SHORTAGE OF WORK 7 



seems beyond question, as all the newspapers substan- 

 tially agree in their reports — then it is clear that that 

 gentleman still believes in our manufactures as the 

 national pabulum, the only source from which we may 

 hope to draw those ever-necessary supplies of men and 

 money, upon which depends the existence of the Empire. 



Let us see if these statements will bear the test of 

 truth and experience. 



A writer in The Contemporary Review for April, 1905, 

 says : 



" The total loss of capital invested in agriculture, 

 which has taken place since 1874, owing to the decay of 

 our rural industries, has been estimated to amount to 

 the colossal sum of £1,000,000,000; but it seems likely 

 that the estimate is too low, and that the total loss is 

 about twice as large as the whole amount of our National 

 Debt." 



If the axiom holds good that the people cannot be- Loss of 

 come impoverished without the State Exchequer suffer- ral Wealth 

 ing, owing to the shrinkage in the taxable area of the 

 country which must inevitably result from such a condi- 

 tion, then it seems clear enough that, in building up our 

 manufactures at the expense of our agriculture, the 

 State must have lost vast sums since we commenced to 

 neglect our great land industry ; it will, perhaps, never be 

 clearly demonstrated what we have really lost, but any- 

 way the sum is colossal. 



It may be contended that the increased manufac- 

 turing wealth will compensate for loss of agricultural 

 wealth, but this could not be maintained, because, quite 



