Appointed vice-chairman of the Royal Commission responsible for regulating the distribution of wheat supplies, he dealt generally with Great Britain's western allies.

[8][9][10] During Geddes' term, the Controller had been put in charge of overseeing construction and repairs of both the Royal and Merchant navies, which were taking a toll from submarine attacks.

[11] Geddes had set very high quotas for production that the Controller's office, even with delegation, was unable to meet both from shortage of materials and manpower.

[12] Tensions were high on both sides, with Joseph Davies specifying his irritation with Anderson, while Anderson, in response to one notable shortage of shipbuilders in November 1917, chided the military for "a complete lack of sense of proportion", suggesting that recruitment would be more successfully accomplished by appealing to wives and union officials in towns known for shipbuilding than seeking the Home Office.

[19] Prior to assuming the latter role, as deputy governor-elect, Anderson accompanied Norman in December 1924 to New York to help determine the feasibility of a resumption of the gold standard.

[20] He spoke at the International Chamber of Commerce congress in 1927 as acting president, giving an "eloquent" speech on tariff reductions.

[26] In 1935, Anderson ran for public office as a Conservative candidate to represent the City of London as a Member of Parliament (MP).

[6] The British Ministry of Food had established a Cereals Control Board following the Munich Crisis in 1938 and placed Anderson to serve as its chairman.