Political Economy and the Land 



basis, while in England it is not ; here it is 

 neglected, and the development of factories 

 forms the basis of the English school. 



Though our greatest authorities in political 

 economy were fully aware of the all importance 

 of land, the school of political economy as it 

 exists in England to-day has worked for the 

 development of our factories and urban in- 

 dustries at the cost of our agriculture. In spite 

 of all neglect agriculture still remains the 

 greatest industry in the country, with its gross 

 sales amounting to ;^200,ooo,ooo per annum. 

 It is even from a monetary point of view twice 

 as important as the shipping trade, which gives 

 an annual return of ^100,000,000. What our 

 agriculture would be worth to-day if it had not 

 been neglected and penalized is a matter de- 

 serving careful consideration. 



France provides us with a most helpful ex- 

 ample of the results of a political economy 

 strikingly in contrast to our own. The French 

 deliberately fostered and developed their agri- 

 culture throughout the nineteenth century ; they 

 may have done this even at the cost of their urban 

 industries : it will therefore be instructive to 

 compare briefly the growth of national wealth 

 in the two countries during that period. 



One cause of the great growth of wealth in 

 France is that the French are essentially a 

 thrifty people. Granted; but a population living 



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