122 WHAT ACTION IS PRACTICABLE 



amount to 40 per cent, of the whole requirements before 

 the new crop was ready. We are assuming that under 

 peace conditions the new arable land would be used in 

 the ordinary way for general crops, meat and milk rather 

 than specially for wheat, its normal output would 

 amount to about £42 millions per annum against less 

 than half that amount when under grass. Taking the 

 additional output of food produced at home instead 

 of imported at a value of £25 millions, then on the basis 

 of what has already occurred (p. 6)— that in the first 

 year of war the cost of imported food is increased by 

 50 per cent., we should be producing at home what 

 would cost the country £37$ millions in war time, a 

 saving of £12^ millions. In each year of war there 

 would therefore be saved the nation's expenditure on 

 the bounty for four years, and this saving would come 

 at the time when it was most needed to preserve the 

 nation's credit. Considering this, and considering also 

 the saving effected by the reduced pressure on freights, 

 it is not too much to expect that the saving during a 

 year's war would be equivalent to six years' peace 

 expenditure. It may be questioned, moreover, 

 whether the annual expenditure of three millions is 

 not largely made up to the State in other ways. It 

 would call into existence an extra £25 millions worth of 

 food, say £20 millions after deductions for manure, 

 machinery, etc., have been made, all sheer gain, because 

 agriculture is the most purely creative industry that 

 exists. It would further provide employment for at 

 least 150,000 men, who ex hypothesi would not be 

 withdrawn from some other form of labour like manu- 

 facturing, but would form an addition to and a support 

 for the manufacturing population, because the United 



