statements of the foreign emigration agents. [749] G 80 Ixiii, Part 2) contains a series of Reports, entitled ''Placement de Oapitanx," from Belgian Consuls, on openings for investments in Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, t£e United States of America, the Canary Isles, Syria, the Straits Settlements, Chile, Peru, Mexico, Uruguay, and Australasia. 19. In the previous answer reference has been made to the Emigrants' and Investors' Inquiry Bureaux, both of which will undoubtedly increase the efficiency and utility of the Department. "Bureau des Tarifs et de la Statistique." — It may be well to explain here a little more fully the scope and organi- zation of the Tariffs and Statistical Bureau, to which reference has been made above, and which renders such important service to Belgian trade. The work of the Bureau is divided into three Sections : — (a.) Customs Tariffs Section, charged with the custody and arrangement of the Belgian Tariffs and Customs Regulations; with the translation and publication of foreign Tariffs, home and foreign navigation dues ; and with the communication of extracts from the above to those interested. All claims of Belgian merchants against foreign Customs authorities, which cannot be settled otherwise than by diplomatic intervention, are referred to this section of the Bureau. Explanations of any doubtful or obscure points in foreign Tariffs are given, either verbally or in writing, to all Belgian applicants ; and, if necessary, the Bureau refers the matter to the Belgian Diplomatic or Consular officers abroad for their opinion and advice on the question in dispute. Many explanations are thus gratuitously given in the course of the year, but always on the understanding that the responsibility of the Ministry for Eoreign Affairs is in no way thereby involved. (b.) Commercial Statistics Section, charged with col- lecting home and foreign documents relating to com- merce, industry, and navigation, and all trade Returns ; and also with drafting the statistical summaries of foreign Tariffs occasionally published in the " Moniteur." (c.) Chambers of Commerce Section, to which is intrusted the collection of the Reports of the Belgian Commercial Associations and of foreign Chambers of Commerce. &1 Commercial Museum. — The organization of the Com- mercial Museum has been so recently described that it is needless here to do more than allude to that institu- tion as one of the channels employed for diffusing com- mercial information. I may, however, mention that an Inquiry Bureau is attached to the Museum, where yisitors may obtain a more detailed account of the samples exhibited- than that embodied in the catalogue. Tenders for public or private works abroad, with fuH specifications and plans, are also open for general inspec- tion in the Bureau. At the present moment there is on view in the Com- mercial Museum an Exhibition organized by the Belgian Consul in Colombia, containing specimens of the prin- cipal products of the country and of the articles for which there is the greatest demand. The catalogue contains details as to the prices of these articles, the countries whence these are imported into Colombia, and the customs dues levied thereon. The attention of Belgian merchants is directed to this part of the world, in view of the increased openings for trade which the Panama. Canal, if opened, would afford to European commerce. 20. In conclusion, I would venture to draw attention to the following schemes adopted by the Government in the interests of Belgian commerce and industry : — (1.) " Bourses de Voyage." — By the Royal Decree of the 19th Eebruary, 1862, so-called " Bourses de Voyage " were placed at the disposal of the Eoreign Department, in favour of young Belgians desiring to seek in foreign countries a practical knowledge of commercial matters abroad. These Bourses, worth from 5,000 to 6,000 fr. (200Z. to 240 Z.), are conferred for three years, a sum of 45,000 fr. (1,800Z.) being annually accorded to the Eoreign Depart- ment for this purpose. Erom the outset it was settled that candidates who had passed through the Higher Commercial Institute at Antwerp should be deemed qualified to receive these Bourses; and, though other students are not expressly excluded, practically all the candidates for these Bourses have received certificates of capability ("dipldmes de capacity ") from the Antwerp Institute. During the last few years there has been so great a [749] G 2 82 demand for these Bourses that candidates have now often to wait two or even three years before a vacancy occurs. (2.) Journeys made by Belgian Consuls in Belgium, while on leave of absence from their posts, — The paid. Belgian Consuls are expected to travel through Belgium, before going or returning to their posts abroad, for the purpose of giving and receiving information from Belgian mer- chants engaged in foreign trade. The system has gradually developed itself, and, as now organized, is doubtless of considerable advantage to ' the foreign commerce of the kingdom. Originally an extra tAvo or three weeks' leave of absence was granted to certain Consuls, on condition that they visited the chief centres of trade, and ex- plained to the leading merchants and manufacturers the commercial requirements of the countries in which they resided ; and for this purpose a small travelling and subsistence allowance was granted. The plan was not, however, found to work well in practice ; and complaints were made that the general interests of trade were neglected in favour of certain firms or localities in which the Consuls were personally interested. To remedy this, they were furnished by the Department, before setting out on their tour, with a list of firms desiring an interview, whom they undertook to visit in succession. This plan led to further complaints, and "the Government were accused of favouritism in drawing up the lists of firms to be visited. The existing plan was consequently adopted, and gives general satisfaction. The Consuls, before leaving for their posts, visit the chief town of each of the nine provinces, announcing their intention beforehand in the local press ; and during two days they hold themselves at the disposal of all who choose to visit them at the Provincial Government Houses, and give all information as to the probable openings for the trade in which their visitors are inte- rested in the countries in which the Consuls reside. On completing the tour, the Consuls report to the Ministry the result of their inquiries, and the proposals of the several firms interviewed. A summary of these Reports is then drawn up in the Department, and translated into the language of the 83 count'ry in wliicli the Consul 'is accredited, for distribu- tion on Ms arrival at his post. This summary gives, amongst other information, the names of the Belgian firms who desire to do businessin the foreign country. Quite recently, for instance, tlie Belgian Consiil- Gencral at, Zanzibar has been giving "conferences'" in the provincial capitals on the resources and trading reiquirements of that country ■ and, as a result, seven Belgian firms have notified their desire to open commer- cial relations with Zanzibar. This, in comparison with the hundreds of firms who wiaa to do business in Europe and the United States, does not sliow much African enterprise ; but at least the Zanzibareo merchants ^dll know that, if they apply to the firms mentioned in the summary of. the Consul's Report, their letters will be answered, and their orders, if possible, attended to. .By this means the Belgian Consulates, without, of course, giving any oflQcial guarantee of the solvability of the houses mentioned, afford a means of advertisiaa; the names and resources of Belgim firms, which has been found highly beneficial to the trade of the country. The "Bulletin du Musee Commercial" also pub- lishes a list of the paid Consuls on leave, with their Belgian addresses. Those residing in Brussels generally advertise the days and hours when they will attend at the Museum to give information to Belgian commercial men. (3.) Commercial Explorations made in foreign Countries by Belgian Consuls. — The third point to which I would draw attention is in some measure the complement of the last. In order that Belgian Consuls may be able to give all possible information to their countrymen, M. Frfere-Orban decided in ]879 that certain Consular officials should be granted, as it were, a roving commis- sion to visit all the trade centres of the countries in which they reside. (I may mention that M. S^ve, appointed Belgian Consul- General at Ilamsgato, is now intrusted with this duty in the United Kingdom, especially with regard to the examination of all fishery questions.) Consuls in carrying out this work are instructed to point out the industries which are indigenous to the country, and those which only flourish by reason of protection; to report fully on the principal manufac- 84 tures, the average of business done, the description of machinery employed, and the number of hands and rate of wages, &c. They are instructed further to report on the indus- trial state of the country, and to give details of the inland markets, and of the amount of export trade with foreign countries. All openings for pushing Belgian trade should be specially pointed out, and information given as to the rates of transport, packing, and other financial details. The Consuls are, in fact, to be able " to guide our manufacturers and traders in their trading enterprises, by showing all the difliculties awaiting them, and all the chances of success." * (Signed) MAETIN GOSSELIN. British Legation, Brussels, September 22, 1888. * Quoiation from Ministerial Circular of the 15th January, 1879. ( 85 ) No. 6. ITALY. The Marquis of Dufferin to the Marquis of Salisbury. — {Received March 16.) My Lord, - Rome, March 13, 1889. I HAVE now the honour to forward answers to the questions covered by your Lordship's Circular despatch of the 3rd August last, concerning the organization and functions of the Italian Ministry of. Commerce. I regret extremely the delay which has taken place in the collection of the required information ; and with reference to your Lordship's wish to learn when the Italian Government was first addressed on the subject, I beg leave to inform you that a request was addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs on the 10th August last for the necessary information, which his Excellency Signer Crispi at once directed the Ministry of Commerce to supply. Signer Monzilli, who is the Chief of the Commercial Department of the Ministry, was good enough to undertake the task himself, though at some personal inconvenience. Unfortunately, various cir- cumstances appear to have interposed between Signer Monzilli and the accomplishment of his intention, in spite of Mr. Kennedy having repeatedly reminded him of the urgency of the case ; and even when what pur- ported to be the required information reached the hands of the Embassy, applications had to be sent in for supplementary facts and documents. At last the, business has been completed, thanks to the industry of Mr. Adam, who has spared no pains in verifying and controlling, in the presence of considerable difficulties, the figures and materials placed at his disposal. The answers to the last two questions, being of a more" 86 general character, have been drawn up hy Mr. Kennedy, who, having had considerable opportunities of watching the operation of the Italian Ministry of Commerce, was, in my opinion, the most competent person to deal with this portion of the subject. I have, &c. (Signed) DUFEERIN and AVA. Inclosure 1 in No. 6. Information respecting the Organization and Duties of the Commercial Department of the Italian Government. Replies to List of Questions inclosed in Lord Salisbury's Circular of August 3, 1888. 1. In Italy, commercial questions and legislation form a part of the duties assigned to the Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. 2. The Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Com- merce, originally founded on the 5th July, 1860, Avas abolished on the 27th December, 1877, but reconstituted by the Law of the 30th June, 1878, No. 4449, and its sphere of action was determined by Article 1 of the Royal Decree (No. 4498) of the 8th September, 1878, under the following heads : — I. — Agriculture. (a.) Measures for removing from agricultural pro- perty such liens, servitudes, and customary rights as oppose or delay the improvement of agriculture, the transfer of land, or the movement of produce ; Hural police. (b.) Improvement of breeds of cattle, including the supply of stallions, and the maintenance of a Stud Book Commission. (c.) Institutions for the improvement of agriculture, viz. : — Council of agricultm'e ; Experimental stations ; Special schools of agriculture, and agricultural colonies; 87 Academies and Societies of ' Agriculture, and Agri- cultural Chambers (" Comizi Agrarii ") ; Committee of Vine Culture, and Provincial Boards for the same purpose. (d.) Measures for promoting the spread of agricul- tural information through lectures, professorships, &c. (e.) Measures for improving the condition of the agricultural population. (/.) Measures for promoting tlie cultivation of waste lands, for promoting irrigation, and land improvement. (g.) Measures for tlie acclimatization and diffusion of plants and animals, for the improvement of methods of tillage and stock-raising, for the rearing of useful insects, for fish culture, for the extension and improve- ment of agricultural and forest industries, and for the introduction and improvement of agricultural machinery ; also agricultural shows and competitions, and the con- trol of the importation of plants. (A.) The collection and publication of information respecting agriculture, &c. ; the prevention of possible evil effects resulting from the imposition of taxes oil grain or other produce ; and the compilation of price- lists of grain both at home and abroad, and of any other lists of prices which may be of general interest. II. — Woods and Forests. Forest Laws and Regulations ; Administration of woodlands declared inalienable ; Abolition of customary rights in force in said wood- lands ; Reclaiming and replanting of communal waste lands; Corps of Eorest Guards ; School of Forestry ; Meteorological Service and Commission. III. — Commerce and Industry. (a.) Examination and drafting of proposals for com- mercial legislation (in concert with Department of Grace- and Justice) ; Industrial legislation ; Council of Industry and Commerce ; Chambers of Commerce and Arts ; 88 Exchanges and brokerage ; Bonded warehouses ; Pairs and markets ; Abolition of privileged Guilds of Arts and Handi- crafts ; Land credit; Agricultural credit ; Industrial patents ; Patents for new designs and models; Trade-marks ; Rights of authors (copyright) ; Assaying and hall-marks of precious metals. (&.) Weights and measures. (c.) Supervision of circulation of notes (in concert with Ministry of Pinance) during continuance of forced currency, and provisions relating to banks of issue and the formation of such banks. (d.) Approval and supervision of, and others measures regarding banks and Joint Stock Companies. (e.) Examination of Communal Regulations of an economic nature. - (/.) Supervision of steam-boilers, (g.) Institutions for the improvement of industry and commerce, viz. : — The Industrial Museum (at Turin) ; The High Schools of Commerce and of Naviga- tion ; Special Schools for Arts and Trades ; Italian registry of vessels ; Industrial Exhibitions ; Encouragements, prizes, studies, and provisions re- lating to commerce and industry. (h.) Measures for the benefit of the working classes; Consultative Commission respecting provident insti- tutions and labour ; Savings banks ; Joint action with the Ministry of the Interior for the conversion of charitable foundations (" opere pie ") into savings banks or other provident institutions ; Mutual benefit societies, and other provident insti- tutions. (i.) Preliminary inquiries, and co-operation with the other, Government Departments interested in drawing up and proposing measures relating to Treaties of Com- 89 merce and Navigation, and to subsidies for maritime services. .^ (Z.) Co-operation with the Ministry of Public "Works in the approval of railway rates, and of regulations for the carriage and warehousing of goods. (m.) A voice in the framing, amendment, and inter- pretation of Customs Tariffs and Regulations in their relation to commercial interests. (n.) Publication of information and Reports as to commerce abroad, and circulation abroad of information respecting Italian commerce and products (in concert with the Ministry for Foreign Affairs) . IV. — Mines. Legislation and execution of the existing Laws relating to mines, quarries, and works for the preparation •of mineral substances ; Council of Mines ; Geological Committee; Bioyal Corps of Mining Engineers ; Special Schools of Mines. V. — Hunting and Shooting. Legislation respecting game, &c. VI. — Fisheries. Laws and Regulations respecting fisheries. VII. — General Statistics. (a.) Central Board of Statistics. (6.) General statistics of the realm (in concert with the other Departments of Government), except the periodical Reports of the different offices in regard to their respective duties ; Statistical Year Book. (c.) Census of the population, and arrangement of Returns. (d.) Agricultural statistics ; Industrial statistics ; Commercial statistics ; and Organization of the respective means of collection. 90 VIII. — Stationery Office (" Economato Generale "). Printiug and supplies of stationery for tlie yarious Government Of&ces. 3; The several branches into which the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce is divided, and the mode of distribution of their respective duties, are stated in the Ministerial Decree of the lOtli November, 1886, as follows : — Private Office of the Minister {" Gahinetto"). Questions specially undertaken by the Minister; Hoyal Decrees ; correspondence with the offices of the President? of both Houses of Parliament, and of the Council of Ministers; private letters; decorations and honorary distinctions. Collection of information for Parliamentary debates ; registration of the said debates, and of the obligations assumed by the Minister in consequence thereof. Department of the Secretary- General (or Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State). Division I. General Business, Administrative Services, and Staff. Section 1. General business ; correspondence of a general nature ; subscription to political and scientific periodi- cals ; library ; central administrative staflP ; normal regulations respecting staff ; staff of writers and office- keepers; incidentals; allowances for Special Missions, and to members of the staff on transfer ; office expenses ; opening of correspondence ; general archives ; general registry; internal servic-e; Financial and Pay Depart- ment; accounts respecting the publications of the Ministry ; inventory of the furniture of offices. Section 2. Industrial patents ; patents relating to new designs and patterns of manufacture; literary and artistic 91 property; rights of authors; legislation respecting patents and authors' rights. Section 3. Weights and measures ; information respecting the metre ; Commission for the preservation of the metre ; assaying and marking of precious metals ; foreign legis- lation respecting weights and measures. Division II. Industry, Commerce, and Credit. Section 1. Council of Commerce ; Committee of Commerce and Commercial Information Office ; comnlercial institutions abroad ; foreign commercial institutions in Italy; com- mercial explorations. Customs Tariffs ; railway rates ; sea rates ; postal rates; Treaties of Commerce; Treaties of Navigation; International Conventions of an economic nature. International Exhibitions ; commercial museums ; " Journal of Commercial Information " (" I3ollettino delle Notizie CommerciaH "). Offices for commercial information and for informa- tion intended to assist emigrants. Comparative legislation respecting commerce and industry. Section 2. Chambers of Commerce ; bonded warehouses ; Ex- changes (" Borse ") and public brokerage ; fairs and markets ; factories ; special institutions relating to industry and commerce ; inquiries respecting new industrial undertakings; encouragements and prizes awarded to industry; national Exhibitions ; EactoryLaw and supervision resulting therefrom ; " Journal of Joint- Stock Companies" ("BoUettirio delle Societa per Azioni";) Journal of Bankruptcies" ("BoUettino dei Eallimenti ") ; "Annals of Industry and Commerce" (" Annali dell'In- dustria e del Commercio ") ; Law respecting the abolition of privileged Corporations of arts and trades, harbqur 92 porterage, &c. ; Communal Regulations of an economio nature ; steam boilers ; provisions relating to tlie mer- chant navy. Section 3. Banks of issue ; service for supervision of banks of issue; statistics respecting exchange of bank notes; permanent Commission for the abolition of forced currency; monetary circulation; " Monthly Journal of Banks of Issue" ("BoUettino Mensile degli Istituti di Emissione ") ; clearing - houses, inquiries relative to banking laws, monetary system, and credit institutions, whether at home or abroad. Section 4. Institutions of real property credit ("credito fon- diario"); institutions of agricultural credit ("credito agrario ") ; savings banks ; service of supervision of credit on real property and agriculture, and of savings banks; inquiries relative to co-operative societies and co-operative people's banks ; " Journal of Savings Banks " (" BoUettino delle Casse di Eisparmio ") ; "Annals of Credit and Provident Institutions" ("Annali del Credito e della Previdenza ") ; "Journal of Credit and Provident Institutions" ("BoUettino del Credito e della Previdenza"); statistics respecting precious metals» Section 5. Provident institutions for the protection and assist- ance of the working classes ; life insurance companies ; mutual aid societies ; pension banks ; accident insurance fund; " Istituti di patronoto;"* consulting Commission respecting provident institutions and labour ; inquiries and researches relating to the introduction, illustration, and promotion of all institutions intended for the mate- rial and moral improvement of the working classes. Section 6. Prof essional instruction ; high schools ;t schools of commerce ; schools of arts and trades, with or without * i.e„ Committees for encouraging aad assisting working-men ia founding and becoming members of provident institutions, t See Question 2, III, {ff). 93 workshops : schools of art applied to industry ; OouncU of Industrial and Commercial Instruction ; inspections ; prizes ; publications relating to the schools ; inquiries relating to the various kinds of instruction in arts and trades* Accounts of the Ministry. Section 1. Registry ; archives ; dispatch of correspondence j. general business ; budget ; accounts ; statements ; defi- nitive statements ; orders to pay ; inventories. Section 2. Audits ; accounts of oflELcials empowered to collect payments ; decrees in discharge ; receipts relating thereto. Section 3. Fixed expenditure ; rent of premises ; assignments ; sequestrations. Department of the Director- General of Agriculture. Division I. Agriculture. Section 1. General business ; Council of Agricultural Instruc- tion ; agricultural instruction ; agricultural stations ;. laboratories ; collections ; special and practical schoipls of agriculture; agricultural instruction in normal schools, schools for teachers, and elementary schools; agricultural lectures ; practical and miscellaneous in- struction ; Museum of Agriculture at EOme ; agricul- tural publications. Section 2. Council of Agriculture; Chambers of Agriculture ("Comizi Agrarii") ; agricultural societies; inventions 94 and discoveries useful to agriculture; agricultural experiments and investigations connected therewith; vine culture, ampelography ; horticulture ; distribution of seeds ; study of cryptogams ; agricultural mechanics ; competitions relating thereto ; dep6ts of machines ; manures ; salt for purposes of agriculture. Section 3. Agricultural industries (wine, oil, alcohol, cream of tartar, sugar from beet- root and other sacchariferous plants, lemon juice, citric acid, essences, fecula, starch, glucose, beer, maceration of fibrous plants, dried fruits, &c.) ; agriculture and agricultural industries abroad ; exportation of agricultural products ; taxation and means of communication in their relation to agri- culture; the agricultural classes; inquiries relating to their moral and economic condition; proposals and measures intended for their improvement; information respecting the crops ; price lists ; E-eports respecting the condition of agriculture and the agricultural classes. Division II. Cattle — Insects. Section 1. Rearing, improvement, and distribution of cattle; lectures and instruction; breeding-stations for horned ■cattle, sheep, and swine ; horse-breeding service ; stations for stallions ; staff of horse-breeding service ; stud book of thorough-breds, and register of cross-bred horses ; herd books for horned cattle and sheep ; veterinary service ; cattle diseases ; salt for purposes of cattle feeding ; district agricultural shows ; exhibitions ; cheese- making and industries relating to cattle. Section 2. Culture and spread of useful insects (silkworms, bees, &c.) ; measures directed against noxious insects (phylloxera, &c.) ; Game Laws ; fisheries ; Treaties and Agreements relating to fisheries ; pisciculture ; industries connected with fisheries. 