The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 56
Free Trade v. Protection, — Alias "Reciprocity," alias "Fair Trade." — Leaflet No. XXIX
Free Trade v. Protection,
Alias "Reciprocity," alias "Fair Trade."
Leaflet No. XXIX
Facts Are Better Than Arguments.
How do They Decide the Question?
The Following Facts Answer.
British Produce and Manufacturers Exported.
Year. | Total Value. | Per head of Population. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
£ | £ | s. | d. | |
1815 | 51,603,000 | |||
1821 | 36,659,000 | 1 | 14 | 7 |
1831 | 37,164,000 | 1 | 10 | 7 |
1835 | 47,372,000* | |||
1842 | 47,284,000 | 1 | 15 | 0 |
Year. | Total Value. | Per head of Population. | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
£ | £ | s. | d. | |
1846 | 57,786,000 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
1856 | 115,826,000 | 4 | 2 | 10 |
1866 | 188,917,000 | 6 | 5 | 7 |
1876 | 200,639,000 | 6 | 1 | 3 |
1884 | 232,927,000 | 6 | 9 | 6 |
The highest value ever exported was in 1872, one of three remarkably prosperous years, when it reached £256,257,000; but much of the increase was owing to inflated prices. For example, in 1872 we exported 3,537 million yards of Cotton Piece Goods, value £58,931,000; in 1884 we exported 4,417 million yards, value £51,661,000. Our Iron and Steel Exports in 1872 were 3,382,000 tons, value £35,996,000; and in 1884 they were 3,496,000 tons, value £24,487,000.
Analysis of Imports and Exports for 1884.
Imports. | Exports of British Produce and Manufactures. | |
---|---|---|
Living Animals, Food, Spirits, Wine, Tobacco, Seeds and Oil Cake | £172,104,684 | £11,076,5588 |
Raw Materials, and other Materials of Manufacture, including Cotton, Wool, Ores, Hides, Skins, Coal, &c. | 146,489,696 | 13,469,5511 |
Leather | 5,411,253 | 2,016,1366 |
Cotton, Linen, Jute, Silk, Woollen, and other Textile Manufactures, including Yarns | 21,813,819 | 109,844,2811 |
Metals, in various stages of Manufacture | 14,773,281 | 37,162,1522 |
Steam Engines, Machinery, Tools, Hardware, and Cutlery (Import trifling, not stated separately) | 13,051,0288 | |
Alkali, Chemicals, and Drugs | 2,362,093 | 7,839,5166 |
Other Manufactured Articles | 23,337,202 | 38,468,5166 |
Miscellaneous Articles | 3,482,521 | |
Total Exports British Produce and Manufactures | £232,927,5775 | |
Exports of Foreign and Colonial Produce | £62,443,7115 | |
Total Real Value of Imports and Exports | £389,774,549 | £295,371,2900 |
Gold and Silver Bullion, and Specie | 20,321,853 | 21,999,2222 |
Total | £410,096,402 | £317,370,5112 |
Of the Importations of Textile Fabrics, Silk, formerly the most protected of British Industries, accounts for.£10,976,830; Cotton, the frees: from Protection, for only £2,235,800. Of the whole £389,774,000 of Imports, £318,594,000 consisted of Food, Drink, Tobacco, and [unclear: mate] of manufacture, while the Exports of British Produce are mainly Manufactures.
British Shipping under Protection and under Free Trade.
Under Protection. | Under Free Trade. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Tons. | Tons. | ||
1816 | 2,604,000 | 1845 | 3,123,000 |
1845 | 3,123,000 | 1880 | 6,574,000 |
Increase, | 619,000 | Increase, | 3,451,000 |
Under Protection. | Under Free Trade. | ||
---|---|---|---|
Tons. | Tons. | ||
1845. | 1844. | ||
British | 6,617,000 | British | 40,156,000 |
Foreign | 2,715,000 | Foreign | 13,814,000 |
Total, | 9,332,000 | Total, | 53,970,000 |
It was prophesied that the repeal of the Navigation Laws would British Shipping, but it still maintains its supremacy.
