COMMISSION INTERNATIONALE DE RAVI TAILLEMENT. This commission was established as the result of an agreement concluded at a meeting held on Aug. 13, 1914, be tween delegates of the French ministries of finance, war and marine and representatives of the British Foreign office, Treasury, Admiralty, War Office and Board of Trade. The functions of the commission were to co-ordinate purchases of munitions, military and naval equipment and food supplies by the two Governments, to prevent competition in the same markets and consequent in flation of prices, and to help the French Government to purchase efficiently and economically.
In due course delegates of the Russian, Belgian, Serbian, Jap anese, Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian, Greek, Brazilian and United States Governments were appointed on the commission, and its scope was accordingly extended to cover purchases for all the Allied and Associated Governments.
(a) The British representatives included members of the For eign office, Admiralty, War Office, Board of Trade, Board of Agri culture, Ministry of Munitions, Ministry of Food and Committee of Imperial Defence. The functions of each of these representa tives was to act as the official mouthpiece of the department which he represented in expressing its views as to the effect of an Allied Government demand upon the supply of the materials in which the department was interested and in conveying its advice as to the method by which the demand could best be met. In course of time it was found more convenient for the duties originally undertaken by these delegates to be performed by spe cial "allied sections" of the departments concerned, established to receive and take action on Allied demands received from the British staff.
(b) The representatives of the Allied and Associated Gov ernments comprised upwards of 5o accredited delegates, includ ing military and naval officers, civil officials and commercial ex perts, together with large technical, financial, shipping and clerical staffs, numbering in all some 1,5oo persons.
(c) The British executive staff consisted of civil servants and temporary assistants, including a number of military officers and business men, and numbered in 1918 approximately 55o persons. It was at first under the direction of Mr. U. F. Wintour, C.B., C.M.G., and, on his becoming director of army contracts, his place was taken by Mr. (afterwards Sir) Edmund Wyldbore Smith.
The functions of the British executive staff were:— (I ) To receive and examine the demands formulated by the delegates of the Allied and Associated Governments, and to col late them with information obtainable from diplomatic, military or other sources and obtain further details and specifications which might be required.
' (2) To examine and report to the Treasury upon all proposals which involved the expenditure of the British credits granted to the Allies.
(3) To enquire into the available supply of tonnage for the transport of the various materials concerned and the relative order of priority in which it should be utilized, and to keep the ministry of shipping, the marine department of the Board of Trade and any other departments concerned in close touch with the needs of the Allied and Associated Governments.
(4) To present the Allied demands in proper form to the dif ferent British supply departments concerned, making sure that every department was consulted, and to see that the demands were given prompt attention and that steps were immediately taken by those departments to place contracts, to supply from British stocks or to advise the Allied delegates with what firms, and also upon what conditions contracts might be placed by the delegates.
(5) To carry out all the official business involved in connec tion with the formal authorization of the supply of material by British Government departments to the Allies; the arrangement of railway and shipping facilities, the issue of export permits under the authority of the president of the board of trade for materials the export of which was prohibited; the preparation of statistics as to contracts placed, deliveries made, total quantities of materials bought and shipped, and the like.
The total value of the war material supplied to the Allies from the United Kingdom, through the Commission Internationale de Ravitaillement, amounted to approximately £672,000,000 of which some 48% went to France, 2o% to Russia and 15% to Italy. The commission had its offices in London and was highly effective during the period of its activity.