95 Division III. Forest Service and Administration. Section 1. Communal waste lands ; Cotincil of Porests ; Forest Committees ; staff of Eorest Department ; training of the controlling staff, and tlie keepers; "Tratturi del Tavoliere " in Puglia ;* forest legislation at home and ahroad ; preservation of vroods ; inquiries respecting the forest systems o£ other nations. Section 2. Administration of the inalienable wood lands be- longing to the State ; replanting of woods ; nurseries of forest trees ; forest cultures ; diseases of forest plants ; forest industries (charcoal, resins, potash, cork, pyroligneous acid, furniture, &c.) ; employment of native woods for house-building, naval construction, and railways ; publications relating to forests. Division IV. Agricultural Hydraulics — Mines. Section 1. Land improvements (reclaiming), irrigation, and drainage; inquiries as to the effects of land improve- ments and of the systems of cultivation most suitable- to marshy soils ; hydrographic studies ; water-exhausting- machinery ; Roman Campagna ; hydraulic staff. Section 2. Service relating to mines, quarries, and peat works ; surveys in search of mineral fuel ; experiments and inquiries in connection therewith; information re- specting iron- working establishments ; Geological Com- mittee ; geological and agricultural map ; meteorological service; seismical service and endogenous meteorology (earthquakes and volcanic action) ; Schools of Mines. * A special corps of rural guards iu the Tavoliere district. [749] H 96 Office of Agricultural Legislation. Rural legislation ; rural police ; customary rights whicli interfere with ownership of land ; servitudes ; condominiums ; communal domain lands in the southern proyinces ; " ademprivi " tenures (in Sardinia) ; " vagan- tivo " (pasturage rights) ; " pensiona±ico " rights (in Venetia) ; pasturage servitudes ; inquiries, from a legal point of view, as to subjects falling within the sphere of the Department of the Director-General of Agricul- ture ; comparative legislation on agricultural questions. Department of the Director-General of Statistics. Division I. Statistics of the Population, Administrative and Judicial Statistics. Section 1. Statistics of the population and the public health; decennial census of population ; yearly variation of " stato civile " (births, marriages, and deaths) ; emi- gration ; causes of death ; hospitals ; hygienic and sanitary condition of the country ; sanitary staff. Section 2. Administrative and electoral statistics ; .'Statistics of public instruction; statistics of charitable foundations (" opere pie "). Section 3. Judicial statistics, civil and criminal ; general busi- ness. Division II. Industrial and Financial Statistics. Section 1, Industrial statistics ; prices and wages ; construction of maps, and mathematical statistics, 97 Section 2. Statistics of communal and provincial finance; credit institutions and provident institutions ; statistical annals ("annali di statistica ") ; Statistical Tear Book (" Annuario "). Department of the Director- General of Suj)plies (Sta- tionery Office) {" Direzione Generate delVEcono- mato "). Secretary's Office. General business ; provincial staff ; official corre- spondence ; demands ; drawing up and carrying out of contracts ; settlement of accounts, archives, &c. Central and Provincial Supply Office. Technical directions to purveyors ; carrying out of the demands of Departments ; price lists ; keeping account of the amounts actually ordered in relation to the contracts entered into ; technical examination of requirements. Office of Control. Technical examination and approval of all supplies admitted into or delivered out of store ; keeping calendar of dates when orders given fall due. Warehouses. Receipt, safe keeping, and distribution of all goods admitted into or delivered out of store ; " conti giudi- ziali," or accounts of stock rendered to " Corte dei Conti." Accounts of Supply Department. Keeping the accounts in accordance with the pro- visions of the Law relating to public accounts. In addition to the above-mentioned Departments and their subdivisions, among which the clerical staff of the [749] H 2 98 Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce is dis- tributed, there are a number of permanent Councils and Commissions connected with it, and under the control of the Minister. These have been instituted at various times, in virtue of special Laws and Decrees, either for the performance of certain definite duties or in order to afford the Minis- ter the benefit of the advice of experts in regard to the numerous technical questions which must necessarily come under his consideration. The following is a list of them : — 1. The Central Hoard for the Eevision of Claims respecting Industrial Patents (" Cpmmissione Centrale di Revisione dei Ileclami suUe Privative Industriali "j. instituted under the Patent Law of the 30th October, 1859, for the purpose of trying appeals against Minis- terial decisions in patent cases, consists of fifteen mem- bers, three of whom are legal and twelve scientific experts. , 2. The High Commission of Measures and of Assay of Coins and the Precious Metals (" Commissione Supe- riore Metrica, e del Saggio, delle Monete e dei Metalli Preziosi ") (Royal Decree of the 17th February, 1887), exercises its supervision over the admission and training of the members of the technical staff of the Services of Weights and Measures and the Assay Ofiice, and the work of the two laboratories attached to them, carries out the periodical tests of the standard metre and kilo- gramme, and reports to the Minister upon disputes arising out of the examination of weights and measures and the assaying of the coinage, and any other technical questions which he may submit to it for decision. It consists of four ex officio members and seven scientific meBQbers appointed by Royal Decree. S. The Council of Industry and Commerce (" Con- siglio deirindustria e del Commercio ") (reorganized by Royal Decree of the 11th March, 1886), of which the constitution and functions are stated below, in the reply to Question 13. 4. The Central Commission respecting Art Instruction applied to Industry (" Commissione Centrale per I'in- segnamento Artistico-Industriale"). (Royal Decree of the 21st May, 1885.) 5. The Consultative Commission respecting Agricul- 99 tural Credit (" Commissione Consultiva per il Credito Agrario"). (Uoyal Decree of the 5th September, 18S8.) 6. The Advisory Commission respecting Provident Institutions and Labour (" Commissione Consultiva suUe Istituzioni di Previdenza e sulLavoro"). (Royal Decrees of the 25th November, 1869 ; 31st January, 1870 ; 23rd November, 1873 ; and 3rd December, 1883.) 7. The Central Commission respecting Values in regard to Customs (" Commissione Centrale dei Valori per le Dogane ") (Royal Decrees of the 2nd October, 1879, and 20th December, 1883), of which the Director-GenerrJ of Customs is President, and the members consist of dele- gations from the Councils of Industry and Commerce (three), Agriculture (three). Statistics (three), and the Board of Customs Experts (three), as well as ex officio members (six), four of whom belong to the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, ajid two to the Customs Department. 8. The Council of Agriculture (" Consiglio di Agri- cultura") (Royal Decree of the 20th March, 1887), con- sists of a President' and Vice-President and fifteen members, appointed by Royal Decree, of twenty-four Presidents of Chambers of Agriculture (" Comizi Agrarii"), and six Presidents of Institutions or Societies connected with agriculture, forests, or the breeding of . cattle, appointed by Ministerial Decree, and the follow- ing ex officio members : — ■ (1.) The Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce; (2.) The Director- General of Agriculture ; (3.) The Chairman of the -Zootechnio Commission ; (4.) The President of the Horse-breeding Commis- sion (" Comitate Ippico ") ; (5.) The President of the Council of Porests ; and (6.) The President of the Commission for Vine Culture and Wine-making. 9. The Council for Agricultural Instruction (" Con- siglio per ITstruzione Agraria"). (Royal Decree of the 24th July, 1885.) 10. The Commission for -Vine Culture and Wine Manufacture (" Commissione di Viticoltura e di Eno- logia "). Royal Decree of the 20th March, 1887.) 11. The Commission of Inquiry into the Means of checking the Ravages of Peronospora in the Vine 100 . (" Commissione per lo Studio dei Metodi intesi a com- battere la Peronospora della Vite"). 12. The "Consiglio Ippico," or Cotmcil for the Improvement of the Horse. (Law of the 26th June, 1887.) 13. The Commission respecting the Diseases of Farm Animals (" Commissione per le Malattie delle Specie Domestiche Rurali"). (Royal Decree of the 24th'March, 1887.) 14s. The Zootechnic Commission ("Commissione Zooteonica"). (Royal Decree of the 22nd March, 1887.) 15. The Consultative Commission respecting Phyl- loxera ("Commissione Consultiva per la !Pillossera"). (Royal Decree of the 13th April, 1884.) 16. The Consultative Commission respecting Fisheries ("Commissione Consultiva per la Pesca"). (Royal Decree of the 23rd October, 1880.) 17. The Council for Forests (" Consiglio Pores- tale ")• (Royal Decree of the 20th March, 1887.) 18. The Commission ®f Agricultural Hydraulics (" Commissione di Idraulica Agraria"). 19. The Directing Council for Meteorology and Geo- dynamics (" Consiglio Direttivo di Meteorologia e di Geodinamica"). (Royal Decree of the 9th June, 1887.) 20. The Commission for the Improvement of the Roman Campagna (" Commissione per il Boniflcamento Agrario dellAgro Romano "). (Law of the 8th July, 1888.) 21. The Council of Mines (" Consiglio delle Miniere "). (Law of the 20th November, 1859.) 22. Geological Committee (" Comitate Geologico ") ; and 23. Superior Council of Statistics (" Consiglio Supe- riore di Statistica "). (Royal Decree of the 9th January, 1887.) 4s. Although no definite reply has been received to this question, it would appear, from a comparison of the functions assigned to the ^Sjinistry on its. re^establishment in 1878,* with the distribution of the work given in the ■ preceding reply, that no additional Departments have * See reply to Question 2. 101 been created, nor any subjects' transferred to the control of ether Mntdstries^ 5. The Permanent Clerical Staff of the Ministry of Agricultaxe, Industry, and Commerce is divided into three categories or separate lines of ptomotion according to the nature of their duties, viz. :-=- (1.) "Carriera di Conoettoi," or **Ammimstrazione," for regular clerical work. (2.) " Carriera di Ragioneria," for book-keeping and accounts. (3.) " Carriera di Ordine," for registering andkeeping archives. The Permanent Staff of the Ministry, in addition to the Minister and Secretary-General, or Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, consists of — (A.)' — Administpatim Branch. Minimum Salary. 1 Lire. 3 DirectorSpGeneral ('' Direttori Generali ") • . 9,000 2 Chiefs of Division (" C'api di Divisione ") of the 1st class . . . . . . . . 7,000 3 Chiefs of Division of the 2nd class 6,000 8 Chiefs of Section (" Capi di Sezione ") of the 1st class 5,000 5 „ „ of the 2nd class 4,500 8 Secretaries (" Segretari ") of the 1st class, . . 4,000 7 „ of the 2nd class 3,500 10 „ of the 3rd class 3,000 6 Vice-Secretaries (" Vice-Segretari ") of the 1st class.. 2,500 4 „ „ of the 2]sid class 2,000 12 „ „ of the 3rd class . . 1,500 68 Total of Staff belonging to Administrative Branch. 1 Librarian 3,000 102 (B.) — Accounts Branch. 1 Director Chief of Division of the let class . . 1 Chief of Section of the 1st class . . 2 Chiefs of Section of the 2nd class 4 Secretaries of the 1st class ., 5 ,, of the 2nd class , , 5 „ of the 3rd class 5 Vice-Secretaries of the 1st class , . 7 ,« ,, of the 2nd class. . . , 2 „ „ of the 3rd class , . . , 32 Total of Staff belonging to Accounts Branch. Minimum Salary. Lire/ 7,000 5,000 4,500 4,000 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 (C.)— Archives Branch. Minimum , Salary. Lire. 1 Chief Archivist (" Archivista Capo ") , , 4,000 3 Archivists (" Archivisti ") of the 1st class . . • • 3,500 4 „ of the 2nd class , , 3,200 4 „ of the 3rd class , , 2,700 9 Archive Clerks ("Uflaciali d'Ordine ") of the Ist class 2,200 10 „ „ of the 2 ad class . . .. , , 1,800 16 „ „ of the 3rd class . . • • 1,500 47 Total of Staff belonging to Archives Branch. Office-Keepers or Messengers (" Uscieri "). Minimum Salary, Lire. 1 Head Messenger ("Capo Usciere") 1 Messenger . . 4 Messengers , . 5 „ .. •• 6 ,, . . • ■ « • 9 „ 1,500 1,400 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,000 26 Total of Messengers. 103 Officials after every six years' service iu one class arc entitled to an increase of salary of 10 per cent. Besides the regular clerical staff of the Ministry there are also a number of technical officials belonging to it, viz. : — Six attached to the Pirst Division of the Secretary- General's Department in connection with the Industrial Property and Patents Service ; One Central Inspector of Weights and Measures and seven subordinate officials of the same service, who have charge of the two Laboratories of Weights and Measures and of the Assay Office ; One Engineer of the Corps of Mines acting as Chief of Division IV (Agricultural, Hydraulics, and Mines) in the Department of Agriculture, and one Assistant Engineer of the same corps attached to Section 1 of that Division, and four Technical Experts attached to the Stationery Office (" Economato"). The Chiefs of the various special services under the control of the Ministry are likewise attached to the Departments to which they are respectively subject, viz. : — The two Central Inspectors of Weights and Measures and Assaying to Division I of the Department of the Secretary-General ; The two Inspectors of Industries and Industrial Education to Division II of that Department ; and The two Inspectors of Mines, the three Chief Inspectors of Eorests, and the three Inspectors of Agriculture and Agricultural Education to the Depart- ment of the Director- General of Agriculture. A large staff of writers and copyists, as well as of extra messengers, is also employed, but no information has been furnished in regard to its numbers. The Estimates of the Ministry for the coming financial year (1889-90), under the head of extra copying and service, amount to 170,558 lire. 6. (Royal Decrees of the 14th June, 1885, and the 24th June, 1886 ; Ministerial Decree of the 30th July, 1885.) Pirst appointments in either of the three categories or services (I. Administration ; II. Accounts ; and III. Archives) into which the Staff of the Ministry of 104 Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce is divided, are made after competitive examinations. The following is a summary of ike Eegulatibns on the subject: — Candidates must — Be Italian subjects ; Have completed 18 years of age^ and' not exceed 30 (in certain special cases the limit of age is extended respectively to 34 and 35) ; Have always conducted themselves properly; and Have passed satisfactorily through a regular course of studies, viz. : For appointments of the 1st Category, in a recognized University, High School, or Institute ; I'or appointments of the Jlnd Category, in a recognized Lyceum or Technical Institute ; For appointments of. the Ilird Category, in a recognized Gymnasium or Technical School. The order of nomiaation of the successful candidates shall be according to the number of marks obtained by them in the examination. The following are the Regulations as to promotion : — Promotions to the rank of Secretary in Categories I and II, and to that of Archivist in Category IH, are made after examination. One-half of the vacancies are reserved for clerks of the rank and class immediately below ; the other half to clerks of any class in the said rank who have completed two years of actual service in the Ministry. Por the former the examination is a qualifying one, to be passed by obtaining six-tenths of the full marks ; their promotion takes place according to seniority, and, when the number of the candidates who qualify shall exceed that of the vacancies reserved for them, they shall be promoted in turn as vacancies reserved to seniority occur. For the latter the examination is one of merit, eighrt- tenths of the full marks being required in order to pass. Their promotion takes place according^ to the number of marks obtained ; and the examination is only valid for the number of vacancies occurring at the time. Promotions take place alternately according to seniority and according to merit ; but in the event of the failure of a sufficient number of candidates of ei-ther 105 class to qualify for the posts reserved for that elass, the Tacancies may be filled by promoting candidates of the other class. No clerk is allowed to compete for promotion unless he has atforded proofe of zeal and diligence in the performance of his duties. Other promotions from one rank to another are made according to merit. Promotions from one class to another in the same rank are made according to seniority. Promotions feom one rank to another, below that of Chief of Section^ may not take place until after two years from the date of appointment to the lower rank. No promotion from one class to another can take place until one year has elapsed since the appointment to the lower class. But clerks raay be appointed as acting in a rank or class, at a reduced salary, even before the expiration of the above-mentioned periods. Seniority alone does not entitle to prom.otion unless accompanied by capacity and diligence. A Consultative Commission, of which the Secretary- General is Chairman, and consisting of the Directors- General, the Chiefs of Divisions not included in the Directors- Generals' Departments, ' the Director of Accounts, and the Chief of the Division of General Business and the Staff (who acts as Secretary to the Commission), has been instituted to report on — The claims of clerks to be admitted to examinations for promotion ; The claims of clerks to promotion on the ground of merit and on the ground of seniority, as well as on the transfer of clerks from the Central Administration of the Ministry to any of the special services under its control. The above-mentioned Commission has also to report on offences against discipline which involve a penalty exceeding one month's suspension from office. Every Head of a Department must report annually to the Secretary-General upon the abilities and conduct of bis subordinates. Any cases of irregularity or misconduct miTst be reported on at once. 106 A summary of the Reports in question, is laid before the Consultative Commission. Subjects of Examination. The subjects of examination for first appointments to clerkships of the 1st Category are : — ■ Italian Literature, History and Geography, Prench, and either English or German. Together with one of the following special groups of subjects : — (A.) — Administrative Law, Commercial Law, Political Economy, and Statistics. (B.)— Agriculture, Zoology, Botany, and Agricultural Chemistry. (C.) — Technical Physics, Industrial Chemistry, Applied Mechanics and Hydraulics, and Mineralogy and Geology. (D). — Analytical Geometry, Projective and Descriptive Geometry, Infinitesimal Calculus, Calculus applied to Insurance and Statistics. The examinations are vivd voce in all the subjects, and in writing in the foreign languages and in two subjects from the special group of subjects. Eor appointments to clerkships of the Ilnd Category the subjects of examination are : — Italian Literature, History and Geography, Erench Language, Arithmetic and Algebra, Book-keeping and Accounts, Elements of Administrative Law, and Elements of Political Economy. The examination is oral for all the subjects, and in writing for Erench, Book-keeping, and Accounts, and for the Elements of Administrative Law and Political Economy. 107 Eor clerkships of the Ilird Category the subjects of examination are : — Italian Language, Elements of History and Geography, French Language, Arithmetic, Elements of Administrative Classification, Handwriting. The examinations are — Oral in all the subjects . In writing in the Italian and Erench Languages, and in Arithmetic. The papers sent in serve as a test of handwriting. Examinations for promotion in the 1st Category in- clude — A paper (the same for all the candidates) on a subject included in the sphere of action of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. A paper on a subject connected with the particular Department to which the candidate belongs. Viva voce examinations on the same subjects. Examinations for promotion in the Ilnd Category include — A paper on a question of Financial Administration and Government Accounts. A practical exercise in Book-keeping, and oral examinations on the same subjects. Examinations for promotion in the Ilird Category include : — A paper on some subject connected with the ordering of the State Administration and the arrange- ment of Administrative Archives and Official Routine Papers, and oral examinations on the same subjects. The Board of Examiners for first appointments consists of seven members in the case of clerkships of the 1st Category, and of five members in the case of clerkships of the Ilnd and Ilird Categories. The Board of Examiners for promotions consists of five members. 7. The preliminary data for the Estimates of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, after being examined by the Minister in consultation with the Heads of Departments and Services, are by him 108 transmitted before the 30th September to the Mimster of the Treasury, 'whose duty it is, in compliance with the provisions of the "Legge della Oontabilitl, Generale dello Stato," to draw up the Estimates of the various Public Offices and present them to Parliament during the month of November, in order that they may become law before the close of the financial year (30th June), "With regard to any additional sums which may be required over and above the amounts included in the Estimates, they may, according to the circumstances of the case, either be drawn from the E-eserve Eund for Obligatory Expenditure, in virtue of a Ministerial Decree of the Minister of the Treasury, registered by the " Corte dei Conti " or Board of Audit ; or from the " Reserve Eund for unforeseen contingencies," in virtue of a Eoyal Decree issued on the proposal of the Accounts Depart- ment of the Ministry of the Treasury after approval by the Council of Ministers, or, be included in the Bill for Supplementary Estimates ; or, lastly, be made the subject of a separate Appropriation Bill, drafted by the Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, in concert with the Minister of the Treasury, and approved by the Council of Ministers. 