EMPIRE MARKETING BOARD. An official non political body appointed in May, 1926, to advise the British sec retary of State for Dominion Affairs, who was its chairman ex officio, in his control of an annual grant, voted by Parliament for the furtherance of the marketing in Great Britain of Empire products, including in the first place home agricultural produce. The board acted largely upon the recommendations of the Im perial Economic Committee though its work covered in some re spects a wider field.
Mr. Baldwin, in explaining to Parliament (Dec. 1924), that the Imperial Economic Committee would forthwith be appointed and would be charged with the duty of advising the projected execu tive committee—subsequently created as the Empire Marketing Board—stated :—"In giving this assistance it is the hope and in tention of the Government that it should be used to enable the Dominions to secure a larger share of that part of the home mar ket which has to be supplied by importation from abroad. The Dominions have always recognized that the home producers have and should always have the first place in the home market but they ask—and we think rightly ask—that they should have a pref erence over foreign countries as regards that part of the home market which cannot be supplied by the home producer." The duty of the Empire Marketing Board to the home producer was thus made clear from the outset.
The membership of the board included certain members of the Government ex officio together with representatives of the oversea parts of the Empire, of different political parties and other or ganizations appointed by the secretary of State. The membership of its committees included also men of recognized experience in the widely various branches of the board's activity.
The board did not allow itself to be influenced by any consid eration of party politics, and it endeavoured to work through ex isting Government departments and other existing institutions rather than independently. There were, however, certain questions, notably publicity and marketing investigations, with which the board was obliged to deal directly. Its work fell naturally into two main branches, the one publicity and the other research, in cluding both scientific research and economic investigation.
In its allocation of grants it was consistently guided by the different Government organizations, at home and overseas, best qualified to advise it. Among the subjects of research work in aid of which grants were made by the Empire Marketing Board are— tropical and sub-tropical research, including the establishment or strengthening of research stations, low temperature research, horticultural research, entomological research including the eradi cation of insect pests and the control of noxious weeds, animal breeding, and animal husbandry, including enquiries into the mineral contents of natural pastures.
Many of the board's grants were made conditional upon the re ceipt of contributions from other sources, and a considerable vol ume of research work was thus put in hand at a relatively small expense to the Empire Marketing fund.
In addition to pure research work the board also interested itself in economic investigation, particularly in questions concern ing the packing, grading and transport of certain foodstuffs. A substantial grant was placed at the disposal of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries to be devoted to the interests of the home producer in this field. (S. G. T.) In 1933, following the World Economic Conference, the board was brought to an end, chiefly owing to lack of interest in its work shown by the Dominions. The need for some such body re mained apparent, however, and in 1937 a Colonial Empire Mar keting Board was established.