BRITISH & FOREIGN WHEAT PRODUCTION 145 

 of IIS. 5d. to I2S. 2d. per quarter on wheat, and 2s. to 

 i6s. 3d. on flour. 



Another starthng fact is that in no country do we find 

 the 41b. loaf — allowing always for difference of quality — 

 dearer than it is with us. Another " eye-opener " will be 

 found in the fact that in spite of a heavy duty of lis. to 

 I2s. per quarter on wheat the people manage to buy 

 their 41b. wheaten loaf as cheaply in the countries where 

 these tariffs prevail as they do in free trade England. 

 Truly marvellous! yet it is so. 



This point, too, is worthy of consideration. England 

 imports nearly 30,000,000 quarters of wheat for her 

 home consumption. A duty of lis. per quarter on which 

 would mean £16,500,000 annually. 



Now the question naturally arises, if foreign countries 

 can put a duty of lis. a quarter on imported wheat and 

 still sell their bread at the same price as we do, who let 

 wheat in free, why on earth should not we do the same? 

 Why shouldn't we save this ;^i6,50o,ooo by encouraging 

 wheat-growing in our own country instead of paying it 

 to other countries to grow it for us? But we shall deal 

 with this phase of the question later. 



The question then is asked — who is going to crack this 

 hard nut ; who will solve the problem? 



Ask your tricky politician, and he will surely trump 

 up some specious explanation which, while satisfying 

 his gullible constituency, will only serv'^e to incense those 

 among us who are determined to push this matter to a 

 conclusion. This " free trade " fraud has been put to 

 the sure test of everyday experience. Europe has been 

 asked at what price she sells the 41b. wheaten loaf on a 



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