GREAT BRITAIN'S FOREIGN TRADE 77 



shipping might not employ any of it in her 

 own foreign trade. But when sufficient of this 

 carrying trade is not to be had, then a country 

 with shipping will, when trade is everywhere 

 free, gain capital and therefore be able to give 

 more employment by having a foreign trade, 

 where she carries for herself, than by having a 

 home trade of that magnitude. This advantage 

 is due, first, to the possession of shipping and 

 consequent employment of sailors : and second, 

 to the accompanying shipbuilding trade, and 

 consequent employment of shipwrights. The 

 demand for commodities due to these men must 

 be considerable. 



We must now particularly examine the case of 

 Great Britain, whose circumstances are peculiar 

 to herself. They are peculiar in this, that Great 

 Britain must have, whatever her wishes may be, 

 a very great foreign trade, for she has to import 

 the greater part of her food and nearly the whole 

 of her raw material. We can divide therefore 

 her foreign trade into two parts, the first part 

 consisting of her absolutely necessary foreign 

 trade in food and raw materials, the second part 

 consisting of her foreign trade in manufactured 

 goods, most of which she could make herself if 

 she wished. 



In 1909 British imports under the headings 

 food, drink, and tobacco amounted to ^254,319,383, 

 and under the headings raw materials and articles 

 mainly unmanufactured, to ;^2 20, 145,496, while 

 the import of manufactured articles amounted to 

 ;^ 1 47, 67 1, 094. Let the total of the imports be 



