78 



WAGES AND EMPIRE 



devoted to this cultivation and a production worth two 

 million pounds — only enough, however, for her own re- 

 quirements ; while New Zealand has sent us as much 

 as a million pounds' worth of hemp annually. For these 

 two countries to supply our total imports of flax and 

 hemp resolves itself merely into a question of providing 

 them with the requisite labour force. For jute we must 

 look to Australia, which is considered to be suitable for 

 this cultivation and to encourage the production of 

 which the Australian government has authorised bounties 

 of nine thousand pounds a j^ear. 



Oil seeds. — The United Kingdom receives little of 

 its oil seed requirements from the three Dominions. 

 But half of the imported seeds are of flax, and if the 

 cultivation of that plant was extended the production 

 of seeds would also be sufficiently increased. Canada, 

 indeed, has now a large export of this product which, if 

 it were all diverted to the United Kingdom, would go 

 a long way to satisfy her needs. 



There is also a large quantity of cotton seed imported 

 into the United Kingdom. The production of this seed 

 within the three Dominions must depend upon the 

 development of a cotton-growing industry, a matter 

 which is dealt with in the next category. 



Wood. — The following are the details of the United 

 Kingdom's imports of w^ood : 



Sawn fir. — The three million pounds' worth of sawn 

 fir which we receive from the Dominions comes from 

 Canada. The Commissioners find that Canada possesses 



