The Portland daily press., 1878-11-15
Inc Manchester (England) Chamber OF
Commerce on Bad Trade.

On the 2Sth October last was held the resu.
lar quarterly meeting of the Manchester Cham
Dei Vi commerce, at which the following resc-
| luton was offered by Mr. T. B. Waters:
Ihst this meeting of the Manchester Cham
p'r Oh commerce respectfully urges upon the
directors the advissbility CT making an exhaust.
i've inquiry as to the cause of the present de-
plorable state of trade, and how governmental
action is responsible for the same"
The members of the chamber we're mostly Of
tne opinion, that the chief cause of the general
Stagnstion Of business and the long coutinued
depression of trade in every departmsut WAS
mainly due to over production, and par,Iv IN
the action of the government in inspiring the
country with an apprehension Of war, so that
s'fe calculations for the future could not be
made.
one OF the members Of the Chamber present.
an eminent statisticiaD, Mr. WIN. Hoyls, had
formed quite different opinion of the cause of
the bad trade, which was general, bat not
universal, as 1t had been said. There was ons
great branch of trade that had in no degree fel.
the pinch OF hard times, bat on the contrary. IL
had never been more prosperous.
"And what is thst?" was asked bv 40 eseral
persons The liquor trade in all It's branches"
Mr. Hosle replied. 20! o! The liquor trade.
Aud what has that to do with it?" "I will
proceed to show tina. in as few words as pos-
sible,' said Mr.. Hoyle and be continued:
1t cannot bs properly said that there Is an
over-production of goods until the legitimate
wants, or rather, the needs Of the market ara
supplied, with a large surplus remaining on
nsnd. Now this cannot be said of apy branch
OF our depressed trades, except that Of irou.
tne demand for whose goods has greatly fallen
OH, partly In sympathy with the general de-
oression. bat mostly from the ct that railroad
ou'loing mas almost ceased, and from the other
most important fact that America. fofmarlv
our great mar ket fjr lroo, is now supplying hsr
own wants, aud has actually sent iron TO Brit
ish ports. The American market for iron IL
entlrt ~ aud finally lost to this country, a,
indeed that important market is for a great
variety and vast amount of British goods
But We have great home N arket which in
very poorly supplied with the much needed
goods 10 which our warehouses sbJund."
but why then is the market not suopied?''
cried one Of the members, "since the goods are
so much wanted, and are so closely at hspd?"
For The very good reason that the moasy
to pay for the goods goes in another DIRECTION
VERY well then the market is glutted, il ths
goods are piled up in the warehouses for lack
of customers"
II beg pardon; there are millions of custom
ers in desperate need of the goods with nlsnrv
of money to paw for them, whi,h they would
do bat for the fsct that the Governments takes
special pains to induce them to speud their
money in another direction, that is in the
llqnor trade"
"Bot we've ALWAYS had the liquor trade, even
when business was good; and we have il now
on Do larger scale than formerly"
'My object ii" said Mr.. Hoyle, "to point ont
10 the Chamber of Commerce what conceive
10 be the chief cause of the alarming stagnation
If British trade. L have no mIsgivibgs what
sver as to the correctness of my opinion. lam
lutte col tident that there Is no gentleman ores
,ns who WI ! not sgres with ma that il the
,suse Of bad trade to which [ allude was re-
moved, trade would instantly revive and be far
letter than II has ever been within the memory
# any one present"
Aud Mr.. Hoyle continued:
"Tbe gentleman is much mistaken who said
be liquor traffic is no larger now than it was in
ormer days. when trade was good. During all
hese Years OF almost total stsguatiou of the
General trade OF the country, the liquor traffic
las continued TO flourish and to increase 10 ex-
ent, with all its bad results to the general trade
4 the nation. For the five years ending ia
S62 we spent upon drink ei50, 600 900 (2250
Millions Of dollarsl or 10000, 600 a year. flour
hundred and fifty million dollsrs) But for tns
i've years ending 1877, we have spent 2710,-
No. OOOO lo55O million dollars), or 9l42, 600 900 o
ear, bei0g an increase of over 60 per cent,
whist the population had grown only 16 per
ent. Toe expsdlture for the five years end
ug 1877. was e260, 200, ,0O0 $500 million dollars)
more than In the tive years ebdine 1862, aud it
clear that if the extra $3.50, 900, 900 winch had
Que in drink, had been spent IN toe purchase
our manufactures, there would have been
title or none Of the depression which Is so uui-
ersally prevalent" But Mr.. Hoyle did not
tate bis case as strongly as he might have
one, bJ supposiDg what the results to trade
'ould have been, # the whole sun spent 10
rink in the five yeats, e710,000,0O0 had been
urned from that bad Channel Into the beui-
icent one Of builoing up and exten nding the
seIti -sate business OF the country. Instead Of
1retchedness and rags. poverty, psuperism,
insanity, and crime, there might have been
bundsnt food and fdel, aud peace aud comfors
! every miserable hovel in The kingdom. Nay,
be novels would have been swept away, and
very family might have had q cottage we'll
applied with all that Is necessary to q happy
ONE.
Precisely that, aod great deal more Ia the
anne direction, is aimed ut b. the Maine Law,
hich Is intended to sup ,ress aud binish thas
evillsh trade In drink" which is 10 deadly
ostiity to every legitimate branch Ct business,
, the prosperity of the State and the Welt are
nd happiness Of the people. NJ