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Historical documents

96

3rd March, 1927

PERSONAL & CONFIDENTIAL

My dear Prime Minister,

You will doubtless remember the British Empire Products Number
which the 'Times Trade Supplement' issued last April. [1] It was
quite a remarkable production, the best thing of its sort that
has, I think, ever been issued. Thirty thousand copies were
printed and the number steadily ran out of print, a large number
being sold in the Dominions and Colonies.

The Editor [2] has decided to issue the British Empire Products
Number for 1927 and to make the date of issue in May so that it
will appear just before Empire Day.

The Editor has written to ask me whether you would consent to
write the opening article for the Number. He suggests some 1,500
words and he further suggests that nothing could be more
appropriate to a British Empire Products Supplement than an
article from you under the title 'Men, Money and Markets'.

As this Supplement certainly circulates throughout all parts of
the Empire and is studied by British manufacturers and traders, I
very much hope that you will feel disposed to agree. Anticipating
your agreement, I have put together some ideas which might meet
with your approval and which I enclose herewith. My draft runs to
about 1,400 words. Naturally the Editor will desire to know
whether you can agree to doing this article for him and it will,

therefore, be necessary for you to send me a brief cable on
receipt of this letter stating whether you can forward an article.

If you agree it would be desirable for the article to catch the
first mail after the receipt of this communication and it was with
that point in mind that I prepared the draft. [3]

Major Walter Elliot [4] has promised to write an article on
Research and the Empire and I think that Captain Ormsby-Gore [5]
will probably agree to do one on the publicity work of the Empire
Marketing Board.

Last year you received a bound copy of this Supplement so that if
you desire I am sure you can refer to the previous issue to see
what it was like.

Yours sincerely,
F. L. MCDOUGALL


1 See note 7 to Letter 64.

2 T. S. Sheldrake.

3 Bruce agreed and cabled some alterations to the draft. See
Letter 106.

4 Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Scotland; Chairman of the
Research Committee of the Empire Marketing Board.

5 William Ormsby-Gore, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for the
Colonies; Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the Empire
Marketing Board.


Last Updated: 11 September 2013
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