i)rscomiA.GP:Rs and pessimists 221 



will reply, " Ah, it's all vuiy well for tlicm, they liave been at 

 it for years, and know what they are up to ; but liow, in the 

 name of foruiue, can you expect agriculture to pay when you 

 can import wheat, bacon, butter, cheese, and everything else 

 cheaper from a dozen countries than yon can grow or produce 

 them for yourself? If agriculturists cannot make it pay how 

 can you expect townsfolk to nuke good farmers; what do tliey 

 know about it ? Take it from me you'll dro]) your money if 

 you try that game. ' 



BllITISlI InDUSTUIAL WoIJKEUS Ol'l'OSED TO 



Agricultural liEi'OKM 



Last, but by no means least, comes that great array of 

 British workers who toil in towns. 



The report of the Chief Inspector of Factories and Work- 

 shops for 1907, issued on July 17, l'.)08, shows that last year 

 there were 107,321 factories, 146,917 workshops, and 7,210 

 laundries under inspection in the United Kingdom. 



The total number of workers was more than 5,500,000, 

 and of these 1,043,824 were women and children. 



Deducting the women and children from that total, we arc 

 left with 3,850,170 men who, however much tlieir views in 

 favour of Tariff Keform may have changed, would practically 

 vote solid for no change in tlie fiscal and economical conditions 

 which environ agriculture to-day, liecause of the belief that 

 ilieir interests are best served by maintaining them. This is 

 aliogetlier a fallacious view, and, indeed, disastrous to their 

 cause ; but as this matter is dealt with in other chapters there 

 is no need to discuss it h^re. 



This powerful section of the community naturally exercises 

 enormous influence over the ([uestion by assuming an attitude 

 hostile to the establishment of national agriculture ; but as 

 many of them have at length been brought to realise that Tariff 

 licform may serve their purpose more effectually than Free 

 Trade, so will they soon recognise that tlie existence of an 

 immense universal system of agriculture in this country is 

 no more incompatible with the existence, or with the expansion, 

 of manufacturing industries than it is in every other civilised 

 country on earth. 



Ignorance Kules the Situation 



Ignorance that is crass and widespread rules the situation 

 to-day, and all is darkness where there should be light, but 

 there are, fortunately, signs of dawn on the horizon and the 



