Speeches at a luncheon to the prime ministers and representatives of the dominions & India to the Imperial Conference, 1926 / Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture.

  • Imperial college of Tropical Agriculture
Date:
[1926]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Speeches at a luncheon to the prime ministers and representatives of the dominions & India to the Imperial Conference, 1926 / Imperial College of Tropical Agriculture. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    millions yearly ; it is largely avoidable when the right measures are taken, and a steady advance in the knowledge of how best to deal with that problem is assured by the work of the Imperial College. This is but one aspect of its usefulness. The importance of its research work in cultiva- tion pure and simple was at once recognised by the cotton- growing interests, which were among the first contributors to its support. It is hoped now that its financial position may be strengthened and made unassailable by a joint Imperial effort, and this was the purpose of the speeches of Sir Arthur Shipley and of the Secretary for Dominion Affairs on Saturday. Mr. Amery stated that nearly £90,000 had now been subscribed of the {£100,000 which Lord Milner had regarded as necessary for the establishment of the College. Of that sum {£15,000 had been secured by Mr. Amery from the Treasury last year, and this year a further sum of {£42,000 has been obtained under the arrangement made by the Empire Marketing Board with the cotton industry, which has furnished £21,000 in consideration of the Board contributing a like amount. An annual grant from the Board towards the carrying on of the ordinary work of the College is also contemplated ; but there remains, as Mr. Amery pointed out, the need of a substantial endow- ment fund to put the institution beyond all financial risks. Keen interest in the work of the College was shown in the subsequent speeches from the Dominion representatives, and especially in those of the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand, where tropical agriculture and _ its development play an important part in national economy. Valuable assistance may now be hoped for from the Do- minion Governments; and it may be added that the Crown Colony Administrations, practically all of which are directly concerned in the work of the College, might well consider the question of making their contributions to its support. What has been so admirably initiated at Trinidad is work for the whole Empire, and every part of the Empire might properly take pride in the knowledge that the Imperial College owed something to its voluntary and much-needed assistance. Il
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