8. The accompanying Table (A) shows the total amounts of the Estimates (as presented to the Italian Parliament) during the past five years, on account of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, for ordinary and extraordinary expenditure. 109 Os f-l -+J en S '^ P M 03 f-i E3 -1-3 f3 f1 ^ rS 6Cos ol =tH fXl O 00 ^ iH 9^ n "oo -)j •3 to 00 ^ lO a) eu CD -ia r-i -4-> cO 1 -4J «f-( i=t OQ (V B ^ •S >a 1 1 a o •+= rt nsspl 0) rj > ..«o o o - o» o ■CM O « ^H "lO . o o OS 00 o • ta o ' in CO 'OS A ^ t^ O CO if? o OS in -^ o J. ;g CM I-H »>.0 -H CO o 00 t> S • o O) 00 ■*it lO ■* !>. to I>» m tCo' nH OS 00 »^ CO CO CO r-l O o ta o CO CO '^ W LO^O(W-t!<^ o^ I-H I-H CM f CM ; W lO (N ■* '^ .I-H I-H CM CO f— 1 u O -^ CO o o *^ o CM O CM OS m O OS 00 o o CM o 00 o CO O 00 o5 o CO in o OS OS o »o o lO iO I-H op I-H ■* tN. O '^J* *» o Til la OS !>■ !>. rl CQ i>.o o o o o a> i> CO t>. CO 00 .Jj 00 O OS I-H O OS o to -■ CO ^ TtT -* O 00 t* O Tj* Oi 00 « CO I-H CO CO »>- (—1 rH^ Tt* 0^. l>« I-H -^ "1 CO OS rH lO (N Tl? CO i-H T~i l-l ci CO iiO u o -^ w o o CO o CO o CO CM N *0 OS o o o -^ o cH O r-l CO CO 00 O CO 00 O OS -H o -<^ o ■^ ■lO m 00 00 '^ o o r^ r-* o OS lO -* O lO ^*j Ol 02.c^ o c*' !>. o l> o CO o to t>. 00 cf lo -^jTo ift »>. «3 irCiO oT l>r IrC OS 00 1>. o o O o (-1 o I-H W CO ^ P-I CM OS o o Tl< o CO o CO t* CO CM CM tH O l> CO o CO O CO OS CO CO CO CM O t<« CM o CM lO »>. OS o 1 CO CO c^O O CO <>• o OS in •Til 1-1 TP oo t:] 00 lO O O CM CO 00 ViO 00 iO CD 00 »n OS ''t cq OS o CM CO OS O I>> •-H O O O GO CO f-7 irTcf -^ CM CO I-H OS I-H I-H CO OS 1— < I-H CO O 00 o o ■* o CO o CO !>. O. o I-* 00 TP O lO OS o CO o CO Cq CM ^ OS CM l>.0 t^ CO o coo CO o o 00 W5 CM OS O to ■* o « m o in 1 1 F-t cq '«J* O iO ■<* 00 !>. iO o o •t •! OS 'i* oTo o CO 00 i-Tos o? 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Transfer allowances to employes Telegrams.. .. Postage Incidental expenses . . 1 i ■g QD 1 bo •S p ° 1 II Payments for Office expense small repair Librarv — 09 1 The arrangements for printing and publishing, as well as the supply of stationery for the Central Admini- stration of the Ministry, and for all its dependent services, are in the hands of the Department of " Economato Generale," or General Stationery Office, itself a branch of the said Ministry. The Report of that Department for 1886-87 gives the following statement of expenditure on account of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce : — For printing and stationery in — 1882 1883 1884-85 1885-86 1886-87 Lire. 278,704 444,410 514,662 535,619 615,637 and a comparison with preceding Reports shows the amounts in question to have been divided as follows : — Year. Printing. Stationery. 1882 1883 1884-85 .. 1885-86 .. 1886-87 .. Lire. 210,421 880,559 434,541 426,813 547,976 Lire. 68.283 63,851 80,021 108,806 97,661 There is no special tax levied for the support of the Ministry or its Sub-Departments. 9. The Minister has the power to initiate new legis- lation in regard to any of the services subject to his immediate control. His proposals have to be submitted to the Council of Ministers for their approval before they can be presented to Parliament. The Minister has further the powei? of submitting Eoyal Decrees to the King for his signature, and of issuing Ministerial Decrees respecting matters within the jurisdiction of his Department. Ministerial Decrees are signed either by the Minister himself or by the Under-Secretary of State, or one of the Directors-General of the Department. 113 The questions which give rise to the issuing of a Ministerial Decree are previously examined hy the Chief of the Division concerned, who submits the draft to the Minister. The examination in question is directed both to the matter and to the form of the measure, with reference to the Laws and Eegulations upon which it is based. In certain cases laid down by special Laws or Decrees, the Minister is bound to consult the Council of State, whose decision, save in a few clearly defined cases, is absolute. The subjects over which the Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce has control have been enume- rated in the reply to Question 2. The subjects over which he possesses in a greater or less degree a divided jurisdiction, in common with the Heads of other Departments of Government, are stated in the same place under headings (a), (c), (h), (i), (Z), (m), (n),.of Section 3 (Commerce and Industry), and heading (&) of Section 7 (General Statistics). New legislative proposals relating to the subjects in question are presented jointly, after they are agreed upon, by the Heads of all the Departments interested. 10, As stated under headings (i) and (m), above referred to, the Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce has only a partial control of questions relating to Treaties of Commerce and Navigation, and Customs Tariff matters. In the negotiations for Treaties of Commerce he shares the responsibility with the Ministers of Einance and Foreign Affairs, and in those for Treaties of Navi- gation the Minister of Marine is also associated with them. The Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Com- merce, however, is usually charged with the conduct of the preliminary inquiries and the drawing up of the proposed conditions ; these are then examined in common, and the negotiators are appointed with the concurrence of all the Ministers concerned. The preparation of new Customs Tariffs is generally intrusted to a Special Commission, whose proposals are submitted to the Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce and the Minister of Finance for approval, [749] I 2 lU but it is the Minister of Pinance who prepares the actual draft of the measure presented to the Chamhers. With regard to the interpretation of the Customs Tariff, a Board of Customs experts (" CoUegio dei Periti Doganali ") was created by the Law of the 13th November, 1887 (No. 5028), for the purpose of settling any contro- versies which may arise as to the classification of goods, or the meaning of terms, between importers and the Government. On this Board the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce is duly represented. 11. Italian Consular officers abroad are under the sole control of the Foreign Office, and do not correspond with the Ministry of Commerce. 12. The cost of the Consular Staff, as stated in the Foreign Office Estimates presented to the Italian Chambers in November last, was the following : — For Consular salaries and allowances for Lire o. expenses of living — 1888-89 (corrected estimate) .. 2,449,776 00 1889-90 (as presented) .. .. 2,503,163 50 (The above amounts do not include either outfit allowances or travelling expenses, which are under one heading for both the Diplomatic and the Consular Services.) The sum of 30,000 lire appears among the miscel- laneous expenses, under the head of " Payments to unpaid Consular Officers, on account of Office Expenses." The expenditure for the Consular Service is wholly borne on the Budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The total number of Consular officers in the Italian Service is 724, but of these only 147 belong to the first category or regular paid Service, viz. : — ■ 115 Minimum Salary. Lire. 8 Consuls-General of the 1st class . . 8,000 9 „ „ of the 2nd class. . 6,000 18 Consuls of the 1st class 4,600 20 -„ of the 2nd class 4,000 22 Vice-Consuls of the 1st class 3,000 25 „ „ of the 2nd class 2,500 28 „ „ of the 3i d class 2,000 16" Applicati volontari " or students .. 1 Consul and Judge • • 13. A Council of Industry and Commerce is attached to the Ministry, which is called upon to give opinions on questions relating to — («.) Reforms in the legislation on commerce, in- dustry, customs, coinage, currency, and credit. (6.) The best means for extending the commercial relations and multiplying the foreign exchanges of Italy. (c.) The drafts of Treaties of Commerce and Navi- gation and other International Conventions of an economic nature. (d.) Measures for directing the permanent and temporary emigration, and the Italian Colonies, for the benefit of the commercial expansion of the mother country. (e.) Proposals for com.mercial exploration and under- takings intended to spread Italian tcade. (/.) The establishment of Italian Commercial Repre- sentatives and other Italian commercial institutions abroad. (g.) The establishment of maritime commercial lines subsidized by the State, and the rates charged by them. (h.) Commercial museums, permanent Exhibitions, &c. (i.) Proposals for the participation of Italy in Inter- national Exhibitions. (A;.) Customs Tariffs and Regulations, in their rela- tion to commercial interests; temporary importations, drawbacks, and tares. (l.) Classification of ports, and harbour improve- ments. 116 (m.) Provisions relating to the merchant marine (in certain cases). (n.) The application of the law respecting children's lahour in factories, as well as on any other questions upon which special laws may direct it to he consulted, or which the Minister, of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce may suhmit to it for examination. The Council may pi'opose, of its own acc5rd, such inquiries or measures as it deems useful to industry or commerce. The Government may intrust the carrying out of these proposals to the Council. The Council consists of — (a.) Eighteen Councillors appointed for three years by Royal Decree from, among " persons well versed in economic science, and in the practice of industries and commerce." (6.) The Presidents or other representatives of eighteen Chamhers of Commerce, six other industrial or commercial corporations, and two of the principal working men's Associations, appointed for one year. (c.) Six ex officio members (of whom four belong to the Ministry of Commerce). The President and Vice-President of the Council are appointed from among the members, by Royal Decree. The Secretary is appointed by the Minister from the Staff of the Department of Commerce. The Council is summoned to meet in April every year, by the Minister, for its regular session, and may be summoned for extraordinary sittings at any time. (One-half of the members form a quorum.) The deci- sions are by an absolute majority. Members who do not reside in Rome are allowed their travelling expenses and 16 lire daily for subsistence during the sessions. The Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce is also en rapport with commercial men through the Chambers of Commerce. 14. The " Chambers of Commerce and Arts," estab- lished under the Law of the 6th July, 1862 (No. 680), to represent to the Government, and generally to pro-r mote, the interests of commerce and industry, are official bodies. 117 They are instituted, and may be dissolvedj by Royal Decree. In case of dissolution tbe business of the Chamber is managed by a Royal Commissione;r, until the new- Chamber comes into office. The Government has also the right to abolish any existing Chambers at the request of the persons interested, after consulting the Councils of the commune and the province where it is established. The functions of Chambers of Commerce are — (a.) To supply the Government with any information or suggestions which they may consider of value to trade, arts, and manufactures; to present to it their views as to the means of increasing commercial arid industrial prosperity, and point out any existing impedi- ments thereto, and the means for their removal. (b.) To draw up and publish an annual Report to the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce on the statistics and condition of trade and industry in their respective districts.' (c.) To draw up, when requested by the Tribunals, lists of experts in commercial matters. (d.) To undertake the control and expenses of the offices of commercial exchange. (e.) To perform such duties as are assigned to them by special laws in relation to stockbrokers, brokers, and experts. (/.) To draw up the list of persons eligible as Judges on the Tribunal of Commerce. (g.) To establish and control the offices for the classification and testing of silks. (h.) To undertake, when required by the Govern- ment, any special duties in connection with commerce, as well as the control of public sale-rooms, dep6ts of goods in free ports, warehouses, and other establishments of commercial utility. (i.) To furnish to the Government any information and opinions required on matters within their sphere of action. (I.) They may contribute, either alone or with the Government, the province, or the Municipality, to the foundation or support of Schools of Science applied to commerce and industry, and to the establishment of 118 commercial and industrial Exhibitions relating to their district. (m.) They may summon to a general meeting specified classes of their electors, to examine particular questions of commercial or industrial interest, such questions being agreed upon and published before- hand. (n.) They may unite with other Italian Chambers of Commerce to consider commercial and industrial questions of common interest. Chambers of Commerce are entitled to own property, and, if necessary, to levy certain dues for their main- tenance, but, in that latter case, they must be authorized by Royal Decree. Their estimates and accounts are subject to the approval of the Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. There are seventy-three Chambers of Commerce. They are elective bodies, and their members may be either Italians or foreigners, provided the latter do not exceed one-third of the whole number. The maximum number of members in any Chamber is twenty-one ; the minimum, nine. The following are entitled to vote for, or be elected as members of, Chambers of Commerce : — (a.) All persons engaged in trades, arts, or industries, or sea captains, who are entitled to a vote at political elections in the communes included in the district assigned to the Chamber of Commerce, or who, while residing witbin such district, are entitled to a political vote in other communes. (6.) The managers of industrial works and factories, and the Managers of Companies " in accomandita," or of Limited Liability Companies, whose seat is in the commune, provided they are entitled to a vote in some political election district. (c.) Sons or sons-in-law of " widows, &c., who are in business or owners of industrial establishments," pro- vided the latter have enabled them to qualify as political electors. (d.) Poreigners who have been engaged for five years at least in trade or industry, and possess the qualifications required to entitle native citizens to a political vote. 119 15. The Minister frequently consults the Chambers of Commerce on questions of economical interest. As ail instance of the advantages derived, from such communications, the Italian Government refers to the valuable assistance afforded by the Chambers in the pre- paration of the reform of the Customs Tariff approved by the Law of the 14th July, 1887. 16. There are no,Syndical Chambers in Italy. Of the other commercial or industrial Associations existing in Italy, some only have ofScial relations with the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. The Italian Government have sent a list of Associa- tions, but no information with regard to their nature, or the conditions of membership. 17. A list of the publications of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce is herewith in- closed.* The documents are regularly on sale, and their prices vary according to size and cost of publication. A considerable number are distributed gratuitously to Public Offices, Senators, Deputies, Libraries, &c., and, according to the subject, copies are also to Chambers of Commerce, Chambers of Agriculture, Universities, Schools, and officials of the Education Department, scientific institutions, professors, and specialists. 18. Information is supplied by the Ministry to traders in regard to Customs Tariffs at home and abroad, railway rates, markets for Italian produce abroad, and similar matters. No payment is charged for such information. With respect to statistics, although the Department is under no obligation to supply information to private persons, it nevertheless endeavours, as far as possible, to assist them in their researches. On the other hand, the Statistical Department is occasionally obliged to have recourse to the good offices of private merchants and business men, to obtain infor- mation on special subjects, such as wages, food, " People's Banks," benefit and insurance Associations, but no payment is given for such communications. (Signed) C. P. EREDEEICK ADAM. Rome, March 13, 1889. * Not printed. 120 , Inclosure 2 No. 6. ' Memorandum by Mr. J. G. Kennedy, being Ansvjers to Questions Nos. 19 and 20 in Cvrcular of August 3, 1888. All matters connected with Italian commerce and trade are tinder the supervision and control of the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. The work of the above Ministry or State Department is divided into two chief divisions of (1) Agriculture, and (2) Industry and Commerce, each presided over by a Chief of Division, who directs the work of his Depart- ment, subject to the approval of the Under-Secretary of State and of the Minister for the time being. The Minister of Agriculture, Industry, and Com- merce is assisted in commercial matters by a permanent Council of Industry and Commerce, composed of ex-ofp.cio delegates from his own Department, from the Ministry of Finance (Customs questions), from the Ministry of Foreign Aflairs (questions of policy), from the Department of Marine (navigation questions), and of delegates annually appointed by the Chambers of Commerce. Moreover, the Minister is in constant communica- tion with the Chambers of Commerce which are subsidized and controlled by his Department. Thus all commercial matters, home and foreign, are practically directed by the Minister of Industry and Commerce, assisted by delegates from the State Depart- ment interested in such questions. All questions rektion to the applications of customs duties are decided by the Director-General of Customs and Excise, who presides over a Department of the Finance Ministry, and who is assisted by the Council of Experts, whose decision is final in all cases of Customs disputes and Tariff classification. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has, in principle, the control over all international commercial affairs, but in practice, and especially during the last two years, greater importance and responsibility has been given to the Commercial and Customs Departments of the Ministries of Commerce and Finance, so that the duties of the State Department for Foreign Affairs are, in 121 commercial matters, often limited to the transmission of the instructions and decisions of the Ministry of Com- merce to the foreign Representatives in Italy, and to Italian Diplomatic and Consular Representatives abroad. Commercial matters are in the Foreign Department adnainistered by the Second Section of the first, or Political Division. The above Section is presided over by a Chief of Section, whose duties are defibied to be the treatment of questions respecting stipulation and inter- pretation of non-political international Acts, commercial policy, and publications of an economical character. The above Chief of Section is subordinate to the Head of the Political Division, who decides questions subject to the approval of the Under-Secretary of State and of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The presence of a delegate from the Foreign Depart- ment at the Council of Industry and Commerce, and the obligation of transmission through the Foreign Department of all commercial international work, would appear to afford sufficient control on the part of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of Commerce cannot communicate directly with Italian Diplomatic and Consular Agents. The Ministry of Industry and Commerce and Agri- culture was planned and established by Cavour about the year 1860 ; in 1877 it was suppressed by Signer Crispi, and incorporated with the Ministry of the Treasury, but had almost immediately to be re-estab- lished with increased powers, to the satisfaction of the commercial community, and in deference to the strongly expressed opinion of the Chamber of Deputies that the suppression or creation of a Department of State was not within the competence of the Government. (N.B. — A recent Law enables the Government in power to create or suppress State Departments by Royal Decree.) Clerkships in the Ministry of Commerce are open to public competition. Candidates must possess a Uni- versity degree. Salaries begin at 60/. and rise to 360Z. These conditions do not apply to Lower Division clerks employed in account keeping, registration work, &c. Chambers of Commerce in Italy may be called official ; they are closely connected with, and subsidized and controlled by the Minister of Commerce and 122 Industry, by whom they are authorized to levy taxes on commercial transactions. The members must be commercial men possessed of political votes, and in- scribed on the local commercial registers. The Chambers of Commerce apply to the Minister for every sort of information respecting foreign markets, samples of foreign articles, respectability and solvency of foreign firms, &c. Such information is supplied gratuitously by the Department. The Chambers are bound to answer all queries addressed to them by the Minister, and they are always consulted in the construction of Customs Tariffs, Commercial Treaties, &c. Consular oflB.cers are under the exclusive control and only correspond with the Foreign Department. The cost of the Consular Staff is borne on the Budget of Foreign Affairs. Consuls are paid (1) by fixed salary, (2) by allowances, and (3) by percentage on fees. The Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture issues a BoUettino or Journal containing varied information on commerce and trade, the subscription to which is 5s. per annum, and also other publications. The above Ministry is very popular with the com- mercial community, by whom it is regarded as a pro- tector and adviser. The intervention of the Ministry is constantly invoked and obtained in behalf of trade interests. Thus a drawback on the duty paid on the spirit employed for fortifying wines destined for export has been recently granted ; also transport facilities by land and sea for wines and agricultural produce. Con- stant applications are also made to Italian Representa- tives abroad through the Foreign Department for special information required by Chambers of Commerce or by private firms. The importa;nce of the Chambers of Commerce in connection with commercial legislation was shown during the inquiries of the Parliamentary Commission, which prepared the new General Customs Tariff, and of which the results were embodied in the exhaustive Report of Signer EUena, late Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture, Commerce, and Industry. Again, the Bill proposing the new Tariff was the subject of an able Report by Signor Luzzetti, the well-known authority on economical and commercial questions, as Reporter of the Pariiamentary Committee. Both the above Reports 123 gave especial prominence and weight to tlie views of Chambers of Commerce, and of private industrials and merchants. Indeed, the Chamber of Commerce of MUan, the centre of Italian industry, may be said to have dictated most of the new Customs Tariff. The Ministry of Commerce is not, as a rule, re- garded with favour by political men, by whom it is thought to be an article of luxury which might be dis- pensed with. In conclusion, it may be said that the Italian system of commercial administration works well, and is thoroughly appreciated by the country, but it is diflfi- cult to give an opinion as to how it would suit British traders, or to compare the organization and functions of the Board of Trade with the Ministry of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce in Italy. In Italy the Customs Tariff is long, complicated, difficult to understand, and prolific of disputes ; more- over, formalities are endless, hence the necessity for an army of officials along the extended land and sea frontiers, for the Council of Experts, &c. Again, Italian industry and trade are still in their infancy, and depend greatly on the paternal support of the Department of Industry and Commerce. Com- pared with Great Britain, enterprise and individual energy are unknown. State assistance is everywhere expected. (Signed) J. G. KENNEDY. Rome, March 12, 1889. ( 124 ) No. 7. RUSSIA. Sir R. Morier to the Marquis of Salisbury. — {Received December 3.) My Lord, St. Petersburgh, November 28, 1888. In the absence of Mr. Law, I instructed Mr. Eliot to prepare a statement in reply to the questions contained in your Lordship's Circular of the 3rd August last ; and I have now the honour to transmit a rery full and care- fully drawn up Eeport hy that gentleman, accompanied by statistical Tables, on the various points respecting which information is required by your Lordship. The Report is based not only upon official publications, but upon exhaustive personal inquiries made by Mr. Eliot ; and the mass of information which he has succeeded in collecting on the subject will, I believe, prove of interest and value. I have, &c. (Signed) . R. B. D. MORIER. Inclosure 1 in No. 7. Answer to Questions on Ministry of Commerce in Russia. 