Feb, 13, The "National Review" for, January contains an article by Sir Henry Page Croft entitled) "The Triumph of Safeguarding," which gives startling facts of the stimulus imparted to all industries in Great Britain which have been brought under a measure of protection. Sir Henry] Page Croft begins by setting out the Free Traders' four prophecies of evil to result from safeguarding, as follow:
(2) That employment and] production, would) nat be (2) That in every case safeguarded goods would cost more and the consumer would suffer, (3) Because of the rise in price of manufacture, the exports would (A) "Competition would bel eliminated and the industry would become inefficient.
Taking these one by one, it is shown that 7
"Between the years July 1924 and 1929, the number of persons employed in the construction and repair of motor vehicles, cycles, and aircraft has increased from 187,365 to 227,196, "In the years July 1925 to July!
1929, employment in silk and artificial sill ha 42,750 to 67,573; musical inst ments, 19,630 to 26,240; gloves, 692 to 1,8 gloves, 7430 to 8,980; rubber tyres, (these were only protected in the Budget of 1927), 21,960 to 26,492; scientific instruments (1924-1929), 14,000 to 25,055." In respect of output we have not space for all figures, but the production of artificial silk rose from 2,110,000 1b, in 1924 to 5,280,000 Th. in 1929 and that of real silk from 180,000,000 Ib' to 300,000,000 Ib in the' same period. Briefly, it may be said that every safeguarded industry in these four years shows sub-In many cases enormous, increase of production, In respect of prices the Free Trade prophecy is equally confounded:
"The prices of motor-cars since 1925 have decreased from 15_per ent. to 40 per cent, and up' to 62 per cent. in some cheaper ears since the duties were first imposed in 1914, "Between the years 1924 and 1926, motor cycles decreased cost by 10
Ik' yarn by over ince June 1925; pianos 20 per cent.; gloves (leather), 3 per coat. to 8 per cent; chinaware, 7} per cent. to 10 per and motor tyres in two years over 18 per cent, If the whole range of safeguarded products the cost of production very substantial decrease, and this {s accounted for by the fact that manufacturers with a secure home ket are able, behind the tariff, to produce far greater quantity, and thus, by reducing overhead charges," are able to lower the price to the consumer, ith regard to exports, for the same reason the Free Trade contention is falsified and manufacturers are able to reduce their export prices, with the result] that the export of safeguarded cods increased between 1924 and 1928 by 333 per cent., whilst As for the threat of eliminated competition and decreased efficiency it is shown that since safeguarding was introduced sixty new factories have been built, of which twenty represent foreign firms,.who have come into Great Britain, owing to the duties, and -now employ many thousands of British workers. and contribute to the exchequer: and rates.
How do these facts compare with the Socialist schemes for reducing unemployment, which unemployment, it is to be remembered, has been steadily rising in the last nine months and now stands 200,000 higher than when the Conservatives went out of ofice? Last December Mr. Thomas stated that since the year 1918 the country had spent. +£850,000,000 in unemployment: insurance "without any return whatever". Speaking at Brighton he said that every £1,000,000 of public money spent went no further than to employ 2,000 workers directly and 2,000 indirectly. Since the McKenna safeguarding and silk duties were first imposed the increased number of persons directly employed in those industries estimated at 442,000, to which probably as many more may be added who are indirectly employed. Taking, however, only those of whom we can be certain, We find that those now addition: ally employed as the result of safeguarding and with no cost, but the greatest: benefit, to the State could, under the Socialist! schemes, only be employed at an annual cost to the country of over £100,000,000, As Sir Henry Page Croft well puts it, the issue is shown thus:
"Are we to finance schemes to make temporary work of an unproductive character costing ly.
(000,000 for every 4,000 persons employed, or will we boldly safeguard industries to find permanent employment for vast of workers without loss to the State, but to the last'ni advantage of our peopl It is to be hoped that these tremendous facts will be put in the simplest form and forced upon the notice of every voter in the British Isles. Sir Henry Page Croft says that when, the recent Conservative conference, Mr, Baldwin definitely accepted "a resolution to put safeguarding in the forefront of the Party programme "there was the first full-throated cheer have heard at a great mass meeting" since the War. But it not enough to pass resolutions at party conferences, and to set out facts in magazines which are read by comparatively few people. Means must be found to bring home to every individual the tremendous benefits which are proved to result from guarding. The success of tha Socialist Party in recent years is that they have carried their attack down into the street, into every home, every meeting place, every assembly of workers of all classes. They preach politics continually in a form to make people understand how closely their every-day life is affected by political issues. The same methods wil have to be adopted by the Conservati At present the party seems to be apathetic, possibly because of the general understanding that it would be unwise to force another General Election just. yet. But it is never too soon to begin to prepare the way for the next election. The Conservatives have a great cause round which to Vally, a certain cure for unemployment and high taxation. It only needs to bring the facts home to the people of the coun: try in order to turn them from.
alist nostrums, the impractiity of which is already being to make itself felt.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.