Land Problems and National Welfare 



2. The encouragement of the producer. 

 It would not be hard to say which of these 

 two objects would be given the precedence by 

 the average politician. 



The imposition of a tariff of 5% or 10% on 

 foodstuffs will certainly produce revenue; Mr. 

 Balfour and Mr. Chamberlain have publicly 

 given their solemn assurance that it will not 

 increase the cost of food to the consumer, but 

 how will that 5% or 10% benefit the producer ? 



I am not carping — but this deserves serious 

 discussion ; and personally I am more interested 

 in the effect of tariff upon the producer than 

 its effect upon the imperial exchequer. 



If the impost of 2s. per quarter on imported 

 wheat helps to keep the price above 30s. per 

 quarter it will to that extent help the producer. 

 And the is. on Colonial wheat would have 

 been in the same way an encouragement to the 

 English producer. An imperial loaf is a good 

 thing, but an all English loaf is a better : it is, 

 therefore, most regrettable that the Tariff 

 Reform League and Mr. Balfour decided upon 

 giving up the is. on Colonial wheat. 



Of course, until we can grow wheat with the 

 high proportion of starch which is characteristic 

 of American and Canadian wheat we shall be 

 obliged to import about one-fifth of the amount 

 we consume : that would mean 25,000,000 

 quarters English grown and 5,000,000 quarters 



206 



