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which the Consular Representatives of this country are called upon to maintain must not be forgotten.

5. Much of the evidence given to the Committee indicates that the members of the Consular Service are doing good work, and that, considering the present conditions of their career, they show a creditable spirit of zeal and industry.

Evidence has been submitted to us tending to show that the most successful British traders have no desire to invoke the assistance of our Consuls, and that they consider themselves able to obtain much more useful information for their business than the best Consuls can supply. There remains, nevertheless, a certain demand for the commercial intelligence which Consuls are in a position to afford, and their lrade Reports are undoubtedly of interest and value to the commercial community.

The competition, also, to which British trade is subjected has greatly increased in the past thirty years, and is likely to increase in the future. In view of this fact, the committee consider that the interests of British trade abroad would be advanced if Consuls had a business training which would qualify them to forward and safeguard, and at the same time incline them to sympathize with, the intersets of British merchants. Consular officers must, indeed, have the qualifications necessary to enable them to discharge efficiently their other Consular duties, but the Committee believe the latter qualifications to be in no way incompatible with the former. On the contrary, they think

that a business training of a few years will be of material

assistance Lo these officers in performing their duties gene rally.

6. The Committee suggest that great advantage would result if young men trained in commercial houses for four or fixe years could be induced to enter the Consular Gervice. Such men would speedily get into touch, an/l would be in sympathy, with the commercial community of the place at which they were appointed to reside, and would be capable of appreciating the difficulties with which our merchants abroad have to contend. They would also be qualified to furnish the kind of information likely to be of general interest and value to the commercial community at home.

The Committee have reason to believe that if opportunity is afforded to young men of from 22 to 27, who at the age of from 18 to 22 have chosen a business career, to enter the Consular Service constituted as the Committee recommend it should be, there will be no dearth of suitable applicants for permission to compete.

Without going so far as to propose that, at first, candidature for the Consular Service should be confined to such men, the Committee are of opinion that a proportion of the nominations for the suggested limited competition should be given to young men who have received a good commercial training. The applicants should be required to satisfy the Secretary of State, before they receive nominations, that they have had a liberal education ; that they have had a commercial training of four or five years, and

{hat they are in other respects from their previous history

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likely to be qualified and suitable for the Consular Service.

7. The Committee recommend that nominations should only be given by the Secretary of State after public notice issued when examinations are about to take place, so that the danger may be avoided of the Service being recruited from men who have gone into business houses not really to acquire a business training, but merely to qualify for the Consular Service by passing a certain time in business.

Experience will soon show whether this particular class of candidates produces results which come up to the expectation whick the Committee have formed of it.

8. As regards the subjects of examination, the Committee recommend the following compulsory subjects : —

À good knowledge of two foreinhg languages, preferably French and German.

À knowledge of the English language, showing that candidates are able to express themselves clearly and cor. rectly in writing.

Arithmetic, including a thorough knowledge of the metric system.

Commercial geography.

General principles of political economy applicable to commerce.

À knoweldge of the principles of British mercantile and commercial law, relating to—

Shipping ; negotiable instruments, bills of exchange and

promissory notes ; contracts for the carriage of goods ; contracts of marine insurance, &c.

A Vice-Consul, and as a general rule a Consul, should be required to learn the language of the country to which he is appointed, and should be examined in it at the end of a year.

It will be necessary to give men in business, when placed in competition with others who have had their time free, a certain advantage in the conditions of the examination : otherwise they will be handicapped in competing with candidates who have devoted to studying expressly for the examination the energies wich they have spent in acquiring business experrence.

9. The successful candidates should be required to work for some months in the Commercial Intelligence Branch of the Board of Trade before taking up their appointments.

The Committee consider that it would be an advantagc as a rule for officers to serve for at least three to five years as Vice-Consuls before being promoted to the chargo of a Consulate, and for newly-appointed Vice-Consuls to work in the first place at a post where they would be under the immediate supervision of a higher officer.

10. As regards the China, Japan, and Siam Consular Services, the Committee recammend that they should be recruited, like the general Service, under a system of limited competition, and they further recommend that the service in Siam should be linked on to the general, and

not treated as a separate service, because the limited

number of appointments in Siam makes promotion extremely slow. Thus, after serving a few years in Siam, a man might be moved {to another country, either on promotion or otherwise.

11. — The Committee recommend that salaries in the general Service should, as far as possible, be classified, and would suggest that the Service should be divided into grades as follows :—

Consuls-General, First Grade, salary, 1.200 1. a year : Second Grade, 1.000 1. a-year. Consuls, First Grade, 800 L a-year ; Second Grade, 600 I. a-year. Vice-Consuls, salary 300 1., rising by annual increments of 25 1. to 500 I.

In the event of a Vice-Consul being promoted to take charge of a Consulate before having served eight years as Vice-Consul, his salary while acing as Consul should be his Vice-Consul’s salary plus 50 1. a-year :

Consuls of the Second Grade should serve five years on the salary of that grade, and in the event of a Second Grade Consul being appointed to a First Grade Consulate before ihe completion of five years’ service as a Second Grade Consul, he should receive an addition of 100 I. a-year to the Second Grade Consuls’, salary while acting at a First Grade Consulate.

Consuls of the First Grade should be required to serve five years on the salary of the First Grade Consuls, and in the event of a First Grade Consul being appointed to a Second Grade Consulate-General before completion of five years as a First Grade Consul, he should have an addi.

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tion of 100 L. a-year to the First Grade Consul’s salary while acting at a Second Grade Consulate-General.

Consuls-General of the Second Grade should be required to serve five years on the salary of Second Grade Con:suls-General, and in event of a Second Grade Consul-General being appointed to a First Grade Consulate-General, he should receive an addition of 100 1. a-year to the Second Grade Consul-Generals’ salary while acting as a First-Grade Consul-General.

In the event of a Vice-Consul being appointed to a First Grade Consulate or to a First or Second Grade Consulate-General he should receive an addition of 100 I. ayear to the salary of his grade while acting in the higher appointment, and in the event of a Second Grade Consul being appointed to a First or Second Grade Consulate- General, or a First Grade Consul to a First Grade Consulate-General, he should receive an addition of 150 I. to the salary of his grade while acting in the higher apointment.

The foregoing arrangement would admit of men advancing in salary as follows : -

Entering at 24 . ce ke + salary, 3004.

At the age of — 25 .. .. SE se 1 3251.

26 Fe re LS ” Se 3501.

27 5e Le .. salary, 3751. and possibly + 501. CNE ‘ ; , 4001. r * 29 Le ve “ SOUL. + w 30 se .. salary, 4501. and possibly + 501. or 1001. 0108: je 5 5 + L ; 32 500 de à k