THE EXAMPLE OF FRANCE 47 



what measures are politically most expedient ; and it 

 has been shown that the Minority Report argues with 

 great force that the minimum wage is the beginning of 

 everything. The security for the farmer is its corollary. 



The Minority recommend for the security of the 

 farmer a minimum price for wheat based on 405. to 

 425. a quarter for ten years. They further suggest a 

 bonus of £2 for every acre of grass brought under the 

 plough, the payment to be spread over four years, and 

 the payment of the later instalments to depend on the 

 proper cultivation of the land. As for a tariff, the 

 Minority do not definitely propose that, but they very 

 rightly assert the claims of agriculture to its full share 

 of consideration if a system of general protection of 

 home products by import duties should be introduced. 

 They point out that no one of these three methods — a 

 minimum price for wheat, a bonus on fresh arable, and 

 a Protective tariff — excludes the other two. Each is 

 indeed complementary to the other two, and all three 

 could be combined. 



If we may judge from the evidence available in other 

 countries, better cultivation of the soil under the policy 

 proposed would soon cause all misgivings to disappear. 

 In France, where a certain price for wheat is guaran- 

 teed,^ £100,000,000 worth of wheat is produced annually 

 within the country, as compared with the £12,000,000 

 worth produced here. The French people have not 

 suffered ; they consume 486 pounds of wheat per 

 head annually as compared with 358 in Great Britain.* 

 Whatever be done or omitted, the days of low prices 



1 The import duty on wheat in France is 7 fr. per 100 kiloga. 



2 Our Food Supply, by Chrietopher Turnor, p. 142. 



