38 AGRICULTURE AND TARIFF REFORM. 



spite of the fact tliat the population of the towns 

 has grown enormously, and therefore consumes 

 more flour, the British miller manufactures much 

 less than what we now use, and he is still fast 

 going down the hill in this respect. 



The following figures will make this clear: — 



It will be observed that in 1902 we milled in 

 this country a much larger quantity of flour than 

 in 1901 ; whilst, at the same time, considerably 

 less foreign flour came into our country. The 

 reason for the two facts is that in 1902 there was 

 a small duty on foreign flour, Avliich flour is, of 

 course, a manufactured article. That duty has, un- 

 fortunately as we think, been since taken off ; but, 

 whilst it was on, the foreigner sent us less flour 

 and more wheat. As a consequence, we ground 

 the wheat into flour and employed British labour 

 to do it, whilst the working-man, in his turn, set 

 the shopkeepers and others going by the money 

 which came in this way to his pocket. 



Rentals, axd Yalite of Land, 



It is sometimes said that the rents in England 

 arc higher than they ought to be. Whether this 

 is 80 is quite a matter of opinion, but the im- 

 portant point to remember is that, whereas in 

 1813 the rental value of land was £40,170,000, 



