210 OUR ENGLISH LAND MUDDLE. 



cheap food supplies come are lands of high 

 agricultural protection. The conditions of 

 agriculture make it necessary that the land- 

 owner should be assured of a steady market 

 at a fair price. A manufacturer may close 

 down his works at a time of cheap and un- 

 profitable prices, and start again. If the 

 farmer ' closes down,' it takes years to get 

 the land back to the plough, and to recruit 

 the labour to till it. You must, therefore, 

 protect agriculture against dumping." 



" Agriculture has to fight against a handi- 

 cap which prejudices no other modern 

 industry — the attraction of the towns for 

 people. You may see in the legislation 

 and administration of almost every country 

 in the world some traces of the effort that 

 is necessary to keep people on the land. 

 Let me instance as one among many proofs 

 the immigration campaign of our Dominions 

 — Canada and Australia. It is chiefly 

 directed towards getting people who will be 

 willing to go on the land. Tariffs, bonuses, 

 special railway facilities, encouragements of 

 all kinds, are thought to be necessary in 



