PROTECTION FOR AGRICULTURE 107 



cultural imports had amounted to close to 50 

 per cent of our total imports. The question is 

 asked : Can we expect that agriculture will con- 

 tinue to provide the same proportion of foreign 

 trade and to furnish exports in values that will 

 meet the imports and thereby balance the books 

 with respect to farm products? 



The world as a whole is impoverished greatly 

 by the war and the efforts by all consumers 

 must be to buy in the cheapest markets. Ocean 

 transportation is relatively cheap ; consequently 

 the flow of products from one country to another 

 must be comparatively free. Nearly every 

 nation except the United States is in great need 

 of increasing its national earnings by a favor- 

 able balance of trade. Consequently they will 

 sell everything that can be sold to the United 

 States. What must be done to protect Ameri- 

 can agriculture and adequately provide for its 

 future development at a rate to correspond with 

 our national growth ? The answer is to be found 

 in a carefully adjusted tariff protection followed 

 persistently as a national policy. 



Under the policy of protection we have built 

 up a great industrial nation and the same pro- 

 tection cannot now be withheld from agricul- 

 ture if we would preserve the balance between 



