The term “commissioner” can refer to various positions, such as stewards who attend to hotel guests’ luggage in Europe or former soldiers who deliver messages and provide security in the UK. Commissioners can also act on behalf of a company in a legal context, fulfilling contracts with clients and acting as distributors. Commission agents are often used by companies to conduct business in foreign countries.
The term “commissioner” can be applied to different positions depending on the location and context. In the United Kingdom, a steward is usually a porter, porter or security guard. In continental Europe, stewards traditionally attend to the luggage of a hotel guest arriving by train, ensuring that the luggage is transported from the train station to the hotel.
Historically, stewards in continental Europe acted as general assistants, mostly based at train stations. Dressed in distinctive uniforms, the stewards donned boots, mopped floors and performed a variety of menial tasks. An American who traveled to Paris in 1852 wrote in The New York Times that “it is impossible to find anything they are not ready to do at any moment, even to give you the news of the day or the gossip of the neighborhood.
The first British commissioners were unemployed soldiers in the 1850s. Captain Sir Edward Walter wanted to find work for wounded servicemen unable to find consistent work. He founded the Corps of Commissioners, which employed men to deliver messages across London and guard the doors of post offices, hotels, shops, banks and other public institutions. This institution spread to Canada and Australia in the 20th century. The Corps of Commissioners is now a security company, with the British monarchy at its head.
Stewards usually wear uniforms. As former soldiers, members of the Corps of Commissioners are required to maintain strict uniform standards of appearance at all times, and European Commissioners wear distinctive uniforms to represent their role in a crowd. In the modern day, British flight attendants wear clearly identifiable uniforms related to their place of work.
In a legal context, a commissioner is an individual or organization who works on behalf of a company, known as a principal, but is not considered part of that company. Commissioners are common in civil law jurisdictions in Europe. The commissionee fulfills contracts with clients on behalf of the principal, and all business between the principal and clients is done through the commissionee. Commissioners are paid by the director and act as distributors.
Often, a company uses a commission agent to conduct business in a foreign country. The commission agent is not dependent on the main company, so the company does not have to pay taxes in the country where the commission agent does business. There have been legal challenges in Europe to the legality of this agreement.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
