The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-02-28
MINISTER OF COMMERCE
FOR UNITED KINGDOM
Britons Think It Would Be Well to Fol-
low United States Example.

| Special to The Globe.
i WASHINGTON, IA d. c., Feb. 81
! The creation of a department of COM
merce in the United States has awak-
| ened great interest in other countries
! and especially in the mother country,
| where our active but friendly rivalry
| in the worlds markets is a subject OF
| much attention, and the appointment
of minister of commerce for the Unit
ed Kingdom is being urged. The Lon
/ don Chamber of Commerce journal,
| the official organ of the London cham
! Der of commerce, in recent issue
says:
I'm this country the opinion was for
| long held that the best way to assist
| trade was to leave 1T severely alone
| and to rely upon the foresight, skill
| and energy of our merchants and man
| ufacturers to maintain our pre-emi-
| nent position in the worlds markets.
| Latterly, however, there has been
| tendency to direct the attention OF
! parliament more and more to CONNER
| c1al matters. 1t is unQueStionable that
| the idea Is rapidly gaining in strength
! that in many directions considerably
| more attention and assistance might
| be given by the state to extending trade
than is at present accorded. In saying
| this, the fact is not overlooked that
| of recent years commercial questions
| have received increasing attention
| is rapidly growing in intensity that
what is really wanted Is that they
| should be intrusted to minister with
| full cabinet rank, who must himself he
! a business man, and whose sole duty
| shall be to watch over, foster and sup
| port the vast trading and industrial
! interests of the country. We are now
at period of tense rivalry In trade;
| our merchants and manufacturers are
| face to face with the keenest compe-
| tition that has ever been known; and
| that competition is daily developing.
| Is it not remarkable, in view Of the
magnitude of the interests involved,
! that the United Kingdom-the greatest
| manufacturing and commercial nation
! III the world-has not in the cabinet
minister Of commerce?
TN the United States, which may
be looked upon as our most formidable
competitor, and whose people are keen
| ly alive to the necessities Of modern
commerce, the need for such minis
ter has already been fully recognized.
Surely Great Britain cannot afford to
| lag behind. 1t rests with the business
| men of this country to present unit
| ed front in this matter and to make
| their wishes known, through their COM
merCial organizations, in such a man
ner as to command the support of the
| government and the nation. That the
conviction of the need for this appoint
ment is steadily gaining ground ap-
pears to be undoubted. Several cham
bers of commerce have already express
sed themselves in unmistakable terms
in favor Of the proposal, while the Lon
don and Halifax chambers have decid-
ed to move resolutions in support
thereof at the annual meeting Of the
associated chambeAS, to be held in
London next March. Thus will be af-
forded an opportunity Of obtaining a
definite pronouncement of the views of
the general body of commercial men
throughout the kingdom, which can
| not fail to materially influence the end
| in view.
'"Those who ask for the appointment
of a minister of commerce do not do so
in any spirit Of complaint or animosity
| against the board Of trade, but because
they believe that the interests of the
country would be best served by the
establishment of the desired ministry.
There Is no inclination to disparage
| the good work performed by the de-
| paftment which has rendered great
service to commerce. Few people are
| aware Of the varied duties intrusted to
| the care Of the board of trade; but. if
mention Is made of some of the most
| important, such as the regulation and
/ control Of shipping, fisheries and har-
| bors, labor and arbitration in labor dis
| puteS, the safeguarding of the public
| interest IN regard to railways, the con-
| duct of bankruptcy laws, the collection
and dissemination of particulars as to
| tariff alterations and other CONNER
| cial Information, some idea will be
| gained Of the magnitude of the inter-
ests with which it deals. And yet the
| department which has charge of all
| these important commercial matters is
not on an equality with other govern
ment departments like the home office
| and the foreign Office it's head only
l. receiving remuneration amounting to
about two-f1fths of that of a princi-
pal secretary of state. What is want
ed for commerce Is a department which
shall be in a position to give it's undi-
V1ded attention to the furtherance Of
commercial interests only, so that the
distinction between a board of trade,
as now existing, and ministry of COM
| merce, as proposed, is not a mere mat
ter OF words but constitutes a vital
difference in principle"