‘Report on the British Indian Commercial Mission to South-Eastern Persia during 1904-1905. By A H Gleadowe-Newcomen, F.R.G.S., F.S.A., President, representing the Upper India Chamber of Commerce and the Indian Tea Cess Committee.’ [‎16v] (37/178)

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REPORT ON THE BRITISH INDIAN COMMERCIAL
The Government of India, with commendable wisdom, treats its Consular
Officers with fairness and liberality in the matter of pay and allowances. It is
far otherwise with the Home Toreign office, which adopts a cheese-paring
policy towards its servants. They are stinted to an absurd degree in their
office allowances, which are not large enough in some cases to enable them to
employ two decent clerks, and buy a sufficient supply of stationery. Those
who are keen have to do their own clerical work, to the detriment of study,
tours, enquiries, etc., in which their real usefulness consists.
In not a few cases it is the unofficial assistance rendered to the officers of
the Foreign Office by their brethren under the Indian Government that enables
work to be got through. This is an undesirable state of things which the
Home Government ought to alter without delay, and wffiich it could alter without
too great an expenditure of money.
Speaking in general terms, whilst fully acknowledging that the expansion
of our foreign trade must, to a great extent, depend on the energy and fore
thought of manufacturers and traders, yet, if Government, through its Con
sular Officials, pursues a policy of laissez faire a contingency that might
occur through a change of Viceroys, and consequently of Persian policy, we
shall be unduly handicapped in our efforts to hold our own against foreign
competition.
If Government reserves to itself the right to interfere with trade, as it
rightly does, e.g ti the Factory An East India Company trading post. Act, etc., it is equally bound, within certain
limits, to promote trade by a reasonable expenditure of public funds, and by
seeing that its officials do not lose the substance for the shadow, i.e., by ignor
ing commerce and only attending to politics. Let our motto be— Wake up
India, and whilst serving ourselves see that we in turn are properly served.
I have had a wide and varied experience of Consuls in many parts of the
w’orld. I cannot help placing on record my conviction that the majority
loathe the name of trade, and look on anyone seeking information as a person
to be discouraged, because he seeks that which is, as a rule, not available.
Commercial intelligence work is usually done in a perfunctory manner,
because it generalizes and does not particularize. Exact information regarding
markets, prices, freights, etc., the needs and preferences of the people, and ihe
nature of competition likely to be met with, is not as a rule to be had, as it
takes trouble to collect.
An example of what consular reports ought to be might be taken from the
reports of the United States Foreign Department, containing as they do mono
graphs respecting the conditions abroad of any particular industry; these are
compiled from consular reports, specially called for perhaps, but there they are.
The Austro-Hungarian reports are also tine samples of organised means for the
dissemination of commercial intelligence. They contain clear information as
to what classes of goods are required in the various markets, showing the
qualities and ruling freights, as well as giving particulars of competition likely
to be encountered.
In a word, a foreign Consul is, as a rule, as much concerned in the
advancement of his country’s trade as he is in its politics, whilst a British
Consul usually is not. I fear that commercial men are not blameless in this
matter. We have not clamoured for or demanded information which it is our
right to expect, hence slackness has been the result.
Deforms imposing more strenuous labours on any department have seldom
been introduced by the members of that department, but nearly always by out
side pressure. I contend that if w r e are not properly assisted by our Consular
service, it is our duty to see that we are, and then we shall be.
I will here make a few remarks concerning the advancement and support
of the. trade of Persia with India and the rest of the Empire. If the work of
the Mission is to bear adequate fruit, Government will naturally be called upon
to share in the task of development, and if the suggestions which I am about