The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-07 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

TlMES.—Every man, we are told, who is his owr
doctor has a tool for his patient. The proverb is a
specious one, but it is more likely to have originated
with the profession than with the public. All re-
gular practitioners object to the interference of
amateurs, and the proceeding must be especially
obnoxious where the interloper is insured against
loss and discouragement, by the possession of an
inexhaustible purse. These considerations have a
material bearing on the questions raised by the
debate of Thursday evening on our manufacturing
departments. No doubt there is much to be said
against the system, but the arguments on that side
of the case lie on the very surface of things, and are
easily seen, whereas the opposite considerations are
not only less obvious but less immediately appreci-
able. In fact, it is difficult at first sight to under-
stand how Government can be anything but a loser
by taking into its own hands the manufacture of
fabrics r. quired for the use of the State, instead of
purchasing them on the cheapest terms in open mar-
ket. Mr. Cobden condensed the case against Govern-
ment manufactures with characteristic force and
decision. When a Government turns manufacturer
it acts under none of the responsibility which con-
trols a private trader. It has no effectualincentives to
economy ; it can never be bankrupt ; it is not bound
to make both ends meet, and it can never, in our
own cube, be short of means, for it has a " bound-
less, almost a bottomless purse." That there
should be anything like genuine thrift under such
conditions is almost inconceivable. A system in-
volving ne inducements to save may undoubtedly
be regarded as " conducive to extravagance and
waste." No limit need be put upon costly ex-
periments, and, what is even worse, no stop can be
put to production when the demand for produce
ceases. As a Government is its own customer, and
has no other customer, its establishments, unless
they are left in wasteful idleness, must always be
turning out Government stores, though it may often
happen that no more stores are wanted. Only the
other day it was actually argued that we must
build wooden ships, or, at any rate, wooden frames,
not exactly because they were better than iron ships,
but because we had enormous stores of timber which
could not be otherwise turned to account. Of course
this It'.ncl of practice is costly. Mr. Cobden's own
estimate, which he gave as the conclusion of " all
practical men of business," was that in the manu-
facturing establishments conducted by Government
" about half the expenditure was wasted." This,
considering the magnitude of the figures involved,
is a very serious affair, and nobody can be surprised
at the dissatisfaction which eves expressed. But
there really is something to be said on the other
side, The regular manufacturers of the country,
who are included probably in Mr. Cobden's "prac-
tical men of business," do not like these Government
establ:shniente, and are naturally ready to furnish
evidence against them. The millions of money
which Sir H. Willoughby spoke of as lavished on
these departments represent just so much custom
withdrawn from private firms. If all the votes for
wages, stores, and yards were transferred to con-
tracts, the amount of business created would be
enormous. But this is not the only point in the,
case. Government, by manufacturing for itself-,
not only deprives the regular practitioners of the
work thus performed at home, but obtains the
means of checking their prices in the work which it
puts out ; so that there is a loss to the trade both
ways. The private establishments get less to do,
and are obliged to do that little better arid more
cheaply thin they would do iL otherwise. Here, in-
deed, lies the great argument for the manufacturing
establishments of Government. Perhaps they do
cost a great deal ; but when we are told that
the Government manufactory of gunpowder a pro-
duces cheaper and better powder than had before