292 PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION 



foodstuffs. In the Dominions there may appear to be room for 

 considerable expansion in animal industries, but, as has already 

 been observed, such expansion under the more intensive systems 

 now become necessary, demands a largely-increased agricultural 

 population in those countries. The war, unfortunately, has re- 

 duced the normally somewhat slow increase in their agricultural 

 populations by cutting off immigration and by the enlistment of 

 many into the armies, and when immigration into the Dominions 

 once more sets in, it will be some considerable time before this will 

 be effective in causing any marked increase in their surplus of 

 agricultural produce. 



The lack of sufficient agricultural population appears to be of 

 such importance among the factors that contribute to the deficiency 

 of the Empire in animal foodstuffs, that it calls for further discus- 

 sion. It is well known, of course, that during the last half century 

 there has been a constant stream of migration from the agricultural 

 districts to the towns in Great Britain, owing to the prevailing low 

 prices for agricultural produce. This has led to a constant increase 

 in the deficiency of the United Kingdom in foodstuffs, which has 

 not been balanced by a corresponding increase in the surplus out- 

 put of the rest of the Empire. 1 During this time the Empire has 

 lost altogether a great number of able-bodied agricultural workers 

 by emigration from the United Kingdom to the United States. 

 In fact, till 1906 and even later, the competition of the United 

 States with its enormous agricultural resources in process of develop- 

 ment, was perhaps the prime factor that hindered a more rapid 

 development of the British temperate agricultural regions. This 

 competition made itself felt against the latter regions in two ways 

 that subtly reinforced each other ; in the first place, the United 

 States was able, till quite recently, to attract a large proportion of 

 the emigrants from the United Kingdom, and in the second, by its 

 vast and cheap surplus agricultural production, made it difficult 

 for farmers in any part of the British Empire to compete success- 

 fully in the British market. We have seen that, in recent years, 

 the North American net surplus of animal foodstuffs has fallen 

 remarkably 2 and correspondingly the proportion of the total emi- 

 grants from the United Kingdom bound for the United States 

 has declined noticeably, while that of the same to the British 

 Dominions has increased 3 ; indeed, since 1908, there has been 



1 The total quantities of foodstuffs imported into the United Kingdom from 

 foreign countries have increased notably, although the percentage of the total 

 imports supplied by the Overseas Empire has also increased. See Table, 



P- 



2 Part I., Chap, iv., pp. 43-55 and Chap, viii., p. 141. Note 1. 



3 The net emigration from the United Kingdom to the United States and 

 to the Overseas Empire respectively was as follows for the years 1901 and 

 1913. 



TO UNITED STATES. TO OVERSEAS EMPIRE. 



1901 45,883 25,239 



1913 52,155 188,635 



