160 APPENDICES. 



and everytliing they grow (which we can make and grow) 

 without asking from them a single penny of duty, without 

 a=;king them to pay one farthing towards the expenses of 

 the country; and at the same time these foreign nations 

 which derive so much advantage from our generosity 

 have refused to allow anything that we make or anything 

 that we grow to come into their countries withoiit paying 

 a heavy and constantly increasing duty and a large con- 

 tribution towards their expenditure. (Cheers.) \\ ell, 

 ladies and gentlemen, it sc3n:s to me that it is on the face 

 of it a one-sided and unfair proposal. (Cheers.) The 

 wonder is it has endured i?o long. Tliere is, however, a 

 reason for that, as there is for most things; and the 

 reason is thnt for a lon,:^ period after this system was 

 adopted it did us no sub3*-antial harm. For a long period 

 foreign nations had not sufficient capital, they had no 

 stilled labour, they had not the machinery that would 

 enable them to compote Avith us. During the 30 years 

 after the introduction of our eo called free trade the great 

 development had not taken place in the agricultural 

 indus^ry abroad; the great "West of America had not been 

 cultivated; and there was no very large importation of 

 foreicrn products into this country. All that has altered 

 within the Inst 30 years; and within the last 30 years 

 fo'-oic^rers h?.v3 gained what they wanted, viz., capital and 

 pkill and machineiy. They have first been enabled to make 

 fr.r fhemselves all they wanted, and to shut us out of their 

 mr.rlr-ets; and then they have had a surplus which they 

 h^ve dumped into this country to the very great injury 

 of o-'ir m.anufacturers and of our workpeople. (Cheers.) And 

 what has been the result? The result has been that these 

 foreign protected countries — Germany, France, the Unfted 

 States of America — have progressed much more quickly 

 than we have. We have been falling into a back place, 

 we have lost the supremacy which we previously enjoyed, 

 and we have had to take up a secondary or even a third- 

 rate position; with every prospect that if this system con- 

 tinues we shall sink into the position of a fifth-rate Power. 

 As this progresses more and more, it is difficult for our 

 farmers and our manufacturers to gain any profit and for 

 our workmen and ourlabourerstofindanyemxiloyment. Well, 



