ABSTRACT
The interest of the experiment is twofold. Firstly, it indicates the fresh approach of politicians like Milner and Amery to the issue of colonial development, an approach which contrasted with that of the Colonial Office permanent staff. Milner and Amery, like Joseph Chamberlain, sought to break with the traditional ad hoc response to colonial needs and to formulate and finance broad plans of development as much in the interests of the British economy as of the colonies. Significantly, to achieve his aims, Milner sought in this committee a partnership with business representatives and a departure from normal departmental decision-making. Secondly, the failure of the experiment draws attention to the fundamental obstacle which had similarly obstructed Chamberlain, the problem of finance. To conclude this chapter it is necessary to review this and the other factors which were responsible for limiting the practical effectiveness of the proposals for colonial development spawned during the war.
