THE LAND AND TARIFFS. 199 



food " taxation " is thus very slight, though 

 the food ' duties " are high ; and this food 

 taxation is paid almost exclusively by the richer 

 people. Those who wish to eat foreign biscuits, 

 cheeses, dried fruits, jams, and meats, to drink 

 foreign wines, spirits, and beers, must pay 

 heavily for neglecting the usually good local 

 products. Those who are content with Aus- 

 tralian food pay no food ' taxes." Where a 

 common food article must be imported, it is 

 duty free. Tea is a good example which pays 

 nothing in bulk, but a small tax if imported in 

 small packages (the idea of that being to have 

 the work of packing done within the country). 



One cannot argue with particularity from 

 Australian conditions to British conditions, for 

 in the former country there is a favourable 

 proportion of agricultural population, in the 

 latter a very serious want of that population. 

 Nor is it possible to compare in detail the con- 

 ditions of France, with her system of high 

 agricultural protection, with those of England; 

 nor, indeed, of any one country with another. 

 There are always great local differences. But 

 it is clear that any close examination of the 



