25 April, 1917.] German Challenge to British Agriculture. 219 



In 1014 Great Britain importod foodstuffs to the value of 

 £300/100,000, made up as follows:— ^ 



Grain and flour .. .. .. Sn.6.'56,269 



Moat .. .. .. .. G;{.2 15,059 



Other food and drink . . . . 146,754,814 



299,606,142 



Of these the Dominions and other liriiish Possessions supplied the 

 following : — £ 



Grain and flour . . . . 30,075,498 



Meat .. .. .. .. 10.302,752 



Other food and drink .. .. 30,000,(368 



83,368,918 



In other words, of the total foodstuffs required by Britain, only 

 27^ per cent, were produced in the whole of the British Empire, and 

 no less than 72 J per cent, were obtained from foreign sources. 



Of the total grain and flour imported, barely 5 million pounds worth, 

 or 5.5 ])er cent., came from Australia. Of the total meat imports, 6 

 million pounds worth, representing 9.0 per cent, of the total, came from 

 Australia. A Dominion eminently suited for the production of cereals 

 and meat was only able to supply the Home Country, therefore, with 

 11 million pounds worth of grain, flour, and meat, out of a total of 

 153 millions required. 



The position is even worse with regard to dairy products. In 1913, 

 the year before the war, Great Britain imported the following pro- 

 ducts : — £ 



Butter . . . . . . . . 24,083,658 



Cheese . . . . . . . . 7,035,039 



Eggs . . . . . . . . 8,652,800 



Bacon and hams .. .. .. 21,288,646 



Of this Australia snp])lied the following: — „ 



Butter .. .. .. .. 3,210,733 



Cheese .. .. .. .. 24.568 



Bacon and ham . . . . . . Nil 



The Dominions are eminently suited for raising all the foodstntis 

 required to make up any shortage in Home production. The adoption 

 of an economic policy whereby Britain would give a substantial prefer- 

 ence both to foodstuffs produced at Home and in the Dominions, as 

 compared with foreign-gro'ivn products, would stimulate agriculture 

 throughout the Empire. In return preference might he given by tjie 

 Dominions to articles which they cannot at present manufacture. 



The Dominions are in need of settlers of the right type to fill their 

 vacant spaces and develop their agricnhural resources. They are in 

 need of capital, too, to extend railways, improve road and transport 

 facilities, conserve water supplies, promote irrigation and closer settle- 

 ment, create now agricultural industries, and develop more intensive 

 systems of agriculture. 