Consumption of Articles of Imported Food per Head of the Population
Baeon & Hams, a small fraction of | 1 lb. |
Butter | 1 lb. |
Cheese | nearly 1 lb. |
Wheat and Wheat Flour | 42½ 1 lbs. |
Eggs | 3½ in number. |
Rice. | nearly 1 lb. |
Sugar, raw | 15 lbs. |
Tea | nearly 1¼ lb. |
Bacon and Hams | nearly 1¼ lb. |
Butter | above 7 lb. |
Cheese | above 5½ lbs. |
Wheat and Wheat Flour | nearly 251 lb. |
Eggs | above 26 in number |
Rice | nearly 12½ lbs. |
Sugar, raw | nearly 62 lbs. |
Tea | above 4¼ lbs. |
Tea | 5s. per lb. |
Coffee | 2s. per lb. |
Sugar | 9d. per lb. |
Tea | 2s. per lb. |
Coffee | 1s. per lb. |
Sugar | 2d. per lb. |
To proceed to the consideration of the price of the staff of life—Bread.—Under Protection, the best wheaten Loaf of 4 lbs. frequently stood at One Shilling, and sometimes higher. Under Free Trade it has rarely exceeded Eightpence; for a long time it was Sixpence, and is now Fivepenee-halfpenny. Nor was this the worst feature of the case. By the operation of the Corn Laws the consumption of Foreign Corn was prohibited, except at famine prices. In 1845, the year of the Irish Famine, there were imported, to meet the failure of the harvest and the potato crop, only 4,723,000 cwts. of wheat and wheat flour. In 1884 our imports of the same articles were 62,217,516 cwts.
What would have been the Price of Bread and the state of the Nation during the recent deficient harvests if the Corn Laws had not been Repealed?
The present high price of butchers' meat, which seems to be an exception to the favourable results of Free Trade, really proves—first, that the consumption and the ability to purchase are both greater than under Protection; and, secondly, that were it not for the free import of foreign provisions and cattle we should at this moment be labouring under a dearth of animal food. Up to the year 1842 the importation of live Animals and of dead Meat was prohibited, except Bacon and Hams, and Salt Beef and Pork, upon which heavy Protective duties were imposed, and of which we imported in 1840 to the value of £132,537. In 1884 we imported live and dead Meat to the value of £25,514,929.
Social and Economic Results of Free Trade.
The number of paupers relieved in England and Wales on the 1st January, 1849, the first year of the present statistics, was 934,419, the population being 17,564,000; on the 1st January, 1884, the number of paupers was 774,310, and the population 26,951,000. In 1849 the proportion relieved to population was 1 in 18; in 1884 it was 1 in 34.
The amount expended in poor relief per head of the population was the same in 1883 as in 1845, viz., 6s., a fact largely attributable to increased humanity in the treatment of the poor, but the rateable value of the property assessed to the Poor Rate increased from £62,540,000 in 1841 to £141,407,686 in 1883.
The Total Capital of the Savings' Banks was £24,474.000 in 1841; it was £86,756,000 in 1884.
The Total Traffic Receipts of Railways were £4,535,000 in 1843, and £71,062,000 in 1883.
The Total Assessment of Income Tax in Great Britain in 1842 was £251,000,000;'in 1882 it was £565,251,000.
The Balance of Trade, and How it is Paid.
It is said we are draining ourselves of gold to pay for the excess of Imports. What are the facts?
The account of Imports and Exports on the first page shows and excess of the former over the latter of £94,403,259, but the Exports of Bullion and Specie only show an excess over Imports of £1,677,369,01 seventeen farthings in the pound. It may be said that a single year is no test, but the case of the Fair Traders is not strengthened by taking a series of years. The following are the figures for the previous ten years:—
Imports of Commodities, 1874 to 1883 | £3,893,822,521 |
Exports of Commodities, 1874 to 1883 | 2,778,247,656 |
Excess of Imports | £1,115,274,865 |
Imports of Gold and Silver, 1874 to 1883 | £268,391,090 |
Exports | £253,811,086 |
Excess of Imports of Bullion and Specie | £14,580,005 |
From which it would appear, according to the Protectionist theory that the foreigner had paid us £14,000,000 in Bullion and Specie to take £1,115,000,000 worth of goods off his hands.
Received for Ocean Carrying Trade | £46,000,000 |
Received Marine Insurance | 3,500,000 |
Received Interest upon Capital | 5,000,000 |
Received Merchants' Profits | 17,600,000 |
Received Interest on Foreign Investments | 56,000,000 |
£126,000,000 |
Such are the Facts of Free Trade.
Can there be any Doubt as to Upholding Our Present Commercial System?
Resolve, then, to
Reject the Fallacies of "Protection,
"Reciprocity," or "Fair TradeM,"
Or by whatever other Name the Delusion may be called
John Noble
Messrs. Cassell & Company, Limited, La Belle Sauvage Yard, London, E.C., supply Leaflet in packets of 100, price 2s.
* This increase was caused by fiscal reforms: duties upon more than 700 articles being reduced and modified between 1831 and 1834.