CHAPTER VII 



WHAT ONLOOKERS THINK OF FREE-TRADE 



Having devoted much space to the consideration of this most 

 important question from the point of view of both Free- 

 traders and anti-Free-traders, it should now be examined from 

 the standpoint of those who prefer to assume a perfectly 

 independent attitude in their treatment of the subject. 



The question, however, is of such magnitude and covers 

 so much of the broad field of Sociology that it is impossible 

 to do more than deal briefly with a few of the many important 

 considerations involved. 



To that great mass of British subjects who have hitherto 

 posed as spectators in the vast national auditorium, one of the 

 most striking parts of the play is its inconsistencies and para- 

 doxes. On the one hand there is colossal individual wealth, and 

 on the other — collective poverty. There is a vast home and 

 foreign trade, and yet widespread — unemployment. There is 

 a huge area of the finest and most productive agricultural land 

 in the world and no — agriculture. There floats upon the broad 

 bosom of the world's waters the mightiest fleet of merchant 

 vessels which a single nation has ever collected together under 

 one flag, and yet, with immense numbers of our people seeking 

 work up and down the country, the crews are composed largely 

 of — foreigners. With our marvellous and almost unique 

 mechanical and manufacturing skill — which amounts really 

 to genius — coupled with our rich and practically inexhaustible 

 mineral wealth, which together offer tremendous possibilities 

 of local production and home employment, we nevertheless 

 encourage foreigners to make for us that which we could make 

 better for ourselves, and so — force our own people to seek work 

 in other lands. With numbers of able men of good position 

 and independent means, men of noble purpose and full of 

 patriotism who would serve their country loyally, either on the 

 municipal councils or in the Imperial Parliament, the " seats of 

 the mighty " are, with some notable exceptions, mostly filled 



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