1. Theeb is no separate Ministry of Commerce in Russia, but one of the Departments of the Ministry of Einance is called " The Department of Trade and Manu- factures " (" Departament Torgovli i Manuf aktur ") . The Head of this Department, though not a Minister, and under the Minister of Einance, is the official correspond- ing most nearly to the Minister of Commerce in other countries. His title is "Director of the Department of 125 Trade and Manufactures" ("Direktor Departamenta Torgovli i Manufaktur"). 2. The Department has existed in its present form since 1862, but the Ministry of Finance, as originally- constituted in 1812, contained a Department of Trade, which, however, concerned itself only with external commerce. 3. The Department is divided into five Divisions (" Otdeleniya") and a Chancery (" Kantzelariya"). These Divisions are called — (1) of Manufactures, (2) of Trade, (3) of External Trade, (4) of Trade Dues, (5) the Statis- tical Department. (1.) The Division of Manufactures is divided into three subdivisions, called in Russian "Tables." A "Table" generally consists of a Senior Clerk (called " Stolonachalnik," or " Head of the Table,") and a Junior (called " Pomoshchnik," or Assistant). If the Table has a great deal of work, there are two Assistants. Neither of the classes of clerks mentioned ever do copying work. The three Tables are concerned primarily with all that appertains to factories. The Inspectors of Eac- tories send their Reports to them ; before any factory can be opened, plans of the building have to be submitted ; all questions of general legislation with respect to fac- tories, and the responsibility of owners with regard to workmen, the organization of factory inspection, &c. are considered here. To this Division also belong all questions concerning patents and trade-marks ; the opening of Exhibitions in Russia, or exhibition of Rus- sian goods abroad ; the supervision of technical schools, of which only ten remain now under the control of the Department, the rest having been handed over to the Ministry of Public Instruction, The method in which this work is divided among the various Tables is regulated merely by considerations of convenience, and altered from time to time by the Head of the Department or the Minister of Finance. "When it is said that a Division is occupied with the regulation of such and such subjects, it must not be supposed that it has any power to legislate or make rules officially. All the members are merely secretaries, and have no kind of independent authority, (2,) The Second Department, called that of Trade, has two Tables : one is concerned with questions respecting 126 the permission and regulation of Joint Stock Companies and other commercial Associations, the other deals with all that concerns the exchange and standard weights and measures. (3.) The Third Division is considered the most impor- tant in the Department. It consists of three Tahles, all of which are occupied with the subject of internal trade, Asiatic and European. It conducts all correspondence with Consuls, and receives their B-eports. It prepares Commercial Treaties, as far as the Department has to do with them, and likewise treats all questions connected with Customs Tariffs under the same qualification. Under it come too the regulation of shipping, the ar- rangement and amelioration of harbours, the navigation of rivers and canals. It conducts all the correspondence of the Department with the Ministry of Ways and Com- munications. This Division deals also with special com- mercial rules in force in the remote parts of the Empire {e.g., Archangel and Siberia), where trade, though not strictly external, is under abnormal conditions to which the ordinary home regulations are not applicable. Like- wise all questions of subvention to Steam-ship Companies {vide the Budget), and everything connected with rail- ways (especially railway tariffs), which comes into the province of the Department of Trade and Manufactures, are dealt with in this Division. (4.) The Division of Commercial Dues consists of two Tables, and is concerned, as its name indicates, with the multifarious dues payable in Russia for the right of trading. Merchants in this country are organized in two Guilds, which receive certain privileges, and in return pay various taxes. Some idea of the various kinds of taxes which come under this Division may be had from an inspection of the Budget. (5.) The Statistical Division prepares statistics on all the commercial, questions of the Empire. Every year a paper of questions respecting the state of trade, the number and condition of factories, &c., is sent round to each Governor of a province, who returns his reply to the Statistical Division. The Chancery is concerned with the organization of the Department, salaries, &c. Connected with the Department are a dep6t of standard weights and measures kept by a scientific 127 expert, and a Committee for examining certain kinds of merchandize {e.g., salt fish), and seeing that they do not fall below a certain quality. This body is called " Komitet dla Nadzora za Brakom Towarow," and consists of six merchants, three Russian and three foreign, with the Vice-Director of the Department as Chairman. There is also a body, already alluded to, called " The Inspection of Factories " ("Fabrichnaya Inspektziya"), consisting of a Chief Inspector, nine District Inspectors, and twenty subordinates ; this body makes its Reports to the Division of Manufactures. 4. In 1885 the Statistical Division was added to the Department, but with this exception no change of any importance has been made in the Department since its original constitution in 1862. 5. The total Staff of the Ministry consists of forty- one persons, viz., a Director, a Vice-Director, six Heads of Divisions, and a Chief Accountant, eleven senior clerks, thirteen junior clerks, two Assistants for the Chancery, a a precis- writer who prepares each day an abstract of the correspondence of the Department, a translator, a doctor, a broker (who is attached also to other Departments), an expert for sta,ndard weights and measures, and a man to keep the building where these are, who is also a sort of " office-keeper " to the Department. This does not include all the copying clerks who are hired from time to time, nor the persons connected with the various Committees attached to the Department, of which latter they are not really members, nor the per- sonnel of the "Inspection of Factories" amounting to thirty persons.* 6. The higher appointments (that is to say, the posts of Director and Vice-Director) are made by the Emperor on the recommendation of the Minister of Finance. The lower appointments are made by the Minister of Finance on the recommendation of the Head of the Department. The clerks of the Chancery stand on a different footing to the others. They are appointed by the Departmental Director on his own responsibility, and no qualification is required of them but a good hand. Young gentlemen are sometimes attached temporarily * The Department has also foreign agents to report on manufactures at Berlin, Paris, Louden, Lyons, Lille, and Fraiikfuit-am-Main. [749] K 125 without salary to the Department to give them an. idea of official work. It is the practice to give the lower appointments (with the exception of the posts of Chancery clerks) only to those who have passed through the Gymnasia, and finished their studies successfully at the "Universities, the School of Jurisprudence, and a few other Government establishments. There is no competitive examination, and the law on the point is based on a rather different idea from that which regulates English examinations, for though it is nowhere laid down that certain Univer- sity qualifications are necessary to fill certain posts, yet the converse is stated plainly, viz., that success in certain examinations gives a right to occupy certain places. Legally, also every Russian nobleman has the right " to serve," that is to say, to hold a public appointment. But it must be remembered that there is in Russia an official nobility, and that precedence is decided not by birth but by official rank (or "chin"). The whole of the official world (which is far more extended than in England, comprising not only the army, navy, and civil service, but all the learned professions and all society, such a thing as a private gentleman being unknown) is divided into fourteen classes, the various branches of the public service being arranged in parallel grades. The son of any nobleman has a right to enter the public service, but mere entrance gives him no grade (or "chin") of his own, whereas any one who has passed the University examinations starts with the rank of the 10th Class, and any one who has passed through the Lyceum with the rank of the 9th Class. Hence it is greatly to the advantage of all aspirants to a Ministry, to pass through the University or some school recognized by the Government, and practically none but those who have these qualifications try to enter. 7. The, Budget is prepared by the Department, who submit it to the Minister of Einance. If he approves of it, it is embodied in the general Budget of the Ministry, and forwarded to the Department of the Control of the Empire. This Department makes what criticisms it thinks fit on the Budget, which is then presented, together with these criticisms and the replies of the Minister of Einance thereto, to the Covmcil of the Empire. It is first considered by a portion of this body 129 called the Economic Department, and then submitted to the whole body. When finally approved, and if necessary amended by the Council, the Budget is laid before the Emperor to receive the Imperial sanction, without which it has no value. 8. Annexed are the Budgets from 1884 to 1888 inclusive. The Budgets of 1888 and 1887 are given in full detail, the other three less fully, but, as the details of the items are nearly always the same, it will be easy to see to what causes the difference in the sums set down is due. The salaries are given separately, as requested, but it is not possible to find the cost of printing, publishing, and stationery for the Department, as the charges for these items are combined with those of other Departments, and entered in the general Budget of the Ministry of Einance. A charge for stationery does, however, appear. It must be remembered that the Department not being a Ministry, the Budget is only made to be incor- porated in the general one of the Minister of Einance. The receipts are always enormously in excess of the expenses, about 27,000,000 roubles against 3,000,000 or 4,000,000 roubles, but this large sum has nothing to do with the Department, except in so far as it is a tax over which that body has supervision. It is paid into the general Exchequer. No special tax is levied for the Department. The Minister of Einance assigns a sum for its maintenance every year from the general funds of the Ministry. 9. The Department of Trade and Manufactures has special control of all points affecting trade in Russia, provided the interests of other Ministries or Depart- ments are not concerned. Such subjects are : — (1.) The duties payable by Guilds, &c., for the right to trade.. (2.) Rules for the maintenance of factories. (3.) Eules for the appointment of brokers and the regulation of the business of the Bourse. (4.) Rules for Companies, their establishment, mode of p 'o- cedure, &c ; but Insurance Companies are under the Minister of the Interior, and only the opinion of the Department of Trade is asked respecting the regu- lations which concern them. (5.) Patents. [749] K 2 130 Draft Laws on such subjects are prepared by the Department and submitted by them to the Minister of ^Finance. He in his turn submits them to the Council of the Empire, who, if they approve, present it to the Emperor, His Imperial Majesty is in no way bound by the decisions of the Council, but may^ if he please, con- firm (and thus make law) a measure which has been rejected by a majority of that body. It must be remembered that the Department is not a Ministry, and hence all its proposals appear as emanating from the Minister of Finance. Putting this aside, it is rarely that any commercial question can be disentangled from the interests of other Ministries. The Minister of the Interior has to be frequently consulted; a great number of questions concern the Ministry of Ways and Communications more than the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry of Imperial Domains (Crown Lands) frequently has a word to put in, and those of Public Instruction and Foreign Affairs have to be occa- sionally consulted. Likewise the Council of the Emi^ire can always legislate on general questions without the initiative of any Minister. 10. The control of Commercial Treaty questions is divided between the Department of Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and any other Ministry which may happen to be interested, such as the Ministry of Imperial Domains or of Ways and Communications. After con- sultation with such interested parties, the draft of the Treaty is prepared in the Department of Trade and Manu- factures, but the final settlement and signature take place at the Ministry of Foreign Aflairs. Such a Treaty is then presented direct to the Emperor to receive the Imperial sanction. With regard to Customs Tariff, the Ministry of Finance contains another Department similar to that of Trade and Manufactures, called the Department of Customs dues ("Departament Tamojnikh Sborow"). Laws concerning the Tariff are drafted in the Department of Trade, and then submitted to the Imperial approval by the usual process ; but there is a Committee called the " Special Body for bringing Goods under the Tariff" ("Osoboe Prisutswie po Primeneniu Towarow k Tarifu"), which decides under what heading of the Tariff any new 131 kind of goods is to come. This Committee is composed of the Directors and Vice-Directors of the two Depart- ments, and of certain experts. 11. Consular officers are entirely under the control of the Foreign Office, but they are bound to give information to the Department of Trade and Manufac- tures. The Rules on this subject are found in the '■' E^glement pour les Consuls de Russie en Europe et en Am^rique " (Articles 88 to 93) : — " Art. 88. The Consul will inform the Foreign Office and the Department of Commerce and Manufac- tures of every new duty, increase of duty, and every other measure taken in the country where he resides respecting comraerce and navigation. " The Consul will also do his best to consolidate, facilitate, and extend the commercial relations of his country with that in which he resides. For this purpose he will submit to the Foreign Office and Department of Trade and Manufactures any considerations and propo- sitions relative to navigation and commerce which experience and observation in the discharge of his functions may suggest to him. " Art. 89. The Consul is bound to see that the honour of the Russian name is preserved unblemished. He will accordingly pay particular attention to seeing that no Russian subject or captain of a Russian ship fails in his engagements, deceives those with whom he has business, or commits any dishonourable action. Any person who pays no attention to the admonitions addressed to him by the Consul, and commits a dishonest action, is to be reported to the Legation of the country where the Consul resides, and then to the Foreign Office and Department of Trade and Manufactures. " Art. 90. Should the Consul declare that imports or exports involving an infraction of the Russian Custom- house Rules take place at a port in his district, he will take care to inform the Department of Trade and Manufactures. "Art. 91. Every four months, that is to say, on the 1st (13th) January, the 1st (13th) May, and the 1st (13th) September, the Consul will forward to the Depart- ment of Trade and Commerce Tables giving the arrivals and departures of Russian ships, with their exports and imports, as per the annexed model. He is also to 132 furnish, at the ead of each year a general review of the progress of commerce in his district (as in the 2nd Annex). The Consul will also send to the Department a weekly Report on the price of goods and rate of exchange in his district, and, when he thinks necessary, add his opinion on the causes of any variations. The Consul is to do his best to discover such causes, and to acquaint the Department with all events which may explain fluctuations, such as the liquidation of public debts, the abundance or scarcity of the necessaries of life, extraordinary export trade, or issue of bank notes, &c. " Art. 92. Besides the Reports mentioned in Article 91, the Consul is bound to inform the Department of Trade and Manufactures of everything which can interest Russian commerce and navigation, to communicate the TarifPs in force in the country where he resides, adding to them a special Table of the duties on Russian products, and to warn the Department without loss of time of any changes these Tariffs are likely to undergo. He is also to send to the Department all the Treaties and Orders respecting commerce or navigation, either permanently in force or published from time to time. He wUl point out what branches of industry are most flourishing in his district, and the commercial dep6ts existing there, and will specify the branches of trade in which Russian products hold the market, and those where they have to compete with the products of other countries. He wUl also draw attention to such Russian commercial opera- tions as he judges susceptible of a greater development, and point out what he considers the suitable means for attaining this object. He will also keep the Depart- ments of Interior Relations and of Commerce informed of the progress of commerce and navigation at the port where he resides, and all those in his district." Articles, 95 and 96 order the Consul to iuforni the Department of the outbreak of any infectious diseases, and to forward a weekly Report on the malady during its continuance. 133 OB rt t3 -4J H ^ o o «) FM 1^ d 5 .^ g tlD O 13 C a o O o 1^ •IJOJ 3] SUUp "uosiBS.re3 «| 9p sajre^STjdojd; ssp suuoj.1 •a^ransajd jnaiEj^^ •S3insai\[ :j8 spioj •uosreSjBO Tx ap amSiJO •S3* -jodrat s^uaraaSiBHO sap a^iiBtiQ }a 3^^110 , •jajj •sajiB^ -EaSisuo^ sap snio^ •^naraaSjuqa a[ ^lej }sa,s no nai-j •assiaAEj^ EI ap 33jng •3DuapTS3'a 3.vts\ ap naji •sjna^ajjjv no sjna;erajy sap suio^j •sassn>x sjafnjj sap ^uam^oiLuou *a '33Bdinbg;,[' ^UEtajoj sauuosjaj; sap ajqiiio^j •ajuajBj B[ ap no^jod -3SBKJ np uoi^BuStsag •saurejidBQ sap sino^ "SUOUBQ sap 3J[q;iE3 }3 3aqtttovj •xnBauaoj, no sjsei ua ajiAB^ np aiiOBdBg •sjusroijig; sap suiojij •\a uo;5Eoi[!XEnQ •39AIJJVJ ap uoTijtrMioaQ B[ ap 9}BQ 131 13 u O u o M i i o •I— I fcD o © o Pi p H CO o o I? 'B B S2 o i I' o o O C3 '> a H H 1^ %m3fa ™p 3i«a •^ajj • •uobibSjbo b] ap ■aauinssjd JnaiBy •sajnson %3 spioj ■aosioSjBg tej ap amSuQ •S9J -joilxa e^uaiuaSiBna Bap ajil^nQ ?» aipuBTit) •aoaapisa'jj jnaj ap nai^ •BSjrej -BuSisnoQ sap sinojj •S!(uaai -p^a sap nopnatisaQ •aonapisay jna] ap naiq ■sjnajajjBV no sjnajBttiiv sap saio>i •sassng s^afng sap ^laamainnioa :)a 'aSBdinbg;,'i ^mnijoj sannosjaj sap aaqino^j •ojuajEj HI ap no jiod -asSEj np uojjBuSisaQ •BamB:nJBO sap sniox ■SUOUBQ sap ajqi|i!3 ^a ajqrao|,i •xnuauuox no s^Barj na sJTiB^i np jiioBdug ■s^uaraijBg sap Braoj.1 qa uoijBogixBnQ •:»u3inaSaBq3 np uoi^emp^a Bi ap o^EQ 135 O Pm cS o ai O a -^ Ph ■l-H •r-t w I o PL, P4 ^ Valeur totalo des Importations dans le Port (U m 1 1 .a 1 Valeur dans le Port. •is i C3 Nature des principaux Articles. Bois de differentes especes, Metaux, Combustible, Produits et Matieres brutes pour la Fabrication et pour les Alts, Tabac en feuillesf &c. Valeur dans le Port. 1 ca Nature des principaux Articles. u II ■sw 11 O Valeur dans le Port. VD 1 Nature des principaux Articles. 03 (2 § 1 s 1 o La Russie L'AUemagne . . . , Les Villes Ans&tiques Le Danemark L'Espagne et ses possessions Les Etats-Unls d'Amerique . La Grande-Bretagne et ses possessions La HoUande et ses posses- sions ., L'ltalie.. Le Portugal et ses posses- sions . , La Suede 3 136 1^ o Ph o m o M .& o W H o &. 'A W 00 hi ■< o H S o Valeur totale des Exportations du Port .a SB 1 1 Valeur dans le Port. Nature des principaux Articles, Bois de difFerentes especes, Metaux, Combustible, Produits et Matieres brutes pour la Fabrication et pour les Arts, Tabac en feuilles, &c. Valeur dans le Port. 1 Nature des principaux Articles. so o Valeur dans le Port. S 1 % Nature des principaux Articles. O 1 La Russie L'Allemagne Lss Villes Auseatiques '. \ Le Denemark L'Espagne et ses possessions Les Etats-Unis d'Am&ique . La Grande-Bretagne et ses possessions La Hollande et ses posses- sions . . L'ltaUe . . . . ,\ Le Portugal et ses posses- sions .. La Suede 1 137 12. The cost of the Consular Staff for 188S is estimated at 675^778 roubles. This sum is borne entirely on the Budget of the Foreign Office. The Department of Trade merely corresponds with Consuls, and has nothing to do with either their control or cost. The Consular Staff consists of — Paid. Unpaid. Consuls-General . . Consuls Vice-Consuls Consular Agents . . 30 52 16 i* 26 226 26 Total .. 98 279 * At Buenos Ayres. which makes the unpaid Consuls nearly three times as many as those paid. The Official Budget for this year allows for 104 Consular officers ; but I am informed by the Foreign Office that 98 is the actual number in existence, some posts, such as those in Bulgaria, being suppressed. 'He pay of a Consul- General yaries from 15,000 to 5,000 roubles, exclusive of chancery expenses, &c. The best paid is the Agent and Consul-Greneral in the Corea, who receiyes in all 20,500 roubles. The Consul-General in Egypt receives in all 15,000 roubles, in Constantinople 18,000 roubles, in London 14,500 roubles, in Paris 8,000 roubles, in San Francisco 13,000 roubles. The normal pay of a Consul is 5,000 or 7,000 roubles, with 500 or 1,000 roubles for office expenses, and at all important places from 2,000 to 3,000 roubles, for clerks. The allowances, however, granted to Consuls in Central Asia are considerably in excess of these sums. Thus, the Consul and Political Agent at Bokhara receives in all 12,708 roubles, the Consul at Asterabad 11,000 roubles, the Consul at Kashgar 11,650 roubles, the Consul at Turfan 10,350 roubles, and the Consul at TJrga 12,350 roubles. The salary of a Vice-Consul vaiies from 5,000 to 138 2,500 roubles, with 500 or 1,000 roubles for office expenses. 