Dear Mr. Bruce,

Recent cables, as regards the political situation in Australia,
indicate that when this letter arrives you will be in the middle
of a stern fight and will have little time for the consideration
of economic matters. [1]

I asked Ritchie [2] to send you copy of an article which appeared
in last Sunday's 'Pictorial' by the Rt. Hon. Philip Snowden [3],
which is illuminating and which I thought might be of some real
value at the present time. I also suggested to Ritchie that he
should get out some interesting extracts of labour opinion on
Russia and Communism.

I am enclosing copy of a letter which I contributed to the Times
on 'Controlled marketing in the Dominions' which I hope will meet
with your approval. [4]

IMPERIAL ECONOMIC COMMITTEE

A Departmental Committee has been set up during the last two or
three days to consider the report of the Imperial Economic
Committee and to prepare a memorandum to the British Cabinet on
the subject. If so, I anticipate that the Cabinet will be
considering the reports in the course of the next fortnight or
three weeks.

I am meeting a number of the Members of the Committee in order to
arrange that, when the full Committee meets again to consider
further work on fruit, we shall have a definite programme which
will, I hope, enable us to make the Fruit Report a much more
comprehensive document than the Meat Report.

I am enclosing, for your information, copy of an advertisement
that has been appearing, inserted by Harrods, in leading
newspapers. [5] It will give you an idea of the way in which the
Empire idea is spreading in commercial circles.

Yours sincerely,
F. L. MCDOUGALL