174 APPENDICES. 



fcugar alone would ho 4atl. a week to every labourer's 

 fr.mily ('hear, hear'), and althoug'h that is not a groat deal, 

 / venture to sa]/ it is a great deal more than anybody else has 

 ever promised you. (Cheers.) The watchword of the r.ew 

 policy which I recoinraend for your acoeptance, the watch- 

 word in the agricultural districts, is this :—' il/orc 'profit 

 for the fanner, more employment for the labourer, and 

 cheajjer food for his family.' (Cheers.) 



Anticipations. 



'■ I have one word more to say to tho i'armer. I have 

 told him already that my Bclieme ia not a iinished and 

 complete scheme. It is not a law of the Medes and the 

 Persians, and it may he amended by subsc(iuent considera- 

 tion, and there are certain things I have not taken into 

 account in it. There is the question of local taxation, and 

 there is the question of railway rates, in both of which 

 respects the British farmer is in a worse condition flian 

 the foreign competitor. (' Hear, hear.') Now, as regards 

 railway rates, I can do nothing for you, but you can do 

 everything for yourselves. But as regards local taxation, 

 if it be true, as I believe it is, that iu competition Avith 

 the foreigner you pay more thau he doea, then he has what 

 I call an unfair advantage over you; and iu that case it is 

 part of the general principle that I have laid down of fair 

 play all around, that in any rearrangement of taxation full 

 consideration should be given to this, and the farmer 

 should no longer be handicapped as I think he is at present. 

 (Cheers.) 



" Well, I think I have fulfilled the promise I made to 

 you when I began. I have been perfectly honest and frank 

 with you. I have told you exactly what I propose. I have 

 told you what I think will result from the proposals that 

 I make to you. I think that the rearrangement of taxa- 

 tion which I ask the public to sanction will help the 

 farmer in the bitter and strenuous competition which he 

 has to meet from the foreigner in all parts of the world. 

 I think that the particular proposals will stimulate his 

 industry precisely where stimulus will bo most advantageous 

 and profitable. If it does not materially raise the cost 

 of the articles which he produces, if will enable him. to 