13. Attached to the Department is a body called "The Council of Trade and Manufactures" (^'Sowet Torgowli i Manufaktur "), under the presidence of the Deputy of the Ministry of Finance. It consists of six honorary members, six ex officio members (viz., the Directors and Vice-Directors of the three Departments of Trade and Manufactures, Customs Duties, and Mining in the Ministry of Domains), and twenty-four ordinary members, of whom fifteen are at present Russian officials, and nine Eirst Guild merchants, all apparently foreigners. The members of this body are unpaid, and its total expenses (for secretaries, experts, &c.) are given as 12,740 roubles. Every two years half the Council retire, and the remainder elect persons to replace them. Their nomination must be approved by the Minister of Einance, and sanctioned by the Emperor. There is a branch of this Council at Moscow, consisting of a President and twenty-three members. There are also six local bodies called "Local Committees of Trade and Manufactures," viz., those of Archangel, Odessa, Rostow-on-the-Don, Tver, Tikhvin, and Ivanowo-Woznesensk. At Warsaw there is a body called " The Committee of Manufactures" (" Manufakturny Komitet "), consisting of six members chosen by the Government from among the Notables of the city, and presided over by the Governor. The other Local Committees are elected from the '.Pirst and Second Guilds of merchants. Thus, at Odessa, these two Guilds elect by ballot an Administrative Council of seventy members (the Eirst Guild is composed of 140 members, the Second of 1,045 members), and this body elects the Committee of Trade and Manufactures of twelve members. I am informed that these are all Russian subjects, except one, the Greek Consul- General, but of the rest about half are of foreign extraction, and have adopted Russian nationality for various reasons. Eour of the members represent the Jewish element, which is very strong at Odessa. The Managers of the Steam Navigation and Trading Company, of the Odessa Discount Bank, and of the Danube and Black Sea Steam-ship Company are offi.cial members. Three 139 members go out of office every year, others being chosen in their places ; but retiring members may be re-elected. The Board has a Secretary, paid by the Municipality, who is a Professor of the IJniversity. The Committee at Taganrog appears to be very similar. It is composed of twelve members, one of whom is Secretary, and receives a small sum of 300 roubles a-year from the Municipality for ofiBce expenses. All these Committees, from the Council of Trade and Manufactures downwards, are purely consultative bodies, that is to say, they only give their opinion when asked. This opinion carries considerable weight with it, the importance attached not being the same perhaps for all Local Committees, but has, of course, no legal force, and it is perfectly open to the Minister of Finance to reject it, though, as a rule, he does not do so without good reason. I am indebted to Mr. Consul-General Sandwith for the following account of the measures brought before the Odessa Committee — one of the most important — in 1886, which illustrates the subjects considered by that body, and the importance attached to its decisions. I regret that I have not a similar account of the proceedings of the St. Petersburgh Council. All proposals respecting patents and the opening of factories are submitted to this body, and are not granted except with its assent. List of subjects submitted to the Odessa Committee in 1886 :— (1.) A Report on the Trade and Industry of Odessa for 1886. (2.) Boundaries of the Odessa port defined. A dispute having arisen between the municipal and port authorities as to the respective limits of their juris- dictions, the question was referred to the Committee, which defined the boundaries anew. No action, how- ever, has, up to the present, been taken on the subject. (3.) Plan and arrangement of the new harbour, for facilitating import business, including the building of a new Custom-house and warehouses at Odessa. This question is in abeyance from the want of funds. (4.) On the building of bonded warehouses at Odessa. The Committee reported in favour of the project, but the Minister of Finance thought it premature, particu- larly in view of the languishing state of the import 140 business, and also on account of the deficit in tlie Impe- rial Exchequer. (5.) On the adulteration of grain destined far export. This question was mooted because certain disrepu- table traders had sold cargoes with which damaged grain had been mixed. On the Committee's recommendation, several Jews, guilty of the practice, were excluded from the Guild, and thus prevented from trading. (6.) Regulations to be imposed on sales of grain from barges and lighters. The Committee arrived at no practical result. (7.) Project of a Company under the title of " The Russian Mutual Mercantile Coasting Company." The project was reported as unpractical. (8.) On the Regulations of the Committee of Arbitra- tion organized by the Exchange Committee. The Arbitration Committee, which consists of eighteen members, was formed with the view of settling disputes about grain sales, in order to avoid lengthy legal pro- ceedings. The Committee of Commerce and Manufac- tures recommended certain amendments in its rules of procedure, which were adopted and confirmed by Govern- ment. (9.) Programme of the Minister of Instruction for examining master mariners and mates, both of ocean- going and coasting ships, with the view of granting certificates of competency. The result of the Committee's approval of the pro- gramme is unknown. (10.) On the sites to be occupied in large towns by mills and factories. The Committee's recommendations will be adopted. (11.) The Petition of certain yarn-manufacturers and wool-combers to raise the duty on washed and combed wool. A Report was made against the Petition. (12.) Permission to allow the Cotton Tarn Company to recommence operations. Permission was given, consequent on Committee's Report (13.) Tweedy and Brodsky's Steam Navigation Com- pany for the coasting trade. The Company not being a native one, the Com 141 mittee considered it undesirable that a Charter should be granted it. (14.) Project of a Hiver and Sea Navigation Com- pany for the coasting trade. Shares to be issued under the title of " The South Russian Steam Navigation Com- pany." This, too, was reported against, as it was not a native concern. (15.) On the administration of the port of Odessa, and the Police Regulations for the same. ■ The port dues being at present paid to the City Cor- poration, which systematically neglects its duties, pro- viding neither police nor lights, the Committee advised that authority be vested in the Captain of the Port to appoint police, provide lights, and generally to admi- nister. Hitherto the advice has not been acted upon. (16.) Project of a new Tariff in payment of work done by the Odessa Custom-house "Artel." Complaints of the high Tariff had emanated from Moscow houses and their agents in Odessa. The Committee's new reduced Tariff, drawn up with the assistance of experts, was approved and accepted by Grovernment. (17.) Hessen's project of a suspension wire railway for loading and discharging grain at the port of Odessa. On the Committee's recommendation, leave was given for the project to be carried out at the projector's expense, who has not, however, availed himself of the permis- sion. (18.) A communication was read from the Depart- ment of Trade and Manufactures, for the Committee to give an opinion on the question of continuing the subsidy to the Russian Steam and Navigation Company, and of keeping up communications by sundry lines of steamers. The Committee recommended that the continuance of the subsidy should be contingent on increase of speed and the opening up of new lines, which would necessi- tate the building of several new steamers. The result of the recommendations is not yet known. (19.) Of the best measures of preserving fish and promoting local fisheries at Odessa. The Committee suggested that curers of fish should be invited from Holland, and that every facility and, 142 assistance should be given towards the promotion of a fishing fleet. Effect has not heen given to their suggestion. (20.) Convention of millers at Moscow, and appoint- raent of deputies to represent the flour trade at Odessa. In addition to special subjects, such as the above, on which the Committee is from time to time consulted, the Civil Governor, before admitting Jews of foreign nation- ality as members, of the Tirst Guild, always submits their names to the Committee for approval. Two of its members are also designated for examining in commer- cial law all candidates for the office of broker-. It will be seen that some. of these Committees are almost Chambers of Commerce, elected by merchants among themselves ; while others, such as the St. Peters- burgh Council and Warsaw Committee, are ofi3.cial bodies, thougli merchants are represented on them. But as these bodies agree more or less in having the same titles and functions, they are here grouped together, distinct from the Exchange Committees, whose importance would appear to be greatly increasing. 14. The place- of Chambers of Commerce is supplied partly by the Committees of Trade and Manufactures described above, but chiefly by the Exchange Com- mittees. There are eighteen of these, viz., at Archangel, Baku, Warsaw, Kazan, Kiew, Libau, Moscow, Nijni- Novgorod (where there is also a special Committee to superintend the fair), Odessa, Orlow, Pernau, Revel, Riga, Rostow-on-the-Don, Rybinsk, St. Petersburgh, Saratow, and Kharkow. These are voluntary bodies, chosen by a body elected from the whole mercantile class. They consist generally of twelve membersT^who are elected for five years. Eoreigners are eligible. The President is chosen by the Minister of Finance, The Committee meets once a-week at the Bourse, and settles all current matters connected Avith trade and navigation. All the Committees of Exchange are in direct com- munication with the Minister of Commerce. As a rule, their functions are, like those of the Committees of Trade and Manufactures, purely consultative, and confined to an expression of opinion on such questions as may be submitted to them by the Department. They can, how- 143 ever, always petition the Minister of finance, if they wish to draw his attention to any point. 15. The opinion of these Committees is taken, not only hy the Minister of Einance, hut also hy other Minis- ters — for instance, those of Ways and Communications and Imperial Domains — as occasion arises. Of late years there has heen a constant tendency to adopt more and more extensively this means of hringing commercial men into rapport with the Ministry of Finance, and I am told hy an eminent English merchant resident here that the results have proved most heneficial, The President of the St. Petershurgh Exchange Committee has an appointment with the Minister of Finance every Satur- daiy, and a private interview is always obtainahle on important matters. The advice of the Committees is always asked respecting proposed changes in the customs duties and railway tariffs^ and considerable weight attached to their opinion. I am told, however, that there is generally great difference of opinion between the various Com- mittees, and some are naturally deserving of more importance than others. A proposal made some while ago by the Minister of Einance to lower the duty on imported cotton yarns was abandoned in consequence of the protests of the cotton- mill owners; and diiring the recent consideration of the duties to be placed on raw iron and coals, the opinions of the Exchange Committees were printed and submitted to the Council of the Empire. 16. Syndicates are strictly forbidden by Russian law, so naturally no institutions of the kind mentioned exist. There are one or two important commercial Societies which are recognized by the Government. Such are the " Society for the Encouragement of Russian Trade and Industry," of which General Ignatiew is now the Presi- dent; the " Moscow Society for Promoting Navigation," and others. These bodies are quite unofficial, and formed to some extent for purposes of theoretical discussion, but they are not vrithout practical importance. 17. There is a weekly journal published by the Ministry .of Einance, called "The Finance Messenger" (" Westnik Finansow"). It is to be obtained at the Ministry, and costs 7 roubles per annum. The Depart- [749] L 144 ment of Trade and Manufactures publishes in. this journal, like the other Divisions of the Ministry of Mnance. I am told that it is the custom to print at once in this paper all matter which is received ready for printing (as, for instance. Consular Reports). Matter which takes longer to prepare, or is too lengthy for insertion in the " Messenger," is published separately in brochures. Such are : — (I.) The Reports of the Factory Inspectors. (2.) Repoi-ts on the collectioa of duties for the right of trading. (3.^ Publications respecting patents and privileges. (4.) Any special works of a commercial and scientific cha- racter, e.g., M. Bezobrazow's "National Economy" (" Narodnoe Khoziaistwo ") (5.) Reports on manufactures and statistics. The price of such documents is very various. It is impossible to give any sum as the usual cost per copy. .These documents are supplied gratis to the various Ministries and Departments, to Consuls, the Exchange Committees, Committees of Commerce and Manufac- tures, and distinguished persons, and are on sale at the chief booksellers. 18. Information is constantly given on aU kinds of subjects, through the Exchange Committees, to com- mercial men. Well-known merchants can always write to the Department and be sure of receiving an answer ; and their opinion is sometimes asked even if they are not connected with any official Committee. There is no fixed fee or subscription for this service. 19. Prom time to time complaints appear in the press that trade is represented only by a Department, and not by a Ministry. The argument used as a rule is, that under the present system commerce is sacrificed to purely financial objects; that is to say, duties are imposed merely to gain a good Budget, regardless of the ultimate consequences to the trade of the country. This demand for the creation of a Ministry was made frequently in the time of the late Minister of Einance, but I have not seen or been able to hear of any criti- cisms lately, except suggestions that Consuls 'should be called upon to supply more and better information. 20. "With respect to the difference between the 145 functions and organizations of the Department of Trade and Manufactures and such a body as the Board^ of Trade, the most obvious feature of the Russian institu- tion is that it is not an independent Ministry but a Department of the Ministry of Finance. In answer to the objections brought against this arrangement, it is asserted by oflB.cials that this subordination is in reality very serviceable to the interests of trade, as the Minister of Mnance is less disposed to cut down the expenditure of a Department under his control, of whose working he has an intimate and practical knowledge, than of a separate establishment with which he would have no concern. . Whatever the advantages or disadvantages of the system may be, it is important to observe that no one Mimster ever comes before the Emperor, the Committee of Ministers, or the CouncU of the Empire as a repre- sentative of trade. Instead of this, commercial subjects are distributed over a variety of Ministries and Depart- ments. In the Ministry of Finance there is, besides the Department which forms the subject of this Report, a Department of Customs Duties. The Ministry ^f Ways and Communications, charged as it is with the super- vision of everything relating to railways and post-roads, has obviously a vast commercial importance. The Ministry of Domains is also concerned with subjects which affect commerce, such as mining and fisheries. The Ministry of the Interior must be consulted on a variety of points. Of course, all these bodies constantly consult the Department of Trade ; but there is no one oflB.cial who represents commerce as a whole, in the same way that the Minister of War represents the army. With regard to Government supervision of com- mercial matters, of course the first point which strikes a foreigner is the careful elaboration of State control over the minutest details of commercial transactions. The organization of merchants into Guilds, the many duties to be paid for rights of trading, the frequent permissions to be obtained from the supreme authority for conducting commercial operations, seem strange to an Englishman.- They are, however, to be explained by a great variety of local and political circumstances, and I have been informed by merchants residing in the [749] L 2 146 country that these Eules and B-egulations are no,t practir cally so onerous as they appear. (Signed) C. N. E, ELIOT, Inclosure 2 in No. 7. Budget tor 1888. Abstract of Receipts for 1888. Roubles. ' 1. From duties for right of trading, &c, , . , . 29,742,000 2. Duties for right of becoming an honourable burgess, §:c. , 24,000 3. Arrears and tines . . , , ' . . . . 2,000 4. Various contributions .. .. ., .. • 18,893 5. Money spent on repatriating Russian sailors, and retiirned ,. ,. .. .. .. 4,000 29,790,893 Details of Receipts in Budget of 1888. 1, (These figures refer to the numbering of the items in the Abstract.) Is composed of — Roubles. (a.) Duties for rights of trade and industry . . 22,900,000 (b.) Additional tax from mercantile documents 200,000 (c.) Additional percentage tax, and tax on objects exposed for sale ' . . ■ . . 6,642,000. Total .. .. .. .. 29,742,000 2. (a.) From duties for certificates of honourable burgesses ■ 22,000 (6.) From taxes for licences to merchap-tnien . . . , 2,000 Total .. .. .. .. 24,000 3. Arrears .. .. .. .. .. 1,000 Fines . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,000 Total ,. .. .. ,. 2,000 4. Various receipts — (a.) From the Stroganow Central School . . . . 2,122 (5) Sundries .. .. .. '. , 200 (c.) From nifrcantile Societies at Moscow ,, 671 (d.) From the Orlow Davydow School at Simbirsk . . .11,000 From Baron Sticglitz's school at St Petersburgh 5,000 Total ,, .. .. .. 18,893 5. As given in Abstract. Grand Total ,./ . . • •" . . ;29,790,S9 "'■ " i->J Roubles. Absteact of Expenses, 1888. ■• ' (A) 1. Maintenance of Department andothev bodies connected T '"V* ..-'.' 118,981 2. Inspection of factories . . . . , . ^ ^ 107 708 3. Educational establishments .. ..' ** lOo'sSG 4i To pension fund of the Department and bodies connected ' with it . . . , _ ^ ^ ^ Ego 5. Subsidies to Companies .. '.' '* *.' 0,249,596 6. Various expenses 284,475 (B.) Expenses of Collection. 1 To collection of duties for the right of trading . . 334 750 2. T9 giving patents, &c. . . , . . . . . 39I268 3; Compensation to Cossacks* .. .. .. 137 500 (C.) To repatriating sailors from merchantmen . . . ; 4,000 'I'otal .. .. ,, .. 3,377,206 Details of Expenditure, 1888. . . (A.) 1. («.) Staff of Department- Salaries — R. c. Director .. .. .. .. t7,176 00 Vice-Director .. .. ., 3,488 00 Heads of Departments^ 6 at 1,300 roubles, with various allow- ances extra .. .. .. 13,728 00 Head Accountant . . . . . . 1,594 00 11 Senior Clerks, at 700 roubles, with certain allowances .. .. 12,011 50 Head Chancery Clerk . . . . 897 00 Second ditto , . . . . . 498 50 13' Junior Clerks, at 500 roubles, with allowances . . . . . . 9,424 00 Precis Writer and Translator .. .. 1,794 00 Doctor . i . . . . . . 350 00 Broker .. .. .. .. 421 16 Expert for weights and measures .. 3.540 00 Keeper of ditto . . . . . . 450 00 For copying work ., .. .. 13,200 00 To Council of Trade and Manufactures . . 7,840 00 To the branch of same, in Moscow . . 1,868 00 To the Committee of Manufactures in Warsaw .. .. .. 2,000 00 Salaries to 30 Inspectors of Factories .. 71,208 00 Total for salaries .. .. 153,188 00 * The Cossacks formerly enjoyed the right of collecting dues within their terriloryj but now a compensation is paid them by the Government, f And rooms. 148 Pensions . . . , Stationery, postage, &o. Couriers and conciergeB . . Couriers' journeys . . To library in Moscow . , To forei(;n agents,* a:i engineer in Eastern Siberia, and an Inspector of naphtha works .. 18,155 00 To education of the cliildren of Departmental officials . . . . . . . . 3,650 00 E. c. 1,750 00 8,365 00 1,900 00 2,780 00 150 00 118,981 00 2. Expenses of factory inspection . . . . . . 107,981 00 3. To Stroganow School of Technical Drawing in Mos- cow .. .. .. .. ,. 30,351 00 Subsidies to — The Simbrisk School . . . . . . 26,985 00 Alexandrowski Technical School at Cherepovetz 39,980 00 The Mariinski Practical School of Laceworkers at St. Petersburgli . . .. . . 2,500 00 The Caucasian Company for encouraging artistic industry . . . . . . . . 70,000 00 4. As in Abstract. 5. Subsidies to Companies — 1. "Russian Company" of steamers and trade .. 803,528 00 2. Amur Steam-ship Company , , , . 341,000 00 3. To Shevelew's Steamer Company, on tte shores of the Primorskaja Province of Siberia . . 55,992 00 4. To the Black Sea and Danube Navigation Company^- (a.) Between Odessa and Sistova . . (b.) Between Odessa and Ismail . . 5. To the " Eavknz Merkurij " Steam-ship Com- pany on the Caspian . . 6. To the " Archangel Murman " Steam-ship Com- pany .. •• •• •• 7. To the "Kiachta" Steam-ship Company on Lake Baikal ^ .. 8. To the Libau-Westervik Steam-ship Company (Swedish) . . . . . . 9. To the "Volunteer Fleet Company" for steamers in the Far East Total of subventions to Companies . . 6. Various expenses — " Expenses useful to trade and industry '' (buying machines and models, acquiring information, &c.) . . . . ■ • • • Sundries . ■ . . . . Maintenance of harbours . . , . . . To museums . . . . . . . . 50,332 00 7,938 00 292.970 90 55,000 00 37,000 00 6,835 20 600,000 00 2,249,596 00 24,500 00 200 00 8,470 00 36,631 00 * Not Consuls, but agents of the Minister of Finance in London and a few otlier largo towns. 149 To verifying standard weights and measures .. 12.83*2 00 To the " Imperial Technical Society " . . 3 000 00 To the Salvage Society . . . . . ' 26^000 00 Assistance to persons leaving former Eussian Colonies in America ' . . ' . . . . j ggo 00 To the " Imperial Society for encouraging Navi- gation " . . ■ . . ■ . . . . 5^000 00 To refunding duties paid by ships' for passing the Suez Canal .. .. .. .. 159,500 00 To measuring merchantmen and classifying . . 3,600 00 To the Caucasian Division of the Bussian Tech- nical Society ^ .. ■ .. ■ .. .. 1,100 00 To the Imperial Society for the encouragement of Art . . . . . . ' . . ■ . . 2,400 00 To the Archangel branch of the "Ked Cross Society" ,. .. .. .. 500 OP 284,475 00 The remaining expenses are sufficiently explained in the Abstract. Budget of Department of Trade and Manufactures for 1887. • Keceipts. Roubles. 1. Taxes for permission to trade, &c. (after deducting 334,760 roubles for cost of collection) . , . . 26,953,250 2. Taxes fgr certificate as " honourable burgess," and for merchant shipping . . . . . . . . 26,000 3. Arrears and fines . . . . . . , . 4,000 4. Various .. .. .. .. ,. 18,905 5. Money repaid for expenses incurred in repatriating Bussian sailors ' . . . . . . . . 2,000 Total .. .. .. .. 27,004,155 The details are the same as in the Budget of 1888, the difierence being merely that the duties from tr&de for that year are higher. 150 Abstract of Expenses, 1887. (A.) 1 . Maintenance of Department, Moscow Committee, &p. 2. Factory inspection . . , , . , 3. Educational establishments . . 4. Subsidies to Companies 5. Various , , . . . . . . (B.) For Collection cf Revenuts. 1. To expenses of collecting taxes for permission to trade, OIC» •• «» a« «« «« 2. To giving out patents . . . . . . . * 3. To Cossacks .. .. .; .; ,i (C.) To repatriating Russian sailors Total Roubles. 118,279 107,924 100,652 1,529,261 284,821 334,750 17,000 137,500 2,000 2,632,187 Details of Expenses. Number of Persons. R. c. Deta'ds of Departmental Salaries. Diicclor .. .. ■ Vice-Director .. .. _ .. Hci;ds of Departments and of Chancery Head of Department of Accounts , . rirst Class Clerks . . Senior Chancery Clerk' .. " .. .. Junior Chancery Clerk ' . . Second Class Clerks . . " . . Doctor . . . . . . Broker .. .. '.^ .. Curator of model weights and nieasures , . Inspector of weights and measures . . ' . . Copying-work, &c. iiditor and Translator 1 1 6 1 11 1 1 13 1 1 1 1 • • 2 7,176 00 3,500 00 13,188 00 1,600 00 12,050 00 900 00 600 00 9,450 00 350 00 421 16 3,540 00 450 00 13,200 00 1,800 00 Total .. 41 68,125 16 Council of Trade and Manufactures . . 