My dear Prime Minister,

Another mail has arrived and I still have no communication from
you about the economic activities of the League of Nations.

Sir Edward Hilton Young [1], who will act for the British
Delegation on economic matters, has asked me to see him during the
last few days of August just before he goes to Geneva, in order to
discuss the questions that may arise and Sir Arthur Salter, the
head of the Economic Organization, has written to let me know
that, in his opinion, an important discussion is likely to occur
and has suggested that it might be very useful if I could be over
there for just the days on which this discussion is likely to take
place. I am not in the least anxious to go to Geneva during the
Assembly but shall discuss the point with Senator McLachlan [2]
before he departs.

GRASS CONSERVATION

You will remember the Empire Marketing Board report on the
Conservation of Grass which was prepared by A. N. Duckham. [3]

At my suggestion, the Empire Marketing Board had a conference on
this subject last Friday, which was preceded by a lunch. Walter
Elliot, [4] was in the Chair and we had present Sir Arthur
Duckharn [5], Dr. Orr [6], 6, Professor T. B. Wood [7] and Dr.

Woodman [8] from Cambridge, Professor Stapledon [9] from
Aberystwyth, and three young men-A. N. Duckham, the author of the
memorandum, H. C. Trumble [10] (son of Hugh Trumble, the
cricketer) from the Waite Institute, who is a most promising
youth, and my own assistant A. S. Fitzpatrick.

I am enclosing a note on the discussion that occurred. I think
Arthur Duckham's suggestion is extremely interesting. In brief
what he suggests is that one should attempt to apply the idea of
the combined harvester to fodder crops. The combined harvester
cuts the cars, threshes the wheat and packs it in one operation.

Duckham promises to design a machine which will cut grass, suck it
up into a drying apparatus, dry it and deliver it in bags in one
operation. The bag dried grass could then easily be briquetted
into a grass cake which the Cambridge Authorities have definitely
proved can be kept for two or three years. If Arthur Duckham's
proposal is successful, it seems to me to have tremendous
possibilities in the Australian Irrigation areas and perhaps in
dairying districts where the great seasonal flush of grass is so
largely wasted.

I shall, of course, keep the D. & M. Commission and the C.S.I.R.

fully informed on the subject but I thought that you would be
interested to have your attention drawn to this possible
development.

AUSTRALIAN FISHERIES

At Gepp's [11] request my office-and especially my assistant
Fitzpatrick-has been keeping very closely in touch with Fishery
questions. Yesterday I met at lunch a Commander Lawford, who owns
a fleet of trawlers operating from Milford Haven. Lawford is a
particularly good type of ex-naval man-I should imagine about 45
years old. He has conceived the idea of transferring his entire
fleet to Australian waters with the object of operating from
Melbourne. He wants to discover to what extent he could be
assisted. The two forms of assistance that he regards as
absolutely essential are, firstly, there should be no duty imposed
upon his trawling fleet on entering Australia and, secondly, that
the families of his crews should receive assisted passages to
enable them to settle in Australia. In addition to these two
essential forms of assistance, Lawford feels that some further aid
will be necessary either from private capital or from Government.

He thinks that for at least two years a fleet operating from
Melbourne would make losses. He believes that, by a regular daily
delivery of fresh fish at Melbourne, a demand could be built up
which would become profitable in time.

Lawford estimates that if he took his fleet of 14 vessels, he
would need to transfer 200 men who, together with dependents,
would make a total of about 700. He impressed upon me the sterling
quality of the men and their value to Australia as citizens and as
men who have developed, in the very highest degree, the sea sense.

Last night I spoke to Senator McLachlan and Sir William Glasgow
[12] about this matter and they were both keenly interested. I
have also cabled to Gepp and am sending him full particulars by
this mail.

EMPIRE PARLIAMENTARY DELEGATION

I saw Sir William Glasgow last night and he immediately asked me
to write him a short speech for delivery at Ottawa on the work of
the Empire Marketing Board, as he had been told that the work of
the E.M.B. would be one of the subjects for discussion at the
meetings of the Empire Delegations. I shall, of course, do this. I
then suggested to Sir William that it might be a good thing if he
got the Australian Delegation together for half an hour in order
that I might answer any questions that they might care to ask on
the work of the Imperial Economic Committee and the Empire
Marketing Board.

Sir William thought this was a good idea and is going to see
whether it can be arranged. I feel sure that you will approve.

ECONOMIC RESEARCH

The London School of Economics recently approached me and asked
whether I would undertake to read a thesis prepared by a young man
named Skene-Smith on 'Australian Experiments in Economic Control'.

Skene-Smith spent a year in Australia in 1925 and has written this
thesis for his Ph.D. I have now read the document and have found
it very interesting. I made a good number of suggestions for its
improvement. The book is likely to be published in the near future
and will, I think, attract a very considerable attention both here
and in Australia. In the form as sent to me, the writer showed a
certain bias in favor of what most people would regard as Labour
Party ideas. I have, however, suggested to Skene-Smith that he
should re-consider a number of passages in order to remove the
idea of political bias.

I am considerably impressed with Skene-Smith's powers of
observation and with his capacity for stating a case. The book
should do something towards creating that favorable atmosphere
towards Australian economic development that is so essential here.

There has been little occurring here of any special interest. This
morning's 'Times' publishes an account of the Ceremony of the
British Legion at the Menin Gate and an Address by the Archbishop
of York which I am enclosing because I feel that you would like to
read it.

Yours sincerely,
F. L. MCDOUGALL