210 



France permits imports and exports of grain wheis 

 prices fall below or rise above certain limits. This 

 Avas also the basis of the Corn Laws of England. 

 French Tax on imports from outside Europe 60 cents 

 per 100 kilos 011 grain ; 1 . 20 francs on flour : on im- 

 ports from European countries 3.60 francs on grain,. 

 4.20 on flour per 100 kilos. 



Holland and Portugal have similar duties. Spam 

 has still more onerous taxes on grain imports. Italy 

 the lightest of all. Austria, Prussia, Germany, the 

 Scandinavian Countries, all tax in one form or another 

 the introduction of wheat, except in years of disastrous^ 

 harvesl s . 



Russia, one of the largest cereal exporting coun- 

 tries prohibits the importation of cereals under any cir- 

 cumstances; she likewise endeavours to stop ail foreign 

 commodities entering, except they pay heavy duties. 



The all-Russian policy is most clearly exemplified, 

 in the persistent attempts to secure that all sold in Rus- 

 sia be of Russian production. Everything of foreign 

 manufacture or origin is extraordinarily dear compar- 

 ed to the home article : yet everyone who can. purchases 

 the imported goods. 



Protection reserves tiie home market to the Na- 

 tional industry ; it gives it a considerable jieasur^ of 

 security and therefore favours industrial and agricul- 

 tural enterprise on a large scale. 



FREE TRADE IN WHEAT AND ITS 

 CONSEQUENCES. 



In 1846 'Prussia and the Baltic Provinces were the 

 chief sources of supply to England. Transatlantic? 

 trade Avas unknown. In 1871 Russia and U.S.A. were 

 the chief sources. Ten years before, imports from Ca- 

 nada and U.S.A. scarcely figured in the total list of 

 sources. Argentina was last on the list, with hardly 

 one tenth of the quantities from Australia or India. 

 Chile sent ten times more than Argentina: i;i fact we 

 imported more often than not from England. 



Free trade in . wheat in England dates from 1849, 

 although it was only in 1860 that all restrictions were 

 abolished. Up to then there Avas a nominal duly of 

 1|- per qrt. on wheat and 4%d. on flour per cwi. so 

 that we haA r e had only 50 years of Free Trade in ce- 

 reals. It is hoAvever generally conceded tha.t the mea- 

 sure has proved its utility, especially in regard to the 

 relatively small effect of the Blockade during the re- 



