The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-07-19
r,,r room sUrrLY..:
), :, r.as,e Deee.e IN ra Z I'n ssa
i ,.cS1 y, BRITISH AGRICULTURE NJ:
TIE DE. ..-Trn STATES AHEAD OF All Ma
TUE BRraHT's SPEECH. E

x,.., xas a debate IN the louss VI 80 ,t,
.a., IN the 9Th instant upon she oeplssss ~
raossSa 10 OF agriculture In Ecglanu,s.ss
eo"u usa n which some'yefy ssSnlhc .sIt1s ~
eea, ,;a,s we're made concerning tue @Ms
n's n,,cr Of the United States as ioed-ptoT
5nt,ng country. 49,. 49,, , o,;;,,,di sso,,e |
s.n ., The present agricultural depression
ca ,be bad WELD and the bad prices op-
wss WIS for produce. They had OF late oeen
saving less corn and RECEIVING iess lnones
80 as well rs for meat, WOOL cneese' mnu
t to- nearly every farming eommoalty. nc
1ol He." .nrseo,,ence was last season alone cs.
l oss ~ ar e5S 900. 900 J290, zoe, 00O). The
t'n, '..o NJ the seasons they could not con-
e0 Gov, hut With regard TO the prices 1t was
Nv, :,,s,Iv clear 10 what they we're owing and
Cor they were likely to be OF a perma-
~ nr naSSinc character. Sooner or later
ne nrr one would be compelled to recognize
.,a, nnon the answer they received to
wa. wa cousc OF the failure in prices the
s.;,,re Of the agriculture oil the United
Einrdom more or less depended. The pro-
snrtion Of food IN England would continue
I,r inst 50 long time as 1t continued TO
nsy the producer, and how long that would
:. dcpended upon the costsof producing
the food and the return 1t yielded. Ii the
nrices lately received continued to prevail
tbc duration Of agriculture in England must
and could only be short, lie did not be-
nsye in the possibility OF any. material re-:
anction in the cost OF production, unless 1t
he BIZ reducing the rents but even sup
nosinc the whole OF the rents could be re-
mp;,,cd. the cost Of production in bad sea-
cons would be greater than the return, II
the cost OF production could not be reduced
hah nfal n ncI 10 l.
mrires which they bad to receive for the
nn,oduce. and these prices would be gov
eerned not By the market Mt home. but by the
market abroad-viZ. in America.
AMERICA TO SETTLE THE PRICE OF ENGLISH
FOOD. - ,-.
What they really wanted to arrive at was
what was the least price at when Amerl-
can food, including cost OF freight and
,ransport. could be supplied here with a
nr16t to the importer. That was the price
they would 10 the future have to adopt as
their. own. II 1t were one which would
fairly remunerate the Eng lish producer, all
well and good, and the present depression
would pass away. II, on the other hand, it
be found that America could supply food ut
price cheaper than they could produce it,
be did not know bow it was possible for
them TO resist the statement that English
agriculture must pass away unless the
country took steps to prevent It. 1t would
be nothing less than the rum OF the coun-
,Ty, for agriculture was by far the largest
national industry. This was not question OF
class, but national question OF the greatest
and largest importance. 1t was certain
that there would be no harvest at all unless
il paid TO produce II. How far that was
likely TO be, depended upon whether Anne
RIGA could undersel them in food in future
in their own country. He admitted that
there was much speculation in any opinion
formed on the point, but it was significant
that in 1875 $50 head Of cattle were import
ed from America. HOO in 1876, 10000 in
1877, 6S,000 in 1878, and he found that the
importation bad reached 10000 during the
first five months-and they winter months
OF the present year. notwithstanding the
order in Council that all cattle were to be
slaughtered at the port OF debarkation.
Opposition cheers.] 1t was only right
that he should ask for the speedy removal
OF all restrictions and taxes which were at
present imposed on the productions OF food
1t home.
ENGLAND'S MANUFACTURERS RUINED.
Mr. MacIrer had no desire to underrate
the importance OF the export trade Of the
country, but It seemed to him that English
home trade was even more important, and
that manuiaci ures and agriculture had CON-
mon interests. If the English. manufac-
turing population were idle they could not
buy agricultural produce, and If agriculture
remained depressed her manufacturing in
dustres would be depressed 100, because
those who lived by agriculture had less
money to spend in manufactures. We
were, lie thought, too much dependent upon
foreign nations for our supply OF food.
There was not country in the world
that would now take our manufactures
In exchange. The question was not so
much whether free trade was desirable as
whether it was practicable. 1t was idle to
say tba. as trade bad formerly revived SO it
would again. There might, indeed, be some
temporary Improvement, but it could only
be temporary. What he wished to point
out was that the conditions had changed,
and that it was our duty TO face those alter
ed conditions. The House knew what our
own colonies were doing. Everybody was
closing bis doors 10 US, and it was not real
s0nable TO expect any substantial revival OF
our export trade under such conditions.
The character OF our exports had changed,
and We were now exporting raw materials
where we formerly sent manufactures,
aud we were even to some extent i'm
porting manufactures from those who
formerly sent us raw materials Our ex-
ports OF wooilen manufactures were rapid
ly decreasing, and our imports OF the same
goods as rapidly increasing; and the same
was true OF manufactures in iron and steel,
OF silks and OF cUttons. He remembered
when large quantities OF rails from South
Wales went 10 the United States but now
their largest aYnnrt sSCnIapRI.' de-
scription OF ore the special usefulness OF
which was to enable Americans to make
steel rails for themselves He remembered,
too, the time when linens from Belfast went
to America ia large quantities but to-day
those quantities were small. Sheffield now
sent unfinished goods to save the duties.
The work was done in America which used
10 employ people here. Our manufactu-
rers were ruined, and Sheffield artisans had
The mockery OF cheap food offered to them
al the cost or starvation.
WHY THOSE ENORMOUS IMPORTS FROM AAE-
RICAl "a
Mr.. John Bright said: Sir, cannot ex-
pcct that any observations may make can
oe OF as much interest as those which have
iaiien from the honora Die gentleman who
Las JUST sat down; but [ can assure the
house that shall not 60 into any question
VI manufacture or particular concern with
winch myself may be engaged. Ii honor
soIe members OF this House, connected
Win The various trades OF the country,
'ecnpy three quarters OF an hour in DIS
euSsing their own trades E. Oh! obi" and
eheers] do not know how Parliament will
proceed with its legislative functions with
90! rapidItY or any success. The MEM |