STATISTICAL COMPARISONS. 481 



total would be £40,481,000 only for imports, and £35,902,000 

 for exports. These would be the proper figures to use 

 in a comparison with other countries, such as Canada or 

 the Argentine Republic, in more or less similar economic con- 

 ditions. Compared with either of these two states, and assum- 

 ing for the present that the figures are made up in much the 

 same way, as I believe is the case, the foreign trade of 

 Australasia comes out at about double that of either of the 

 countries named. Its exporting power is so much greater than 

 theirs. This is a true comparison. But a comparison in which 

 the intercolonial trade is not eliminated would give an altogether 

 untrue notion. Australasian foreign trade would appear about 

 thrice or four times that of Canada, instead of about double 

 only ; and this would be a false comparison. The truth is 

 favourable enough to Australasia. 



Generally, however, I should like to add that the selection of 

 foreign trade, as specially a test of the welfare of nations, does 

 not; seem to be in any way justified. Whether the foreign trade 

 of a given country is large or small in proportion to its 

 Avhole production is an atfair to a large extent of size 

 or of historical evolution, and nothing can be made of 

 comparisons unless attention is given to the point I have already 

 suggested — that of size and general similarity of conditions. But 

 it is quite conceivable that nations might approximate to each 

 other in many respects, and the one have a large foreign trade 

 and the other not, yet both be in much the same condition of 

 individual prosperity. Accident might determine that the one 

 should be more self-contained than the other, so that its 

 exchanges with other countries should bear a less proportion to 

 its total industry. France and England are very good illustra- 

 tions of essential differences of this sort, England having much 

 more manufacturing, shipping, and foreign trade than France, but 

 France being certainly a highly prosperous nation, with home in- 

 dustries of different kinds which England either has not at all 

 or not to the same degree, and the products of which are only 

 or largely obtained in England by exporting something else. 

 All these general comparisons between nations in which the 

 foreign trade is spoken of or assumed to be representative of 

 the total trade are, therefore, very much to be deprecated. 

 Import and export statistics, apart from the special danger of 

 using them, which I have described, cannot be properly used 

 for such comparisons. 



I come next to international statistical compai'isons in respect 

 to wages, which present some curious difficulties of which most 

 of those who make such comparisons seem totally unaware. In 

 the primary use of records of wages, viz., their use by the 

 labourer or workman, who has no employment, or small wages 

 in one place, and finds he can better himself by going to another, 

 these difficulties do not arise. If the facts recoi'ded are true, 

 the labourer or workman has something on which toact,andhe can 

 attend to all the points and qualifications necessary. But when 

 the same records are used, or an attempt is made to use them, 

 for more general purposes, difficulties begin. Length of working 

 day, continuity of employment, and other points must all be 