7 12,760 00 Council of Trade and Manufacture at Mos- cow — Secretary .. Assistant Secretary .. Chancery servants . . 1 1 3 786 00 442 00 643 00 Total • « 1,872 00 151 Number of Persons. R. c. Committee of Manufactures in Waigaw — Secretary 1 2,000 00 Inspeetion of Factories — Chief Inspector District Inspectors Assistant District Inspectors 1 9 20 4,960 00 26,784 00 39,680 00 Total 30 71,424 00 Pensions Stroganow Central School of Technical Draw- Director „ for his journeys Head Master Secretary and Accountant Mistress of female school . , Masters 4 1,700 00 1 i 1 1 1,968 00 500 00 1,180 00 540 00 500 00 10,300 00 Total •• 14,988 00 Expenses. Item, Assigned for 1886. Proposed for 1887. Departmental salaries. Council of Trade and Manufactures, Division of Trade and Manu- facture in Moscow, Committee of Manu- facture in Warsaw, foreign agents, and Pensions as given in above Schedule Stationery, postal expenses, and for increase of Staff if necessary Couriers and concierges Couriers' horses and journeys Library (at Moscow) Aeents abroad and engineer in Eastern Siberia For education of childreji of clerks in the Department, and keeping of the pensioners of Department Factory inspection . ; . . Stroganoff School at Moscow Eoubles, 85,186 Roubles. 84,737 8,365 1,900 2,780 150 8,365 1,900 2,780 150 20,141 16,847 3,900 108,084 30,592 3,500 107,924 30,602 152 Item. Assigned for 1886. Proposed for 1887, Subsidies to learned bodies — 1. Simbirsk School for Trades ,„ 2. Alexandrowski Technical School at Cherepowetz 3. Mariinski School of Laceworkers at St. Petersburgh. . 4. Caucasian Society for the encourage- ment of the Arts Roubles. • • • • • • Roubles.,, 27,000 40,000 2,500 650 Total 70,050 70,050 Subsidies to Companies* . . Sundries — For encouraging commerce and industry , , This comprises such items as getting machines, models, drawings, &c., and covering the expenses incurred by Consuls abroad. Various trifling expenses (apparently extra stationery) For harbours (Odessa and Petrowski on the Caspian) . . , , To museums To verifying weights and measures To the Imperial Technical Society Subsidy to the Salvage Company To persons leaving the former Russian Colonies in America Subsidy to the Imperial Society for assisting Russian sea trade . . Paid to the owners of Russian ships to repay the Suez Canal duties For measuring Russian ships by the Mur- som system Subsidy to the Caucasian section of the Russian Technical Society . . To the Imperial Society for encouraging Arts 1,586,784 1,529,261 20,750 200 8,478 37,411 11,832 3,000 26,800 1,500 5,000 159,500 5,000 1,100 1,500 . 23,500 200 8,478 37,411 11,832 3,000 26,800 1,500 5,000 159,500 5,000 1,100 1,500 Total 292,071 284,821 0. * These Companies are — E. 1. The Russian Steam-ship and Mercantile Com- pany .. .. .. .. 803,528 00 2. The Amur Steam-ship Company . , . . 263i500 OO 3. To M. Shevelew, for steam-ship communica- tion along the Primorskaja Province . . 55,992 00 4. The filack Sea-Danube Steamer Company . . 58,270 00 5. The Kavkaz-Merkurij Steamer Company on the Caspian Sea ' . . . . . , 292,970 90 153 Item. Assigned for 1886. Proposed for 1887. Expenses of collecting revenues — • For transaction of such legal concerns the Department Additions to the sums assigned ment (for collection, &c.) Giving of patents To Cossacks To repatriating sailors business as by Govern- • • • • • * • a . • • • • • • • Roubles. 142,250 192,500 17,000 137,500 2,000 Roubles. 142,250 192,500 17,000 137,500 2,000 Grand total 2,701,253 2,632,187 Budget poe 1886. Abstkact of Receipts of Department of Trade and Manufactures. Taxes for right of trading (less 335,000 roubles for expenses of collection) . . Taxes for rights of honorary burgess privileges . . . . Arrears and fines . . . . . . , . . , Various .. .. .. .. .. .. Money spent on repatriating Russian seamen, and returned to Department . . . . . . Total Roubles. 24,756,000 27,000 5,000 21,000 2,000 24,811,957 Abstract of Expenses. (A.) Salaries of Department, of Council of Trade and Manu- factures at St. Petersburgh and Moscow, of the Com- mittee of Manufactures at Warsaw, foreign agents and pensions . . . . . . . . . , Inspection of factories . . . . . . . . Schools and other scientific establishments Subsidies of Companies of Shareholders Various expenses . . . . . . (B.)— Expenses of collecting Revenue. Collection of taxes for right to trade . . , . For giving patents . . . . , . To Cossacks To repatriating Russian sailors Total (C.) Roubles. 122,322 78,084 100,642 1,543,940 281,565 335,000 17,000 137,500 2,000 2,618,053 154 Budget for 1885. Abstract of Eeceipts. Duties for right of trading, &c., minus cost of collection (465,404 roubles) . . . . . . Taxes for certificates of honourable burgesses . . . . Arrears and fines . . , . . . . . t Various . . . . . . . . . . Money spent on re])atr'at!ng Russian seameiij and refunded to the Department .. .. .. .. Total . . . . i. Roubles. 121,239,596 24,000 12,000 16,989 2,000 21,294,585 Abstract of Expenses. (A.) Roubles. Salaries of the Department, the Council of Trade and Manufactures at St. Petersburgh and Moscow, the Com- mittee of Manufactures at Warsaw^ the agents in foreign countries, and pensions . . . . . . 99,615 Inspection of factories . ; . . . . . . 78,084 Schools and other scientific establishments ■ . . .. 140,674 Subsidies to Companies of Shareholders .i .. 1,556,984 Various expenses . . . . ' . . , . . . 264,398 (B.) — Collection of Duties, Collection of duties for the right -of trading- ,. .* 327,904 Expenses in connection with granting of patents . . 17,000 To Cossacks • .. .. ■ .. ■ .. .. 137,500 (C.) Money expended on tepatriating Russian sailors , , 2,000 Total .. .. .. .. 2,624,159 Budget por 1884. Abstract of Eeceipts. Taxes for right to trade, niiiius 465,404 roubles for expenses of collection , . . . . . , , Taxes for certificates of honorary barges; es . , ,, Arrears and fines . . - . . - . . - . . ■ . . Various . . Money spent on repatriating Russian sailors, and refunded to the Department . . . . , . , . Roubles. 20,846,596 22,000 12,000 13,893 2,000 Total- 20,896,480 155 Abstract of Expenses. (A.) Salaries of Department, of the Council of Trade and Manufactures in St. Petersburgli and Moscow, of the Committee of Manufactures at Warsaw, foreign agents, and pensions . . Inspection of factories Sahools and scientific establishments , . Subsidies to Companies of Shareholders Various expenses . , (B.) — Expenses of Collection. Collecting taxes for right of trading . . . . Expenses in connection with granting patents. . To Cossacks . . . . . . . . (C.) Money spent on repatriating sailors Total lioubles. 94,021 25,864 125,640 1,244,296 285,577 327,904 17,000 137,500 2,000 2,260,002 ( 156 ) No. 8. PORTUGAL. Mr. Petre to the Marquis of Salisbury. — {Received November 5.) My Lord, Lisbon, October 25, 1888. I HAVE the honour to transmit herewith a Report, drawn up by Sir George Bonham, on the organization of the Ministry of Puhlio Works, Commerce, and Industry, in conformity with the instructions contained in your Lordship's Circular despatch of the 3rd August. I have, &c. (Signed) GEORGE G. PETRE. Inclosure in No. 8. Report by Sir G. Bonham on the Ministry of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry in Portugal. 1. The official title of the Minister performing the duties connected with the Department of Commerce is "O Ministro e Secretario d'Estado dos Negocios das Obras Publicas, Commercio, e Industria," which may be translated " the Minister and Secretary of State for Affairs relating to Public Works, Commerce, and In- dustry." 2. The Department was created by an Act of the Cortes, dated 30th August, 1852, under its present official title ; and it .then consisted of — A Secretary-General's Office and Minister's Private Cabinet ; A Department for Public Works and Mines ; A Department for Commerce, Agriculture, and Manufactures ; An Accountant's Office. 157 3. By a scheme of reorganization, which received the Eoyal sanction on the 28th July, 1886, the affairs directed by the Ministers intrusted with this Depart- ment are divided into four principal branches, each of which is presided over by a Director- General. These are — The Department of Public Works and Mines ; The Department of Agriculture ; The Department of Commerce and Industry ; The Department of Posts, Telegraphs, and Light- houses. In addition to these, there is an Accountant's Office attached to the Ministry, but it is considered to be a section of the head Department for the management of the accounts of the kingdom. Although the Department of Commerce and Industry would appear to be the one with regard to which information is more especially required, those dealing respectively with Public Works and Mines, and Agri- culture, bear a sufficient resemblance to similar Depart- ments included in the Board of Trade as to render a description of them useful. The Department of Public Works and Mines is com- posed of three sections — (1.) Kelating to Boads, Hydraulic Works, and Public Buildings. (2.) Railways. (3.) Mines. The first comprises not only the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges, and the legal work they entail, but also works connected with harbours, canals, rivers, &c., such as the construction and main- tenance of dykes, locks, preservation of river banks, irrigation, and drainage ; under public buildings are included national and other artistic monuments. The second embraces all the multifarious business, both technical and commercial, connected with railways and^the projection of new lines, such as the regulation of rates, the auditing of accounts, the revision of bye-laws, the emission of bonds, as well as the supervision of the construction and maintenance of the lines themselves, and the rolling-stock. The third section, relating to mines, comprises all the formalities consequent on their first discovery, such 158 as the granting of licences and registration of titles, the duties of inspection, and the settlement of rates ; also the geological duties connected with mines and mineral wateis. The Agricultural Department is dinded into two sections, dealing respectively with agriculture and agricultural instruction. The first relates to agricultural produce, the trade, consumption, and markets for cereals ; the rules relating to cultivation ; legislation relating to mills ; exhibitions; agricultural Commissions ; questions connected with the production of wine ; the wine trade and markets ; the treatment of vines ; all legislation relating to cattle, cattle diseases, fairs, markets, &c. ; also pisciculture, oyster-beds, salt-pans, &c. The second section, relating to forestry and agricul- tural instruction, comprises the General School of Agri- culture, model farms, and practical schools ; plantations, and aU general E-egulations and legislation relating to forests ; the farming of pine forests and heaths, and the technical staff connected w^ith this branch of the Service, In Portugal the Department of Posts, Telegraphs, and Lighthouses forms an important part of the Ministry of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry; but as it has no counterpart in the Board of Trade, and as there can be no intention to include it in that Office, I have not thought it necessary to analyze its constitution. The Department of Commerce and Industry, respect- ing which it may be presumed that information is prin- cipally required, is divided into three divisions : the first, relating to commerce, being divided into two sections; the second, relating to industry, into two more ; and the third, relating to statistics, into three — in all seven sections. Section 1 of the Department of Commerce is charged with the examination and approval of the Articles of Association of all those Joint Stock Companies which are bound by law to submit them to the approbation of the Government; all proceedings relating to the legal existence in Portugal of foreign Joint Stock Companies : the registration of Joint Stock Companies; the collection and publication of the balance-sheets of banks and banking Companies ; all questions relating to the money market ; the examination and approval of the bye-laws 159 of all savings banks, " monts-de-pi^t^," and mutual relief Societies, and of any other Association based upon the principles of mutual assistance and prudence ; the regis- tration of co-operative Societies and of their Articles of Association; the compilation of statistical information under the above headings ; the drawing up, registration, and issuing of all diplomas bearing upon the business transacted by the Section ; and the preparation of all Laws and Regulations connected therewith. Section 2 of the Departmeiit of Commerce is intrusted with the examination and approval of the bye-laws and Articles of Association of all commercial Associations and Societies for the promotion of commerce ; the col- lection of information upon commercial matters ; publi- cations advantageous to commerce; all business con- nected with exchanges and markets ; official auctioneers, and the collection and publication of their official lists of quotations on the Stock Exchange ; the granting of subsidies to enterprises of a commercial nature the objects of which are public improvements depending upon this Ministry ; the General Council of Commerce, Industry, and Manufactures ; the compilation of statistics bearing upon the business above described ; the drawing up, registration, and granting of all diplomas connected with the business transacted by this Section; the preparation of all Laws and Regulations connected therewith. Section 1 of the Department of Industry treats of everything connected with trade-marks; it decides all points connected with the granting of letters patent for inventions ; it is further charged with the collection of information upon industries; all matters relating to national, international, and industrial Exhibitions ; all Treaties and Conventions relating to industrial proprie- tary rights ; the compilation of statistics connected with the business of the Department, as well as the prepara- tion of all Laws and Regulations relating to it ; and the drawing up, registration, and emission of all diplomas connected therewith. Section 2 of the Department of Industry is intrusted with the examination and approval of the bye-laws or Articles of Association of all Societies for promoting the development and improvement of industry ; professional, industrial, and commercial instruction ; all business [749] M 160 relating to industrial museums and industrial designing ; the employment of children in the different industries ; the drawing up, registration, and emission of all diplomas connected with the business of this Section ; the compila- tion of statistical information relating to these subjects ; the preparation of all Laws and Regulations connected with the business of the Section. Section 1 of the General Statistical Department is intrusted with the supervision and final preparation of the statistical information supplied by the different sections of the various internal and external depen- dencies of the Ministry; the preparation and. publica- tion of the various forms and systems to be employed in the compilation of these statistics by the respective Sections ; the drawing up, registration, and granting of all diplomas connected with the business under its charge ; and the preparation of all Laws and Regulations bearing upon the above matters. Section 2 of the General Statistical Departme^it is charged with the final preparation of the statistics furnished by the different Ministries and by any other branch of the public service ; the collection of statistical documents of a general nature; the compilation and publication of the " Annuario Estatistico de Portugal " or "Portuguese Statistical Annual;" the drawing up, registration, and emission of all diplomas in connection with the business under its charge ; and the preparation of all Laws and Regulations bearing upon the above matters. Section 3 of the General Statistical Department is charged with all business relating to the Central Statis- tical Committee, and the District Committees of a like nature ; the Census, and any other investigations upon subjects dependent upon this or upon any other of the Ministries as the Government may determine; Statistical Congresses; the interchange with other countries of publications of a statistical nature; the drawing up, registration, and granting of all diplomas in connection with the business under its charge ; and the preparation of all Laws and Regulations upon the above matters. As already stated at the commencement of the reply to this query, the accounts are managed by a Depart- ment which is a branch of the General Department for 161 the Management of the Accounts of the Kingdom. It is divided into four Sections, the second of which is more particularly connected with the Departments of Commerce and Industry. Officially its duties are stated to be the distribution and authorization of all disbursements arising from the business intrusted to the Departments of Commerce and Industry, and of Agriculture; the examination and verification of all vouchers for such disbursements, and, in general, the transaction of all business relating thereto. 4. The most recent extension which this Department has undergone was that of the 28th July, 1886, by which the Postal, Telegraphic, and Lighthouse Departments were brought under its control. Down to 1880 the Postal and Telegraphic Departments had each a separate organization. A Hoyal Decree dated the 7th July of that year united them, but left them a distinct branch of the public service dependent upon this Ministry [i.e., of Commerce]. Their organization is now identical with that of the other Departments. 5. The entire Staff of this Ministry, as fi.xed by law, is divided into two distinct bodies : — (1.) The Staff of the Departments of Public Works and Mines, Agriculture, and Commerce and Industry, which consists of — 3 Directors-General, or Managers, of whom the senior in office is the Minister's Chief Secretary. 8 Superintendents. 6 Head Clerks. 10 Second Clerks. 10 Technical Superintendents of Sections, 36 Junior Clerks. 4 Designers. (2.) The Staff of the Postal, Telegraphic, and Light- house Department, which consists of — 1 Director-General or Manager. 1 Inspector-General of the Post Office. 1 Inspector-General of Telegraphs and Lighthouses, 6 Superintendents. 1 Civil Engineer Superintendent of a Section. 1 Keeper of Stores. In the Postal Section — 8 Head Clerks 8 Second Clerks 28 Under Clerks. [749] M 2 162 In the Telegraph Section — 5 Head Clerks. 6 Second Clerks. 28 Under Clerks. One of the Head Clerks or one of the Second Clerks from one or other of these bodies acts as Librarian and Keeper of the Archives of the Ministry ; and one of the Head Clerks or of the Second Clerks composing the first-mentioned body acts as Superintendent of Section in the Secretary's Office of the Consultatiye Board of Public Works and Mines. The inferior Staff comprises — 1 Hall Porter. 12 Waiters. 18 Sweepers. 2 Mounted Messengers, 2 Messengers on foot. The Mining Department has a Technical Staff at- tached to the Office, and the Agricultural Department has several employes, the number of whom can with difficulty be ascertained, as fresh posts are constantly being created to meet exigencies which have arisen from special causes, such as the diseases of the vine. The number of officials at present employed in the Departments of Commerce and Industry, which in this Report are assumed to be more especially the object of inquiry, are as follows : — In the Department of Commerce — 1 Superintendent. 1 Head Clerk. 1 Second Clerk. 5 Under Clerks. In the Department of Industry — 1 Superintendentr 2 Second Clerks. 6 Under Clerks. In the Statistical Office— 1 Superintendent. 3 Second Clerks. 7 Under Clerks. The subordinate Staff attached to these three Offices are — 2 Waiters. 1 Sweeper. 163 6. The post of Secretary-General to the Minister is, as has been stated in the preceding reply, filled hy the Senior Director-General. The Directors-General, or Managers, are, with one exception, named for life. They are not necessarily taken from the Department itself. Any person who is considered to possess the necessary qualifications may be appointed by the Government to these posts, the only restriction being with regard to the Director-General of Public "Works, who must be an engineer of the highest grade, and who is appointed on special commission. The Superintendents of Offices under the Director- General of the Department of Commerce and Industry are named by the Government for life, and may be selected from within or without the Office, provided that they have passed in the superior official course of edu- cation, and have given proof of scientific merit. The Superintendent of the Statistical Office is named on commission, and may be, if the Government think fit, a civil or military engineer. The Superintendents of Offices in the Agricultural Department are appointed for life at the free selection of the Government, but they should possess the diploma of having passed in the upper class of the National School of Agriculture, and have given proofs of scien- tific knowledge. The Head Clerkships of the Offices of Public "Works, and Mines, Commerce, and Industry, are filled by alter- nate competitions between the Second Clerks of those offices, and between Second Clerks and persons not in the Service, who, besides proving their competency for the post, must have previously passed in the superior official course of education. The Second Clerkships are filled in the same way as the Head Clerkships, by competition, the result of alter- nate examinations, to which (1) the Under Clerks in the Offices of Public "Works and Mines, Commerce and In- dustry, and Agriculture, only are admitted who have been for at least one year in official employment ; and (2) after examination, between the Under Clerks, to which persons who are not officially employed are ad- mitted, who must also not only show their, competency to fill the post, but have passed in the superior official course of education. 164 The posts of Technical Superintendents of Sections are filled, by individuals properly qualified for the respective posts, and selected by the Government from among Head and Second Clerks recommended for the posts by the Director- General of the Department. The Under Clerks are selected by open competition. They must be at least 18 years of age, and must have passed in the second official course of education, or they must have passed with honours in Portuguese, Prench or English, geography, arithmetic, and the elements of algebra. In filling vacancies in the Under Clerkships of the Secretary's Office, preference is given to the various sub- ordinate grades of unattached Writers and Under Clerks of the Postal and other Departments of Public Works. The general principles fixed by law for the competi- tive examinations above referred to are as follows : — The examinations are to be held in public every two years or oftener, as is stated hereafter ; the subjects selected being both theoretical and practical, suited to the particular posts the candidates aspire to, and adapted rather to show their general intelligence and capacity than their knowledge of the routine of any special Office. In the case of candidates already on the Staff of the Ministry, superior scientific knowledge, and more parti- cularly the competent discharge of their duties in the Office in which they have served, entitle them to pre- ference. Preference is given to outsiders who, besides passing the competitive examination, can present any extra scientific or literary qualifications, or j)roof of having served with aptitude in any Public Office. The Examiners are a Board composed of three Direc- tors-General, one of whom is Secretary-General, and three Superintendents of Offices appointed by the Minister. After perusing the papers presented by the candi- dates, a list is drawn up in order of merit according to the number of marks obtained, which is submitted to the Minister. This list is available for the purpose of filling up vacancies for two years from the date of the examiua- tions, which are held once every two years, or oftener, by special order of the Minister, whether vacancies occur or not. 165 7. The process.for tlie preparation of the Budget is as follows : — When the proper time arrives, each Director-General calls upon the Heads of the various Offices and public establishments, internal and external, under his manage- ment, to send in their estimates for tlie ensuing year. These are forwarded to the Office of Accounts attached to the Ministry, where they are arranged and condensed before being submitted to the Minister. When approved by the latter, they are sent on to the Head Office of Accounts. There the estimate^ of each Ministry are united to form the complete Budget, which, when put in proper form, is submitted to the Minister of Finance. In the event of his considering any altera- tion to be requisite in any of the Ministries, he either arranges it privately with the Minister to whose Office it relates, or the matter is discussed at a Council of Ministers. When considered to be in proper form, the Budget is presented by the Finance Minister to the Chamber of Deputies, and examined by a Committee previously to being discussed and voted. 