Collection GB 0097 TARIFF COMMISSION - Tariff Commission

Identity area

Reference code

GB 0097 TARIFF COMMISSION

Title

Tariff Commission

Date(s)

  • 1903-1925 (Creation)

Level of description

Collection

Extent and medium

248 boxes

Context area

Name of creator

Biographical history

The Tariff Commission was an unofficial body set up in 1903 under the auspices of the Tariff Reform League. W A S Hewins (at that time Director of the London School of Economics) was Secretary and Sir Robert Herbert was Chairman, by invitation of Joseph Chamberlain. The aims of the Commission were to examine and report on Chamberlain's proposals for tariff reform and their probable effects on British trade and industries; to suggest the best ways to harmonise the various conflicting interests involved and to work out what import duties should be recommended. The Commission collected extensive data from British business through interviews and questionnaires. It was the intention of the Commission to publish reports on every industry that they investigated and bring these together into a final report that would lay out a full tariff scheme. Seven volumes were published, but lack of funds caused the eventual abandonment of publishing. The Commission was a pioneer in the use of indexing methodology in economic research, but intending users should note that the long interval between the winding up of the Commission's activities and the deposit of its papers has caused significant losses particularly to the indices.

Archival history

GB 0097 TARIFF COMMISSION 1903-1925 collection 248 boxes Tariff Commission
The Tariff Commission was an unofficial body set up in 1903 under the auspices of the Tariff Reform League. W A S Hewins (at that time Director of the London School of Economics) was Secretary and Sir Robert Herbert was Chairman, by invitation of Joseph Chamberlain. The aims of the Commission were to examine and report on Chamberlain's proposals for tariff reform and their probable effects on British trade and industries; to suggest the best ways to harmonise the various conflicting interests involved and to work out what import duties should be recommended. The Commission collected extensive data from British business through interviews and questionnaires. It was the intention of the Commission to publish reports on every industry that they investigated and bring these together into a final report that would lay out a full tariff scheme. Seven volumes were published, but lack of funds caused the eventual abandonment of publishing. The Commission was a pioneer in the use of indexing methodology in economic research, but intending users should note that the long interval between the winding up of the Commission's activities and the deposit of its papers has caused significant losses particularly to the indices.

Tariff Commission reports and memoranda; agendas and minutes for meetings of the Commission and its committees; evidence presented by witnesses; questionnaires distributed to the industrial and agricultural sectors; indices to the reports and evidence; correspondence received by the Commission; unpublished reports and papers; notes, drafts, rough papers, statistics and lectures arising from the Reports and investigations of the Commission and used as reference material; financial and legal papers; published material other than that produced by the Commission, including books and articles by W A S Hewins; and minute books and financial papers of the Tariff Reform League.

This collection is arranged in 11 sections:
TC1. Publications of the Tariff Commission, 1904-1922.
TC2. Proceedings of the Tariff Commission, 1904-1905.
TC3. Evidence presented to the Commission, 1904-1905.
TC4. Questionnaires and statistical analysis, 1904-1905.
TC5. Indices, nd.
TC6. Correspondence files, 1903-1922.
TC7. Unpublished reports, nd.
TC8. Reference and general working papers, 1846-1931.
TC9. Financial and legal papers, 1904-1925.
TC10. Other publications, 1865-1927.
TC11. Tariff Reform League papers, 1909-1925.

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English

Printed handlist available.

Output from CAIRS using template 14 and checked by hand on May 29, 2002 May 29, 2002 Agriculture Chamberlain , Joseph , 1836-1914 , statesman Customs policy Finance Hewins , William Albert Samuel , 1865-1931 , political economist, historian and politician Industry Tariff Commission Tariff Reform League Tariffs Trade Trade policy

Immediate source of acquisition or transfer

Content and structure area

Scope and content

Tariff Commission reports and memoranda; agendas and minutes for meetings of the Commission and its committees; evidence presented by witnesses; questionnaires distributed to the industrial and agricultural sectors; indices to the reports and evidence; correspondence received by the Commission; unpublished reports and papers; notes, drafts, rough papers, statistics and lectures arising from the Reports and investigations of the Commission and used as reference material; financial and legal papers; published material other than that produced by the Commission, including books and articles by W A S Hewins; and minute books and financial papers of the Tariff Reform League.

Appraisal, destruction and scheduling

Accruals

System of arrangement

This collection is arranged in 11 sections:
TC1. Publications of the Tariff Commission, 1904-1922.
TC2. Proceedings of the Tariff Commission, 1904-1905.
TC3. Evidence presented to the Commission, 1904-1905.
TC4. Questionnaires and statistical analysis, 1904-1905.
TC5. Indices, nd.
TC6. Correspondence files, 1903-1922.
TC7. Unpublished reports, nd.
TC8. Reference and general working papers, 1846-1931.
TC9. Financial and legal papers, 1904-1925.
TC10. Other publications, 1865-1927.
TC11. Tariff Reform League papers, 1909-1925.

Conditions of access and use area

Conditions governing access

OPEN

Conditions governing reproduction

APPLY TO ARCHIVIST

Language of material

  • English

Script of material

  • Latin

Language and script notes

English

Physical characteristics and technical requirements

Finding aids

Printed handlist available.

Allied materials area

Existence and location of originals

Existence and location of copies

Related units of description

Related descriptions

Publication note

Notes area

Note

Alternative identifier(s)

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Place access points

Name access points

Genre access points

Description control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

British Library of Political and Economic Science

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation revision deletion

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

    Sources

    Accession area