SEVERAL times within recent years we have pointed out the necessity for reform in the British Consular Service if England is to continue to retain pre-eminence in trade. It was with a good deal of pleasure and some hope that we learnt some time ago that Lord Lans: lowne had appointed a committee to enquire into the whole subject and report. Royal commissions are usually nothing but elaborate contrivances for the shelving of thorny or otherwise risky subjects. This, however, was not " Royal Commission, and it is permissible to! hope that its modest recommendations will be allowed to take effect. We ourselves heartily wish that it may be so, since most of the points upon which we insisted have been embodied in the Committee's advice to the Foreign Office.
The report recognises the good work that the Consular Body as a whole has done in the past—good work "considering." Stress is laid on the fact that the most capable merchants are those who require least assistance from their Consul, a truism which needs no amplification, Still it is recognised that things are very different now from what they were when the foundations of British commerce were laid, and the desire for early information must grow with the increase of competition. To keep ahead of one's competitors, it is not only necessary to be strong, capable, energetic, and even adventurous, one needs the exact data upon which, and which alone, strength and energy are of any avail, and there must be no delay in the dissemination thereof. Commerce is now as much a campaign of wits and financial forces as was ever any campaign of Napoleon's one of brute force and skilful strategy, and in war, as Napoleon said, "five minutes may make all the difference between victory and defeat." In this connection reference is made to the admire able arrangements made by the American Government's Trade Department for the prompt publication of Consular suggestions and_ reports, which are eagerly availed of by the enterprising commercial men of the States. Improvement there is already in our service in this respect, but the Committee sees room for more, It further supports our contention that the "Coming Consul " shall have had a training ad hoc. To enable this to be so, it suggests an alteration in the age of entry. At present this is from eighteen to twenty-four, but the Committee would have it from twenty-two to twenty-seven, the four years thus gained being spent in actual business experience. At present, the report says, capable young men are not attracted to the service since the pay is none too high, the ling bad, and the hope of promotion far from rosy. But with the properly trained Commercial Consul the pay recommended is somewhat better, £300 for the youngster of] twenty-four, rising to £1,000 on attaining Consular dignity, and £1,200 on becoming Consul-General. This, with the usual prospect of a handsome British pension, should, it is thought, bring in a sufficiency of talent to make the British service what it should be, second to none. One of the greatest gains of the new system properly worked would be that we should have a body of expert officials in sympathy with trade. As things have been there have been few or no experts, and as for sympathy—"ask of the winds." The Consul was an official and his traditions were those of his superiors of the Cireumlocution Office. It did not matter one iota to him or to anyone else. whether-his report was published "this year, next year, some time, or never." There was nothing in it as arulo that was of any value except perhaps to the statistician, and so long as "My Lord," was satisfied, that was all that need be cared about. But the Consul of the future must be useful or go. And to be useful he must be educated and trained for his duties as the doctor, the lawyer, and the teacher are trained for theirs.
We regret to find that in the latest published list of subjects for Civil Service appointments there is _no mention of commerce as such. But in all probability even the last of these circulars was drawn up before the issue of the Consular Committee's report. Literature is well represented, and covers English, French, German, Latin, Greek, Arabic, and Sans-kut, not of course all required from the same candidates. Mathematics and science, history, economy, and political science," are included; so is law. But we look in vain for geography and anything specially pertaining to commercial education. There is no hint that the London School of Economics is to become a centre for the training of our future Consuls and Ministers of Commerce. But, perhaps, we are asking for too much all at once. The first step towards progress has been taken. As soon as the practical value of this is recognised we shall see our way: to the next and the next.
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