THE POSITION AT HOME 



55 



estimated at 125,000,000, whereas the total value of those 

 sold, and representing the " output/' is given as 46,600,000. 

 Nor do the figures in the Report include either the produce 

 of land occupied in smaller lots than one acre or the consider- 

 able but unknown amount of produce grown under glass. 



Not only is this figure of 150,800,000 admittedly incom- 

 plete in itself, but there is difficulty in comparing it with the 

 " output " of other industries reported on under the Census 

 of Production Act, (i) because " estimated value of the 

 materials used " is not deducted in the case of the agri- 

 cultural output, though it is in that of the other industries, 

 and (2) because the figures given for the agricultural output 

 are for Great Britain only, whereas those for the other indus- 

 tries are for the United Kingdom. 



Subject to these reservations, I give the following table, 

 showing the gross output (in 1908) of agriculture in Great 

 Britain as compared with the net output (in 1907) in Great 

 Britain and Ireland of a few other typical industries : 



Agriculture 

 Mining and quarrying 

 Textile trades 

 Engineering, etc. . . 

 Building and contracting 



trades 



Clothing trades 



Iron and steel trades 



Chemical and allied trades 



Metal trades other than engineering 



Shipbuilding 



150,800,000 

 118,759,000 

 96,063,000 

 84,214,000 

 42,954,000 

 39,710,000 

 39,578,000 

 20,879,000 

 20,287,000 

 20,167,000 



From the point of view, therefore, both of persons 

 employed and value of output, and even without including 

 subsidiary or dependent enterprises and occupations, agri- 

 culture must still be regarded as our leading industry. 



FOREIGN IMPORTS. 



This fact is the more remarkable when we take into 

 account the enormous extent of our importations of food 

 supplies. These included in the year 1911 the following 

 items : 



