176 BRITAIN FOR THE BRITON 



lands and by their own labour, wc find they amount to a 

 stupendous figure. 



Some of the food imports into the United Kingdom for 

 tlie year 1906 are given in " The Statesman's Year Book " for 

 1907:— 



Imports. Value. 



Wheat, Graiu, and Flour £67,879,948 



Butter and Margarine 26,200,007 



Cheese 7,607,641 



Eggs 7,098,137 



Meat, Bacon, Poultry, etc 41,169,522 



Animals for food 9,889,127 



Fruits and Hops 11,225,968 



Here we have a group of figures, compiled from returns 

 furnished by Government, of so formidable a nature as to be 

 absolutely startling; and yet, save a few students of the 

 subject, there is not one Englishman in ten thousand who is 

 aware of the state of affairs herein disclosed, nor aware that 

 in them is involved the existence of England as a great world 

 power. 



Practically the luliolc of this enormous mass of food-stuffs, 

 ivhich costs the colossal sum of £171,000,000 annually, and 

 which we ask foreign nations to grow for us, can easily he pro- 

 duced in our oivn country. 



