SHORTAGE OF WORK IN OUR TRADES 99 



of a nature that will surely result, sooner or later, in the dis- 

 integration of the British Empire. 



Owing to lier peculiar facilities, Great Britain must, in 

 any circumstances, have maintained her position as the fore- 

 most manufacturing country in the world ; at any rate this 

 must have been the case for the last sixty odd years, while 

 she must necessarily have shared in the tremendous expansion 

 of the world's trade which has naturally been experienced 

 during that period, owing to the application of steam to ocean 

 navigation, the development of railways in every country, and 

 easier communications and freer facilities all round for 

 international trading. 



So fortuitous a circumstance cannot be made a contention 

 that to enable Great Britain to so strengthen and equip her 

 manufacturing industries that she might share in this very 

 natural trade expansion, it was necessary for her, first of all, 

 to sacrifice her agricultural industry ; but it would appear 

 that such a contention has been set up in the case we are 

 considering. Many political economists, indeed, gravely affirm 

 that the two could not grow up together and subsist side by 

 side, and that it was therefore essential to sacrifice our agri- 

 culture so that our trades and industries might have free 

 scope for expansion ; but as this remarkable contention will 

 be particularly referred to in succeeding chapters there is no 

 necessity to dwell further on it here. 



Mr. Balfour's "Only Possible Mode" fails 



Now in regard to manufactures being, as Mr. Balfour 

 declares — 



" The only possible mode in which the population of this country 

 can largely increase," 



the actual facts of the case appear to be in direct opposition 

 to the contention. 



The Government Emigration Eecords show the following 

 figures : — 



From 1853 to 1904, when trade was not so flourishing as at 

 the present time, 9,773,704 persons emigrated from Great 

 Britain and Ireland, of which Great Britain accounted for 

 6,294.954, and Ireland for 3,470,750, or an annual average for 

 that period of 187,956 persons.* 



Later figures show that during the five years ending 1907, 

 1,514,279 people of British and Irish origin, or an annual 



♦ " The Statesman's Year Book, 1907." 



