IMPORTANCE OF STATISTICAL IDEAS. 



109 



rapidity, and must be satisfied, if at all, by foreign imports of food and 

 raw materials; there is no other means of satisfaction. But what is 

 true of the United Kingdom is true in a greater or less degree of cer- 

 tain European countries — France, the Low Countries, the Scandinavian 

 countries, Austria-Hungary, Italy and Germany. Especially is it true 

 in a remarkable degree of Germany, which is becoming increasingly 

 industrial and manufacturing, and where the room for expansion in 

 agriculture is now very limited. Those interested in the subject may 

 be referred to an excellent paper by Mr. Crawford, read at the Royal 

 Statistical Society of London about two years ago. What I am now 

 desirous to point out is the governing nature of the idea, which neces- 

 sarily follows from the conception of a European population living on 

 a limited area, with the agricultural and extractive possibilities long 

 since nearly exhausted, and the population all the time increasing in 

 numbers and wealth. Such a population must import more and 

 more year by year, and must be increasingly dependent on foreign 

 supplies. 



I shall not attempt to do over again what is done in Mr. Crawford's 

 paper, but a few figures may serve to illustrate what is meant. In the 

 'Statistical Abstract' for the principal and other foreign countries I 

 find tables for certain European countries classifying the imports for 

 a series of years into articles of food, raw and semi-manufactured arti- 

 cles, etc. From these I extract the following particulars for all the 

 countries which have tables in this form : 



Imports of Articles of Food and Raio Materials and Semi-manufactured Arti- 

 cles into the undermentioned Countries in 1888 ayid 1898 compared. 



Increase. 



Amount. 



Per Cent. 



Russia 1,000 roubles 



German Empire, mln. marks 



France 1,000 francs 



Switzerland ... " 



Italy 1,000 lire 



Austria-Hungary, 1,000 

 gulden 



Raw and Semi-manufacttjeed Materials. 



Russia 1,000 roubles I 241,497 



German Empire, mln. marks 1,507 



France 1,000 francs | 2,014 



Switzerland ... " ' .308,110 



Italy 1,000 lire 398,330 



Austria-Hungai-y, 1,000 



gulden I 231,000 



313,629 



2,247 



2,348 



390,111 



509,418 



293,000 



71,132 

 740 

 334 



82,001 

 111,088 



62,000 



29 

 49 

 16 



27 

 28 



27 



