142 



BRITAIN FOR THE BRITON 



July 3, 190Y. 



Kins:doml 



United 



Belgium 



Holland 



Austria 



France 



Germany 



Hungary 



Italy , 



/ 



Price of Flour. 

 280 lbs. 



26/- to 26/6 



25/- to 27/- 

 25/- to 28/- 

 21/6 to 33/- 

 35/- to 35/6 

 32/- to 40/- 

 21/6 to 33/- 

 32/- to 32/6 



Price of Bread. 

 4-lb. loaf. 



5d. 



to 5hd. 



6hd. 



5U. 

 Ad* to 5hd. 

 6d. to G^Jl.f 

 5d.t to Ud. 

 4(i.§ to 5ld. 



5^d. " 



Duty on 

 Wheat. 

 480 lbs. 



Free 

 Free 

 11/5 

 12/2 

 12/- 

 11/5 

 11/5 



Duty on Flour. 

 280 lbs. 



2/- 

 Free 

 15/10 

 ll/2tol6/3'^.| 

 12/11 

 15/10 

 15/10 



Here is a strange anomaly. We find that, other things 

 being equal — i.e. the difference of grading as regards flour, 

 and the difference of quality as regards bread — the prices for 

 the 4-lb. wheaten loaf are practically the same in all countries, 

 in spite of the startling fact that in five out of the seven foreign 

 countries quoted there is a duty of ll.s. 5d. to 12s. 2d. per 

 quarter on wheat, and 2s. to 16s. Zd. on flour. 



Another Eevelation 



It is a startling fact that in no country do we find the 4-lb. 

 loaf — allowing always for difference of quality — dearer than it 

 is with us. Another surprising fact is that, in spite of a heavy 

 duty of lis. to 12s. per quarter on wheat, the people manage to 

 buy their 4-lb. wheaten loaf as cheaply in the countries where 

 these tariffs prevail as they do in Free- trade England. 



Now, if it be true that we reap considerable benefits by 

 getting other countries to grow our wheat for us and then let 

 it come into our ports duty free, it follows, among other things, 

 that we should at least reap the single advantage of cheap bread; 

 indeed, if our rulers assume the enormous responsibility of 

 sacrificing the country's chief industry for the sake of other 

 advantages, they should at least be sure, beforehand, that the 

 people's bread should cost them a good deal less than is paid 

 for it in other countries, otherwise the raison d'etre of their 

 great scheme disappears. 



But this is precisely what they have not done. They have 

 thrown overboard the most important national industry, and 



* The low price is for brown bread (wheaten). 



t These prices are for the high-class French bread. Prices of bread eaten 

 by the people not available on this date. 



X The low price for brown bread ; the high price is for bread not eaten by 

 the people. 



§ The low price for brown bread. 



II According to extraction. 



