764 KEPOET — 1881. 



the value had increased to 411,229,565/., or 11/. 18s. 7d. per head. It is unde- 

 niable that our imports have increased at a far greater ratio than our exports of 

 home produce. While the increase of our imports was 110 per cent., or at the 

 rate of 6|- per cent, per annum, that of our exports was only 66 per cent., or little 

 more than 3| per cent, per annum. The fact of this large increase of imports, and 

 the great preponderance of the latter over exports, appears to he the chief ground 

 of alarm of those who lament the ' decline ' of our commerce. In 1854 the imports 

 of meat and provisions were 5,782,164Z., and of corn and flour 21,760,283/. ; total, 

 27,542,447/. In 1880 the imports of meat and provisions were 32,175,326/., of 

 corn and flour 62,857,269/. ; total, 95,032,595/. There could be no question what- 

 ever that the vast increase vrithin the last twenty years in our imports has been 

 entirely for the benefit of ' the consumer' — that is, the nation at large. We bought 

 increasing quantities of food from foreign countries solely because the articles we 

 wanted could be created, or manufactured, cheaper there than at home. We re- 

 ceived over five times more meat and provisions, and over three times more coi-n 

 and flour, from foreign countries in the year 1880 than in 1854. Expressed per 

 head of population, our total food-imports averaged 18.s. 9f/. per head in 1854, 

 while in 1880 the average per head was 3/. 17s. 3f/. In other words, food has 

 coran from abroad to an increased amount represented by 2/. 18s. Qd. for every 

 man, woman, and chUd. 



The aggregate value of exports and imports (exhibiting the real progress of the 

 nation) in 1854 was 268,210,145/., or 9/. lis. per head of population ; and in 1880 

 697,644,031/., or 20/. 4s. lOd. per head. In its gross amount the increase was 

 152 per cent., showing that there is no ground for speaking of a ' decline' in our 

 commerce. The total commerce of this country is with over 100 foreign States 

 and colonial possessions, more than one-half of which is carried on with six coun- 

 tries : first, the United States ; secondly, France ; thirdly, British India ; fourthly, 

 Germany ; fifthly, Australasia ; and sixthly, Russia. Virtually, we have but two 

 great articles of export — namely, textile fabrics and iron, which comprise over 

 three-fifths of our total home exports, the rest being composed of many small 

 items. In 1868 the exports of cotton fabrics were 67,686,772/., woollen 25,784,562/., 

 linen 9,548,412/., andiron and steel 17,6.34,395/., or 120,654,141/. out of a total of 

 179,677,812/. In 1880 the exports of cotton, woollen, and linen fabrics and iron 

 and steel were 131,611,850/., out of a total of 223,060,446/. The question that 

 suggests itself in regard to this overwhelming preponderance of certain classes of 

 our exports is, whether the causes of it be natural or artificial. It is true, our 

 abundance of coal and of iron ore, and the perfection to which we have brought 

 machinery, justify to some extent our profiting by these advantages. But have we 

 not gone too far in this direction ? Being the first to invent the wonderful steam 

 maehinery for working cotton fibre, flax, and wool into woven fabrics, and possess- 

 ing an abundance of motive-power, we used these advantages for a considerable 

 period with great success. But the time came when other nations competed with 

 us in the same field, and we must not wonder if this industrial rivalry be getting 

 more and more severe. The one remedy, and perhaps the one only, clearly oflering 

 itself, is to enlarge the field of our industrial activity. The thirteen millions' worth 

 of silk goods we imported in 1880 came chiefly from France, which has no advan- 

 tages whatever over us for manufacturing them, but the one of higher technical 

 education of its workers, productive of greater taste. This is a matter which it is 

 entirely in our own hands to remedy. Perhaps there are a few other things besides 

 silk manufactures which we might with advantage produce ourselves, instead 

 of importing them. For example, we pm-chase amiually, chiefly from France, 

 about 19^ million pounds' worth of butter, cheese, and eggs. At least the twelve 

 millions' worth of Dutter and the five millions' worth of cheese we buy abroad we 

 might produce oiu-selves, seeing how many tens of thousands of acres of land in 

 this country are lying waste, though admirably adapted for pastures. That our 

 farmers should allow us to import 623 millions of eggs annually is quite unex- 

 plained. We must, in order to continue progressing, do two things — namely, 

 extend the great markets of our international trade into new regions ; and extend 

 the narrow limits of our leading manufacturing industries into wider fields. With 



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