The Daily News. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24. POOR OLD JOHN BULL!

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 247, 24 February 1911, Page 4

The Daily News. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24. POOR OLD JOHN BULL!

It is commonly supposed that outside Britain all Britons are ardent protectionists, animated by ti keen desire to save poor old John Bull from an early commercial grave, to waken him up to the fact of his duty in relation to his colonial relations, and to his own folk at Home. There is, as every reader knows, no question getting more light (and shade) thrown on it at Home than tariff reform, and the careful imitators and disciples of the no longer powerful Chamberlain use the '"demands" of the dominions for preference to "make their marble good." The prophecies of the great Chamberlain have been falsified. British trade is not dead—it is not even sick. It has not even got a cold, sitting up anxiously awaiting the next stupendous move of the isolated British dominions. Solemn persons, like Mr. Balfour and Lord Lansdownc, whose hearts are breaking at the coming ruin of British trade, and in sorrow for tlie j chlonies which cannot get silly Britain j to tax imported foodstuffs, threatened to submit a Tariff Reform Budget to the people. Presumably that Budget (which is still a visionary document) was intended to win the Home Britisher from his free-trade love, to make him antiCobden, pro-Chamberlain and a dearfood advocate. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, who seems to be a sufficiently representative dominion statesman, mentioned awhile ago that the British fiscal system was "a shining example to the world." The year 1910 was the most prosperous in the annals of British history—unparalleled, unique, superb. Unemployment diminished and pauperism was and still is being successfully fought. In all protectionist countries there have been violent outbursts of popular wrath at tariff impositions and their effects. Britain has held on her way unperturbed by the clamors t)f destructive politicians, who, by the way, still claim victories and show without any visible cause that John Bull and his children are aching to buy dearer bread! At an international statistical conference held in Paris in (we believe) 1908, an eminent authority said that British official statistics were the most dependable on earth, which is perhaps a tribute to poor, silly, doddering John Bull, who does not know what is good for him. The Board of Trade returns for 1910 may be classed under the heading, "reliable information." If Chamberlain had been right and Free-trade wrong, the following figures would not have been tabulated: — The Board of Trade returns:—Cotton heads the list of exports and manufactures with the fine total of £105,915,020, an increase of more than £12,400,000 over the figures of 1909. Iron and steel and other export, manufactures came next with a total export of £53,363,000, .an increase of V £0,400,000 over 1909. The woollen trade is third with a total of £37,500,000, an increase of nearly £7,000,000. Then comes machinery, with £29,296,721; increase, £1,240,000. Among other notable features of the year's exports was silk, with a total of £15,700,000; apparel, £12,717,104; electrical goods, £4,117,840. In each case there was a substantial increase over 1909. There were large increases, too, in the exports of cutlery, leather manufactures, chemicals, paper, boots and shoes and railway rolling stock. There was an increase in the imports of wood and timber, the value for 1910 ( £20,198,854) exceeding that for 1909 by over £2,500,000. This signifies a revival in the building trade, which had long been depressed. Tin-plates, one of the so-called "ruined industries," have had a wonderful year. Britain exported last year tin-plates .to the value of £6,545,329 (a large increase over 1909). Of this, ncarlv £1,000,000 worth went to the United States, though it has a tin-plate industry of its own. The manufacture of galvanised sheets is another progressive British industry, the exports last year having reached u value of £7,500,000, an increase of nearly £1,000,000 over 1909. Taken in the aggregate, the British exports last year exceeded those for 1909 by £04,840,749, and the imports show an increase of £53,735,216. In foreign trade alone there is thus an increase of £118,500,000 in the space of a single year. .

Undeterred by threats of dissolution and the flooding of British markets with untaxed foreign foodstuffs, the face of agricultural England is being absolutely changed. The revival of agriculture, due to the operation of the Small Holdings Act, has been phenomenal, and the most gratifying feature is that th« municipalities have contributed wonderfully by acquiring large areas of "derelict farms' and cutting them up into small areas Tor intense cultivation. One glimpse at the method: A rough paddock was let at 15s per acre and broken up. Small holders took up acre strips and planted asparagus. The land was then lettable at £2 per acre. Afterwards fruit trees were planted, and the ultimate value is £5 per acre. By the French system or Intensive culture, five crops are now raised on these small holdings in a year. Such changes are proceeding all over Freetrade England, and with the operation of the Lloyd-George Budget the rural population must be augmented every year. There does not seem to be much room for protection in Britain while Britons themselves protect their own industries by being industrious. When they begin to lean heavily on tariffs the working spark will flicker. Tf the commercial spine of Britain is to be broken, hit it with Protection.