96 BRITAIN FOR THE BRITON 



remain a limited area, and the exteasion must take place in manu- 

 factures. Unemployment stands in the forefront of the problem." 



This continued disbelief in agriculture, as a powerful 

 factor in the situation, is a bad augury for the future, as it 

 seems to evince a determination on the part of this prominent 

 statesman to ignore facts. 



Many eminent writers have taken pains to show what the 

 lands of the United Kingdom are really capable of vmder suit- 

 able land tenures, an up-to-date system of agriculture, and a 

 reasonable fiscal policy ; while the irrefutable evidence offered 

 by France, Germany, and every other country in Europe of what 

 their land is capable of, is testimony of a nature that the 

 Leader of the Opposition — and a potential leader of a future 

 Government — should not imprudently cast aside as of no 

 moment. This country is jusc as capable of employing, sup- 

 porting, and feeding from ten to fifteen millions of its population 

 by agriculture as France is of providing for 24 millions, or 

 Germany 20 millions of their people (see Chapter XXIV) ; and 

 if Mr. Balfour will not admit the fact, if he and his party still 

 persist in refusing to give to Great Britain an agricultural 

 system that would enable her to make the most of her land and 

 then deride her capabilities as a labour-employer and wealth- 

 producer, the responsibilities of this incomprehensible attitude 

 and its fateful results to the people must rest with that states- 

 man and his followers, and not with those who have called 

 public attention to these plain facts. 



Let us, however, put these regrettable utterances to the test 

 of experience. Eeversing the order and taking the question of 

 increased wealth first, the following is the interpretation that 

 unbiassed people will put upon it : — 



Increase of Industrial Wealth means but Little 



That the wealth of Great Britain has increased during the 

 last ten, twenty, or fifty years there is no doubt, but this 

 fact proves nothing because the wealth of every country in 

 Europe lias similarly increased during the same period. What 

 is of greater moment to us is this — has our wealth increased 

 as much as it ought to have tione ; as much as it would 

 have done had we not only maintained our agriculture but 

 adopted the same wise measures of establishing universal 

 agriculture as have been adopted in every country save our 

 own ? A prosperous, widespread land industry, during all 

 these years, would have resulted in an enormous increase of 