8. It is impossible to fix from the published Budget the amount expended exclusively on the Departments of Commerce and Industry, one advantage of the collec- tive system being that the Clerks are changed from one Office to another in the same Ministry at the will of their superiors or as the press of business in any direction renders it advisable. Taking the Budget for 1886-87 we have— £ Salaries of the Minister and of the civil officials of all grades • . . . . . . . . . 6,983 Allowance for overtime in connection with the compi- lation of the statistical annual . . . • 455 Office of Accounts . . . . . . . . 2,674 ' Uncertain expenses, stationery, publishing statistics, &o. ., .. .. .. .. 3,070 Allowance for overtime in drawing up the accounts, preparation of Budgets, &c. . . . . . . 267 Total .. 13,454 This, however, includes the Civil Staff of Public Works and Mines, and also of Agriculture ; and by far the larger part of the expense of the Office of Accounts must be due to the first of these Departments. 166 The Budget of 1887-88, subsequent to the reorgani- zation, of this Ministry in 1886 is somewhat easier to deal with. Deducting the Minister's salary, 712/., the salaries of the clerical and subordinate Staffs of the three Depart- ments, Public Works and Mines, Commerce and Industry, and Agriculture amount to 10,873/., which, when divided equally between the three Departments, gives 3,624/. as the cost of each. The allowance for unforeseen expenses, and for overtime in connection with the compilation of the statistical annual, remain as before, 3,782/. for the entire Ministry, consisting of three Departments. The Budget for 1888-89 differs only from the pre- ceding estimate in the salaries of the Clerical Staff, amounting to an increase of about 150/., owing to increase of pay from length of service ; and in the allov«'ance for unforeseen expenditure, Avhich is placed at the aggre- gate sum of 5,555/. for the year. The most reliable estimates may be arrived at by giving the present Staff of the Department of Commerce and Industry, with their salaries as given in the Budget for the present year : — £ Minister .. .. .. .. 712 Department of Commerce — 1 Director-General 329 1 Superintendent ^ ^ 284 1 Head Clerk . . • • 200 1 Second Clerk . . 111 5 Under Cleiks, at 80^. . . . « 400 Department of Industry — 1 Superintendent • • 284 2 Second Class Clerks, at 11 1/. . . • * 222 5 Under Clerks, at 80/. . . 400 Statistical Office— 1 Superintendent . ■ 284 3 Second Clerks, at 11 H. .. 333 7 Under Clerks, at 80^. . . • ■ 560 2 Waiters, at 671. • 134 1 Sweeper . . , . ■ • 36 Total .. .. .. .. 3,577 This, it will be seen, is within a trifle of the result obtained by dividing the entire cost of the Ministry. To it should be added a proportionate share of the cost 167 of the Office of Accounts and of the allowance for unfore- seen expenses and overtime. There is no means of ascertaining the exact amount spent by any Department on printing, publishing, and stationery. Expenses under this head are included in the general item for unforeseen expenditure. ^ No special tax is levied for the support of this Ministry; but it adds a small amount to the revenue in the shape of fees for the granting of letters patent for inventions, for the registration of trade-marks, passing of certificates, and diplomas of various descrip- tions. 9. The Minister of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry has the sole initiative in almost all legislation afPecting his particular Department, and no other. The method adopted may perhaps be best explained by giving some examples. The Commercial Code recently adopted was prepared and presented to the Cortes by the Minister of Justice, and when passed was countersigned by the Ministers of Justice, of Marine and the Colonies, Foreign Affairs, and Public Works, Commerce, and Industry. A Law relating exclusively to mines was proposed and countersigned solely by the Minister of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry as affecting his Ministry alone. A Decree establishing a High Council of Commerce and Industry annexed to the Ministry of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry was countersigned by the Minister presiding over that Department only ; while a similar Decree of the same date, establishing a High Council for Statistics, which, although annexed to the Ministry of Public Works, would collect information from every Department of the public service, was counter- signed by all the Ministers, who consequently had each a part in its preparation. All Bills presented to Parliament are laid before one of the Committees of the Chamber of Deputies elected at the commencement of each Session for the purpose of examining them. 10. Commercial Treaties, and in fact all Treaties, are negotiated by the Minister for Poreign Affairs. Customs Tariffs, and questions relating thereto, are dealt with solely by the Minister of Pinance, except those relating 168 to the Colonies, which are originated by the Colonial Legislature, and are afterwards revised by the Ministers for the Colonies and for Finance. Commercial Treaties would have to be laid before the Council of Ministers, so that the Minister of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry would be heard thereon, but he would have no special initiative or right of veto. 11. Consular officers are in no way connected with or under the control of the Minister of Commerce. They are solely under the control of the Foreign Office. They are, however, permitted to correspond directly with other Departments, such as that of Commerce, but in that case they must inform the Foreign Department of the correspondence. There are no diplomatic officers specially charged with duties connected with trade. In questions relating to quarantine and sanitary matters Consuls correspond with the Home Department. 12. The total cost of the Consular Staff, according to the last Budget, is 82,240/,, which is made up as follows : — £ Salaries . . . . . . . . . , 56,300 Expenses of unpaid Consulates . . . . 2,440 Jixpenses of Consular Louses . , . . 23,500 82,240 Extraordinary expenses . . . . . . 7,570 Pensions .. .. .. .. 1,900 9,470 It is borne entirely on the Budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Consular Staff is composed as foUows : — Consuls-General belonging to the Consular Service (" Con- suls de carriers ") . . • • . . • • 4 Consuls of the first class, belonging to the Service . . 16 These receive salaries fixed by special Laws. Consuls of the second class who do not belong to the Service .. .• .. ■• .,13 Of these, 8 receive allowances for their personal expenditure and for that of the Consulate; 6 receive an allowance for the expenses of the Consulate only. These allowances are fixed, some by special Laws, some by the Organic Law. 169 There are also, not belonging to the Service Consuls-General . . . , . . . . 25 GonsTils .. .. .. .. !! 83 The above receive the fees of the Consulate. Yice-Consuls and Consular Agents . . . . . . 440 "Who receive half the office fees, the other half being being paid to the State if the superior Consul is one belonging to the Service (" Consul de caniere "), and to the Consul himself if he is not one belonging to the Service. 13. When the Ministiy of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry was first created in 1852, a Eoyal Decree of the same date appointed and annexed to the Ministry a Council-General of Commerce and Manufactures, which was constituted as follows : — President . . . . The Minister. Vice-President . . The Director-General, at that time the only one. Members . . . . Fifteen in number, to be appointed by the Government. Secretary . . . . The Superintendent of one of the Sections, to be appointed by the Government. • This Council was divided into three Sections : (1) Commerce, (2) Agriculture, (3) Manufactures. Each Section was composed of five members, with powers to elect their President and their Secretary. It had to give its opinion and the grounds for the opinion upon all matters, commercial, industrial, and agricultural, submitted to it by the Government, and, in the words of the Decree, it ought to be consulted upon all Laws, Decrees, and Regulations relating to commerce, agriculture, and manufactures, such as those with the object of putting down abuses ; of introducing improved methods of manufacture, as well as those intended to instruct the industrial classes ; to open out new markets for national produce ; to encourage artizans ; and, in fact, anything conducing to improve and perfect any branch of national industry. It continued under these conditions until 1887, when, by a Decree dated the 3rd Pebruary, it received the following organization : — President . . . . The Minister of Public Works, Com- merce, and Industry. 170 Vice-President . , The Director-General of the Depart- ment of Commerce and Industr}-. Members . . . . Six to be selected without restriction by the Government from among those individuals whom it con- siders to be most competent on matters connected with commerce and industry, half on each subject. Secretary . . . . One of the Superintendents of sec- tions of the Department of Com- merce and Industry. Its title was then clianged. to the High Council of Commerce and Industry. The suhjects upon which the Government may call for its opinion are : the granting of drawbacks ; the organization of commercial and industrial Associations ; the regime of banking institutions; matters connected with the money market ; stock and commercial exchanges ; ofiBcial auctioneers ; matters connected with trade-marks, industrial proprietary rights, and the granting of patents for inventions ; industrial and commercial Exhibitions ; Commission to acquire informa- tion both general and special, and the means of carrying them out ; regulating in general the hours of labour in manufactories, and more particularly as regards women and children ; the development of existing commercial relations and the opening , out of new markets ; the attainment of more rapid means of communication and transport; tariffs for the conveyance of merchandize; measures tending to attract foreign commerce to Portuguese ports ; and all other subjects of a similar or any other nature upon which the Government may think fit to ask its opinion. It ought always to be consulted — (1.) Upon drawback to be allowed upon foreign produce, which, having been worked up in Portuguese manufactories, are re-exported to foreign countries or to the Colonies. (2.) Upon the organization of national industrial Exhibitions ; and upon the advisabilityof Portugal being officially represented at foreign Exhibitions. (3.) Upon the establishment or alteration of the rates for the conveyance of merchandize by rail in the mother country. (4.) Upon the methods to be adop.ted for obtaining 171 information as to the state of the diflEerent industries anl the condition of markets. (5.) Upon the granting of .subsidies to enterprises for realizing public improvements of a commercial or industrial nature dependent upon the Miaistry of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry. (6.) Upon all matters upon which it may be required by Laws or Regulations or by the decision of the Govern- ment to report. (7.) Upon all Eegulations the Government may think fit to promulgate relating to — (a.) The regime of banking institutions or the money market. (6.) Trade-marks, industrial proprietary rights, or patents for inventions. (c.) Labour in manufactories in general, and especially the labour of women and children in all industries. The services of the members of this Council are gratuitous. Another permanent body of a commercial nature attached to this Ministry is the "Camera dos Corretores," or Chamber of Official Auctioneers, which, in Lisbon, consists of — 4 auctioneers for the sale of stocks, shares, bills, &c. upon 'Change. 6 auctioneers for the sale of merchandize. 2 auctioneers for the sale of vessels. These are all appointed for life by the Minister ,of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry. 14. The Minister does not, as far as I have been able to ascertain, exercise any direct control over Chambers of Commerce, or, to speak with strict accuracy. Commercial Associations, as neither Chambers of Com- merce nor Syndical Chambers exist in Portugal. At the same time, the Eoyal Decree approving the last Statutes of the Lisbon Commercial Association, which is countersigned by the Minister of Public Works, Com- merce, and Industry, expressly states that the approval can be withdrawn if they in any way depart from the objects of the institution, if they fail to maintain its Statutes, or fail to send annually to the Director- General's Department of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry the Eeport and accounts of the last 172 economical year. This would seem to imply a certain supervision. These Commercial Associations are voluntary, not official bodies. The following is, I believe, a complete list, showing the numbers (1) in the kingdom proper, (2) in the adjacent islands, (3) in the Colonies : — Lisbon. Setubal. Oporto. Funcbnl. Vianna de Castello. Ponta Delgada. Braga. Angra de Heroigmo. Coimbra. Horta. Guimaraes. Loanda. Figueira da Foz. San Thiago do Cabo Verde Santarem. The only ones of real importance are those of Lisbon and Oporto; and though the latter is perhaps more influential, the former may be taken as a type of all the others. The Lisbon Commercial Association consists of about 400 members, who represent the higher class of com- mercial men of all nationalities in the city of Lisbon. Its first Articles of Association were drawn up in 1864, but a reorganization was effected in 1887. The conditions of membership are regulated by the Statutes ; there being two categories of members, ordi- nary and honorary, the former become such on election and payment of an annual subscription of 11. 6s. Sd., the latter are those elected on account of services to the commercial class. Election is by ballot, after nomi- nation by a member. All merchants of Lisbon are eligible to this Association, whatever their nationality, as are also the Directors of Joint Stock Companies, Managers of banks, banking or commercial establish- ments, official auctioneers, commercial agents, captains of vessels employed on long voyages, and commercial firms or Companies who may be represented by one of their partners. The object of the Association is to supply to com- merce and navigation a centre which will investigate the requirements of each, defend their rights, and advance everything which directly or indirectly can con- tribute to their welfare. Any surplus funds which 173 remain, after the expenses of the building in which the Exchange is held are provided for, are applied to works of advantage to commerce or to the Association itself. 15. The Minister is under no obligation to consult the Commercial Associations, nor have the Associations any right to approach the Government, except by- Petition. Their action has on several occasions been considered (although not unanimously) to have been beneficial. The Lisbon Association more especially has often been consulted by both the Ministers of Public Works, Commerce, and Industry, and by the Minister of Finance. As examples of important results arising from this energetic action may be mentioned : the improvements which are now being carried on at the port of Lisbon, which are to a great extent due to the incessant efforts of the Association ; and the harbour works at Leixoes, the result of similar action on the part of the Commercial Association at Oporto. The representations of the Lisbon Association have also had a good effect in inducing the Government to abandon what is, I believe, generally thought to have been an ill-considered project with regard to the estab- lishment of a free port at the mouth of the Tagus. The extreme inconvenience which would arise if tbe mercan- tile community were obliged to have two establishments, besides the great and unnecessary expenditure resulting from the construction of such a free port at the same time as the new docks and harbour works at Lisbon, which would themselves include all the advantages of a free port, such as the facilities for re- exportation afforded by bonded warehouses, &c., are well set forth in a Petition from the Lisbon Association which induced the Government to abandon the scheme. The Annual Eeport for 1887 shows that the Associa- tion approached the Government on several other occa- sions, such as with regard to the abolition of security given by ships bound for Africa that they will not engage in Slave Trade; against an excesssve coinage of bronze money ; against a reduction of the protection hitherto granted in favour of coffee grown in San Thom6 ; calling attention to the duty levied on rice, and to certain imperfections in the Regulations of the new Tariff which relate to tares. 174 Considerable space is also given to the Report of the. Commission on the new Commercial Code. 16. There are no Commercial Associations of any kind besides those I have described above. All such Associations must have their Statutes approved by the. Ministry. 17. A large number of statistical and other docu- ments of public interest are published from time to time, by this and other Departments, in the " Diario do Governo," or oflBcial Gazette, which most public institu- tions or employes are compelled by law to subscribe to. Its size is about that of the " London Gazette," the price, which varies from day to day according to the amount of matter it contains, being, for the sale of single numbers, calculated at about 2d. for each four pages. I am only acquainted with two special publications of a statistical nature emanating from this Department, the " Annuario Estatistico " and the " Boletim da Pro- priedade Industrial." The latter is a small statement, published monthly, of the trade-marks registered, the patents granted for new inventions, and the patents which have lapsed during that period. It is not on sale, but is distributed to Public Ofl&ces and to Deputies. The " Annuario " was ordered by law to be pub- lished every year. It was first brought out in 1877, the information it contained referring to 1875. It was not sold to the general public. The next "Annuario" appeared in 1886. It con- tained 830 large-sized pages, containing most valuable information, and was ordered to be* sold at 1,000 reis, or 4s. 6d. But few copies were taken. In the following year it again appeared, slightly reduced in bulk, and was offered for sale at 700 reis, or 3s. Id., each copy. The sale was still small, probably owing to the work not being advertised. All these works are supplied gratuitously to public libraries and other institutions when applied for. 18, There is not, as far as I have been able to ascer- tain, any special information beyond that mentioned in the preceding answer supplied through the Ministry to traders. 19. There is a general impression among Portuguese statesmen and the Heads of the respective Departmients 175 that the Ministry of Public Works, Commercej and Industry, in consequence of the great influx of work created by iiiCreased communications with other coun- tries and modern improvements and necessities, has grown too unwieldy in its present state. The time is probably not far distant when the Departments of Public Works and Mines, and that of the Postal Services, will be formed into one Ministry, while Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture will form a separate Department. 20. The extent to which the Government exercises supervision in commercial matters may be gathered from the answers given to the foregoing questions. It has been pointed out that Commercial Associations have no direct initiative, but that it is customary for the Government, when framing any important measure, to invite the opinion of such bodies, and it may be assumed that in commercial questions their support is of con- siderable importance. In Portugal the influence of these Associations has hitherto been exerted in an exclusively protectionist direction. It may be observed that there are many subjects dealt with by the Department of Public Works, Com- merce, and Industry which in England are placed under the supervision of more or less unofB.cial bodies. Por instance, questions relating to drainage, the preser- vation of river-banks, the maintenance of public buildings, including national and artistic monuments, are either managed by Local Authorities, Highway Boards, or Conservancy Boards, under the supervision of the Local Government Board, or they are neglected. The functions of the Hallway Department appear to correspond closely with those exercised on a larger scale by the Board of Trade, but they do not include such extraneous matters as Art Unions and Industrial Exhibitions, which are, however, dealt with in their proper Sections. The Agricultural Department in Portugal forms an important Section of this Ministry, comprising, as has been shown, not only everything relating to agriculture, but also to cattle disease, fisheries, oyster-beds, &c., the extent to which agriculture is dealt with in the Board of Trade being, I understand, limited to the compilation of statistics, whereas cattle disease is dealt with in the Privy Council OflBice, and fisheries have [749] N 176 lately become a separate Department of the Board of Trade. Forestry and agricultural instruction are not, I believe, under Government supervision in England, where, however, the science of farming is much further advanced than in Portugal. In a country, however, in which the production of wine is of such vital iniportaneei, Goyernment supervision is doubtless very beneficial. Foreign and Colonial Tariffs are not dealt with in the Ministry of Commerce as they are in the Board of Trade, and I have found that the most interesting and most recent statistics relating to foreign trade are those published by the Custom House. It will have been observed that a considerable portion of the business of the Department is connected with Joint Stock Companies, and also with the granting of subsidies to commercial enterprises. The present arrangement by which the Department of Posts and Telegraphs forms part of the Ministry of Commerce will probably not continue after the former has become suflBciently important from a financial point of view to render its independence desirable. The relations between the Foreign Department and that of Commerce and Industry in the negotiation of Commercial Treaties corresponds to the system prevail- ing in England since 1872 between the Foreign Office and the Board oi Trade. ( 177 ) No. 9. SPAIN. Mr. Gosling to the Marquis of Salisbury. — (^Received September 28.) My Lord, Madrid, September 24, 1888. With reference to my despatch of the 6th ultimo, replying to your Lordship's Circular despatch of the 3rd ultimo, instructing me to ohtain certain information relative to the organization and functions of the Ministry of Commerce in Spain, I have the honour to transmit herewith answers to the list of questions inclosed in the said despatch by Mr. Carnegie, Attach^ to Her Majesty's Embassy, which wiU, I venture to think, meet with your Lordship's approval. I have, &c. (Signed) AUDLEY GOSLING. Inclosure in No. 9. Answers to Questions in Foreign Office Circular of August 3, 1888. 1. " MiNiSTRO DE EoMENTo" is the title borne by the Minister who performs most of the duties connected with commerce — commerce being one of the sub- departments of the " Eomento." 2. By Royal Decree, 28th January, 1847, [749] N ? 178 3. The Ministry of "Pomento" is divided into the several Departments of — Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce. Puhlic "Works. Public Instruction. Geographical and Statistical Institute. 4/. None. 5. Por the Department of Industry, Agriculture, and Commerce the stafE consists of the following : — Supreme Council .. .. •• .• 87 Agriculture — Agricultural Institute . . • . 60 Forestry . , . . . . 671 Industry — Engineers . . . . . . 243 Mines . . . . . . > . 33 Various schools for mining, &c. . . 21 731 297 Commerce , . . . . . . . . . 9 Total staflf .. .. .. ,. 1,124 6. Appointments are made by the Minister. 7. The departmental Estimates of this Ministry are prepared by the Minister of " Pomento" himself, by whom they are then submitted to the Ministry of Pinance (which receives those of all the Ministries) for revision ; thence it is sent to the Prime Minister, who lays it before the Cortes for discussion, modification, and, if thought proper, definite approval. 8. The Estimates for the Ministry of "Pomento" for the last three years amounted to — Years. Pesetas. £ s. d. 1886-87 1887-88 1888-89 104,449,585 = 4,177,983 8 4 103,912,367 4,156,494 14 2 100,844,757 4,033,790 5 10 in which are included the Estimates for the Department of Agriculture, Industry, and Commerce, with which we are dealing, for the same period : — 179 Years. 1886-87 In which is merce , 1887-88 In which is merce included for Com included for Com- 1888-89 In which is included for Com- merce Personal. Pesetas. 3,319,300 27,050 3,089,050 24,050 3,266,550 16,050 Material. Pesetas. 752,026 2,000 1,407,553 3,000 1,751,898 623,000 Total. Pesetas. jE 4,071,326 = 162.853 29,050 4,496,603 27,050 5,018,448 639,050 1,162 179,864 1,082 200,738 25,562 9. The Minister of " Eomento" lias the control over such subjects of legislation as are connected with the various Departments of his Ministry, such as those aflFecting Agriculture, Forests, Mines, Public Works, Education, and Commerce. The Minister is empowered, firstly, to present drafts of Laws to the Cortes, having previously submitted them to the " Council of Ministers," and to the approval of the Sovereign ; and, secondly, to order the applicatioix of such Iiaws by means of Royal Decrees and Eoyal Orders. 10. The Minister of "Fomento" does not interfere in the arrangement of Commercial Treaties ; their nego- tiation is carried out by the Minister of State in con- junction with the Minister of Finance. These Treaties are submitted to the Council of State for advice, and then to the Cortes. The Customs Tariffs are under the control of the Ministry of Finance. The Minister of State discusses Commercial Treaties with the foreign Minister accredited to the Court of Spain, or through the Spanish Representative abroad. The proposed Convention is then submitted to thfr Council of Ministers for advice, and laid before both. Houses of the Legislature, who grant its ratification. 11. The Spanish Consular Body is entirely under the control of the Ministry of State, but it is obliged to perform any special services that may be required by other Departments, communicating directly with them. 12. The cost of the Consular Service in the year 1888-89 was fixed at 1,080,500 pesetas (43,220Z.) for salaries, and 297,500 pesetas (11,900Z.) for material, i.e., 180 buildings, printing, pubKshing, &c., giving a total of 1,378,000 pesetas (55,100Z,). This expenditure figures in the Estimates for the Ministry of State. The Consular Body consists of — Pesetas. ' £ n Consuls-General, each .. .. 10,000 = 400 22 Consuls, first class, jeach . . . . 7,500 300 40 Consuls, second class, each . . . . 5,000 200 66 Vice-Consuls, each' .. .. .. 3^000 120 139 total Consuls paid. I The Spanish Consular Agents abroad (those above xaentioned included) number 761. 13. The Minister of " Fomento " is not in communi- cation with commercial men through any Council or per- manent body, excepting in the case of the Chambers of Commerce (for which see Answer 14). 14. The Minister of " Fomento " exercises over the Chambers of Commerce the powers that are conferred on him by the Royal Decree of the 9th April, 1886. By this Decree he is empowered to authorize and regulate the establishment of these Chambers in various towns of importance. These Chambers correspond directly with the Minister of "Eomento." Should Government assistance be re- quired for any undertaking they may deem advisable for the furtherance of trade in the locality, they forward Petitions or make suggestions for the erection of public buildings, or for the making or improvement of har- bours, roads, &c. These Petitions are laid by the Minister before the Houses of Legislature, in the form of Projects of Law, by whom they are modified or approved of definitely. There are Chambers of Commerce in all the principal sea-port towns, and in most of the principal capitals. To belong to a Chamber of Commerce it is neces- sary — (1.) To be Spanish. (2.^ To be a merchant, mechanic, or ship-owner. (3.) To have paid direct taxes to the State for five years for one of these businesses. (4.) To contribute to the Chamber as much as is determined by the E/regulations. 15. The Government must consult the official 181 Chanibers of Commerce on proiects of Gommetcial and Navigation Treaties, reforms of the Tariffs, the creation of Commercial Exchanges, and the organization and method of ^ving mercantile, industrial, and shipping instruction. ■ The creation of these Chambers of Commerce being of recent date, it is as yet impossible to judge of the results that their advice or Reports may have produced. 16. There' are no Syndical Chambers in Spain, and any other mercantile Associations there are have no official relations with the Minister. 17. The Minister of " Fomento" publishes annually a Memorandum on Public Works, comprising railways and high roads, &c., which is distributed gratuitously among the various Government Offices, the Spanish and foreign Diplomatic Body, and certain private indivi- duals. A Gazette on Public "Works and Public Instruction is also published every month. The academies, and other centres in connection with the Ministry of "Pomento" also issue special publications. The Minister of Pinance publishes an official Gazette respecting Tariff and Customs Regulations three times a-month ; each copy is sold at the price of one penny. Matters concerning trade are also published in the daily official Gazette by various Ministries ; Quarantine Regulations by the Ministry of the Interior ; shipping matters by the Ministry of Marine. 18. No special information is given to traders by the Minister of " Pomento," or received by him from them, except in certain cases, as when the Government require information from private sources, when they make a special request. But all services thus rendered are gratuitous. 19. No criticisms calling for any remark have been passed on the Ministry of "Pomento." It merely superintends commercial matters, and any initiative for extending its scope has apparently proceeded from the Government, who have lately established Spanish Chambers of Commerce in several foreign capitals for the purpose of promoting the trade of the country. The Minister of "Pomento," however, has quite recently issued a Royal Order, the object of which is to promote the better cultivation of the vine and to improve the system of wine -making. Another Royal Order 182 from the same Department deals with the question of silk culture in Spain. 20. The supervision and control of commercial matters in Spain are so much diyided among various Govern- ment Departments that any comparison between the Board of Trade and the Commercial Department of the " Fomento," or any other Department dealing with com- mercial matters, is impossible. All shipping interests are regulated by the Ministry of Marine, while quaran- tine matters belong to the Ministry of the Interior, and Customs Tariffs, &c., to the Ministry of Finance. Commercial matters in Spain receive but scant attention from Government, and the enormous increase in the trade of the country of late years is due far more to private enterprise, and to the energy of the Chambers of Commerce, than to any assistance rendered by the Government. (Signed) L. D. CAflNEGIE, Attache to Her Majesty's Embassy, Madrid. September 24, 1888. ( 183 ) No. 10, SWITZERLAND. Mr. Leveson-Gower to the Marquis of Salisbury. — {Received February 4.) My Lord, Berne, January 18, 1889. I HAVE the honour to forward herewith to your Lordship answers to the questions on the subject of the constitution and functions of the Ministry of Commerce in this country, which were called for in your Lord- ship's Circular of the 3rd August last, together with eleven inclosures bearing on the subject. I have, &c. (Signed) ARTHUR J. Q. LEVESON- GOWER. Inclosure in No. 10. Answers to Questions respecting the Constitution of the Ministry of Commerce. 1. Ebderal Councillor, Head of Department for Foreign Affairs. 2. The Department for Eoreign Affairs, of which the Commercial Department forms a Section, was established on the 1st January, 1888. Erom 1883 up to that date commercial matters formed a Section in the " Depart- ment of Commerce and Agriculture," which is now transformed into a Department of Industry and Agri- culture. 3. The other Sections of the Department of Eoreign Affairs are as follows : — Political Section; Intellectual Property Section 184 (literary and artistic works, trade-marks, commercial brands, inventions) ; and the Emigration Section. To the province of the Commercial Section belong specially- Commercial Treaties, debates respecting international, commercial, and Customs relations, participation in foreign Exhibitions, publications of the Swiss official Journal of Commerce, &c. 4. None, 5. Twenty-five persons. 6. By the Eederal Assembly (Legislative Body) on the proposition of the Eederal CounoU. 7. By the Eederal Council on the motion of the Head of the Department. 8. Budgets annexed : 1885, 1886, 1887, 1888, 1889.* Salaries amount to a total of 38,700 fr. (or about 1,550/.), divided thus:— -'- Head of Department , . . . Secretary Statistical Ofl&cer . . . , Editor of the " Feuille Officielle du Commerce ' Translator . . . . , , Registrar and Clerk . . , . Fr. 7,000 5,600 3,500 4,500 4,300 13,900 Total .. ., .. .. 38,700 Printing expenses are about 6,000 fr. (240Z.), and a further amount may be drawn from the 25,000 fr. allowed to the Eederal Chancery for this purpose. There is no special tax. 9. He has control over the execution of those Treaties and Laws which come specially into the province of his Department. Questions relating to interpretation of Treaties and Laws, if they are of importance, are brought before the Eederal Council with the propositions of the Head of the Department. 10. The control of Commercial Treaty questions is shared with the Department of Einance and Customs in aU matters relating to Swiss Customs, and with the other Departments in all special matters governed by such Treaties, and included specially in the province of one of these Departments. Eor instance, commercial travellers come under the Department of Justice and Police. • Not printed. 186 The Head of a. Department collects in each special case the opinions of thef Bepartments interested, and presents them, with his Tiews on the suhiept, to the Federal Council, ■ 11. The Consular Department as well as the Com- mercial Department are both Sections under %he Department for Foreign Afeits. Consuls correspond dirSctly. with the . Foreign' Minister, . who is also Minister of Commerce. . .., fl2. Th&Gost of the.Consular StafE is approximately 125,000 fr. (5,000r.). There are seven Cohlsulate^-General; and twenty- seven Consulates. J , "Each Consul-General and Consul receives an in- demnity, but has no fixed sal^ry^ _ ' The cost' !of the. Gonstilar StafE is borne on the Budget of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 13-16. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is authorized, at discretion, to put himself into communication with the " Union Suisse du Commerce et de I'lndustrie," and its Sections. (For further information respecting the organization of this private institution, subsidized by the Swiss Confederation, see Statutes and Reports inclosed.)* The " Union Suisse du Commerce et de I'lndustrie " is directed by a Committee, entitled " Chambre F6d6rale du Commerce." It has a permanent office, the seat of which is fixed every four years, and which is at present at Zurich. These organs are referred to in all important ques- tions, but the Department is in no way bound to conform to their advice. As a matter of course, they take the initiative also in defending the interests which they represent. This organization, which exists since 1870, has proved of great use to manufacturers and to industrial classes, and to the Federal authorities. Apart from it, the Head of the Department summons together experts, or Commission of Experts, as often as it judges necessary. 17, 18. The Department publishes the " Feuille du Commerce," of which the last number is inclosed.* * Not printed. 186 Besides this it has a Statistical Bxireau, of which the publications are greatly used for preparing Commercial Treaties ; the latter publications are not exposed for sale. 19. The arrangements as set forth in the answers of Questions 13-16 work well, and give little rise to criticisms. On the other hand, a considerable contro- rersy has been, and still is, carried on in the Swiss press concerning the organization of the Swiss Consular Service. Traders and manufacturers wish to establish more direct and intimate relations between themselves and the Swiss Consuls in foreign parts. There is a vague idea that the Swiss Consuls, who are all non- professional men, do not pay suflB.cient attention to trade matters. It has been proposed to create professional and strictly commercial Consuls, and the question is likely to occupy the Pederal Chambers before long. 20. None. ( 187 ) No. 11. UNITED STATES. . Mr. Edwardes to the Marquis of Salisbury. — (Received March 15.) My Lord, Washington, February 26, 1889. I HAVE the honour to inclose replies to the questions set forth in the inclosure of your Lordship's Circular of the 3rd August last, on the subject of the duties, &c., connected with a Ministry of Commerce. There exists in the Government of the IJnited States no such Department, but I have endeavoured to reply to the questions in so far as the duties of the Secretary of the Treasury may be looked upon as approximate to those of a Minister of Commerce. I have, &c. (Signed) H. G. EDWARDES. Inclosure in No. 11. Replies to Questions. 1-10. As there is no Ministry of Commerce in the Government of the United States, there is no reply to be given to these questions. 11. The officers in the United States' Consular Service are solely under the control of the Department of State (which corresponds to the Foreign Office). Consular accounts of aU kinds, however, are trans- mitted direct to the Treasury Department. 12. The cost of the Consular Service for the fiscal year ended the 30th June, 1888, was 934,983 dollars (186,996Z. 12s.), the amount of fees collected being 188 999,172 dollars (199,834/. 8«.), showing an excess of receipts of 64,189 dollars .(12,837/. 16s.) over expenditure. The cost of the Service is borne on the Budget of the Department of State. The Statutes of the United States classify the Con- sulates-General, Consulates, and Commercial Agencies into three classes : — 1. Those who receive a fixed salary, and are not allowed to transact business. Of these there are 206. 2. Those who receive a fixed salary, and are allowed to transact business. Of these there are 25. 3. Those who are compensated by the fees collected in their office, and are allowed to transact business. Of these there are 84, making in all 315 Consular officers. 13. No reply. 14i The. Secretary of the Treasury has in some ways duties similar to those, of a Minister of Commerce. He exercises no control with respect to Chambers of Commerce in the United States, which are incorporated voluntary bodies. Merchants or other residents of the State or of contiguous States are generally chosen as members by election by ballot, five, negative ballots being required to exclude. 15. The Secretary of the Treasury frequently takes the opinion pf Chambers of Commerce, and advice from the latter to him is often proffered. The most notable instances are probably their action in regard to the resumption of specie payments, and the Convention of Maritime Nations in regard to safety at sea, &c. 16. Syndical Chambers and other Commercial Associa- tions are only brought into official contact with the Minister in the same way as Chambers of Commerce. There is the National Board of Trade composed of the various Boards of Trade (not official), Chambers of Commerce, and other chartered bodies prganized for general commercial purposes, in order to secure unity and harmony of action in reference to commercial usages, customs, and lawSj and especially to secure the proper consideration of questions pertaining to the financial and industrial interests of the country; it cor- responds in some respects with the Associated Chambers of Commerce of England, and the number of delegates 189 to it is based on the mimber of members of each Board of Trade, Chamber of Commerce, &c. The National Board of Trade memorialized the Senate and House of Representatives, urging the necessity of the calling of an International Conference, to* be held in the United States, to consider and report Eules and Regulations with a view to lessen the dangers of navigation, and to afford greater safety to life and property on the high seas. This is one of the many instances in which questions have been brought before Congress, and the practice necessarily carries considerable weight. 17. The Bureau of Statistics at Washington issues a Report quarterly and annually, which is distributed among mercantile bodies free. 18. The Reports of the Bureau of Statistics referred to above, and general information, is given to traders on application. 20. The Secretary of the Treasury is the only officer whose duties approximate to those of the President of the Board of Trade in London, and his duties, com- pared with those of our Board of Trade, are of a very limited character. He exercises control in regard to lighthouses, harbours, life saving service, and general maritime matters. ( 190 ) APPENDIX. Memorandum on the Belations existing between the French Ministry of Commerce and the Commercial and Consular Branch of the French Foreign Office. THE French Ministry of Commerce, in its relations to the Erench Foreign Office, holds a very independent position, yet it would he a mistake to suppose that the French Foreign Office, in its relation to the Ministry of Commerce, is not in a situation of all but equal advantage. Being in direct communication with the Chambers of Commerce and Trade all over France, and in permanent contact with the Superior Council of Commerce and Industry, which is the Senate or advising body of the Department, the Ministry of . Com- merce feels the pulse of the nation in respect of Tariffs, and is in a position to control and react upon the Agents (Diplomatic and Consular) who are immediately under the orders of the Foreign Office. The Ministry of Commerce receives and forwards the wishes and addresses of public commercial bodies generally, applies for information, urges complaints, and suggests remedies. In all negotiations for changes of customs duties it drafts the Tables of charges, determines the points which are most intimately connected with home and foreign commerce, and then it transmits the drafts to the Foreign Office. Communications with individuals and public bodies, embodying industrial and manufacturing ques- tions, are so exclusively in the hands of the Ministry of Commerce, that if by chance any person should apply to the Foreign Office in respect of such matters, the Minister of Foreign Affairs would immediately forward the application to his colleague's Department, which would deal with it as it thought proper. Yet, except in very rare instances, the Ministry of Commerce is itself debarred from any communication with the officers in the service of France abroad, whilst the Foreign Office, on its part, has a footing at the Ministry of Commerce, where its Director of Commercial Affairs is ipso facto a member of the " Conseil Inf^rieur du Commerce et de rindustrie." French Consular officers are in postal commuiucation with the Ministry of Marine in all that concerns purely naval routine ques- tions in which policy has no part. In the same way. Consular or Diplomatic officers abroad are allowed to correspond with the Minister of Commerce where indi- rect communications would involve possible loss of time. But these cases are rare, and confined to matters unconnected with the policy of the country, e.g., in respect of the forthcoming Exhibition at Amsterdam there is at this moment a large and continual exchange of letters which are direct on both sides. But this cor- respondence, though direct, not the less passes through the Foreign Office, the despatches to and fro being addressed to their destina- 191 tion, yet forwarded through the channel, and with covering despatches from, the Foreign Office. Again, as commercial bodies at home are excluded from direct correspondence with the Foreign Office, so commercial bodies and individuals abroad are unable to communicate with the Ministry of Commerce. Every attempt of the kind would be frustrated by the return of the communications either to the writers or to the Foreign Office. It may therefore be laid down as a general rule that the Ministry of Commerce does not correspond directly with the Diplomatic and Consular Agents, or, indeed, with any persons abroad, whilst it could not in any case occur that changes in foreign Tariffs should be reported to the Ministry' of Commerce direct. Under no circumstances do the Diplomatic or Consular Agents correspond in these matters with any but the Foreign Office. But the Foreign Office communicates at once either the text or the substance of the Eeports in question to the Ministry of Commerce. As to the form of these conummications, the practice has varied at different times. Before 1877, when the Due J)dcazes introduced the system of printing Commercial and Con- sular Eeports, like those of our Foreign Office, there was an irregular, not constant, publication of commercial information in the " Annales du Commerce Ext^rieur." The Foreign Office often read and excerpted Commercial Eeports, which were then for- warded to the Ministry of Commerce and communicated to the public. But this process was not considered perfect, and in 1877 a new system came into practical use. A credit of 20,000 fr. was opened in favour of the Ministry of Commerce for the purpose of printing Commercial Eeports, and the "Bulletin Consulaire" appeared. The Commercial Eeports of the French Diplomatic and Consular officers were forwarded to the Ministry of Commerce, which cut them down and printed them, and the proofs went back for further revision to the Foreign Office. The initiative thus lay with the Ministry of Commerce, and the Foreign Office was a mere intermediary. But this, perhaps, is the only instance in which the Foreign Office delegates any of its authority. In practice it has, as before observed, a marked independence. It negotiates Treaties, hears the opinion of the Ministry of Commerce, but is not, of neces- sity bound by its representations, and, in the main, the position of both bodies is one of mutual dependence and independence. (Signed) J. A. CKOWE. Paris, November 16, 1882. i749J