The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-21
ENGLAND'S LOSS OF TRADE.
Alarm OYER HER FAST VANISHING
COMMERCIAL SUPREMICF.

Trades Unioninm and Failure to Keep Paeo
with Modern Methods AmonE the Causes
Figures Showing n steady Decline In
Commerce The Gains OF other Nations.
LONDON, Nov. 12.-England at last Is seriously
alarmed over the steady decline Of her CONNER.
cial supremacy. Financially. London still rules
the world. but In trade and England's
rivals arc now 80 close 10 the front that 1t is al
most q ~foregone conclusion that she wllllose the
lead In the race. No EnRlishman Will admit
that the case Is as bad as that, but an impartial
analysis OF the situation makes 1t appear certain
that conditions and methods in the greatest
English manufacturing trades must be radically
altered or foreign competition will drive Eng.
land out OF the markets Of the world.
Tho causes OF this crisis In British prosperity
are of two kinda. The moro general cause is
failure to keep pace with modern methods.
Tho British manufacturer and trader Is slower
than all others to cater to local tastes and pre-
judices in foreign markets. British Consuls
the world over have for years been emphasizing
this point and calling attention to cases where
American or German competitors have taken
trade away from English houses simply by
studying little points of local popularity and
fancy. Next, and moro important, British
manufacturers, some Of them. have not yet
learned that the day has gone by when they
could demand the large profit which goes with
virtual trade monopoly. Many more Of them
within q few years have found this out Just too
late to save q rapidly vanishing trade.
Most serious Of all is the industrial cause.
The strike in tho engineering trade furnishes n
startling object lesson on this point. and this
lesson comes rs q sudden revelation to tho
people Of Great Britain. The tremendous
handicap under which British manufacturers
have been struggling for years was made clear
in q single remark to me tho other day by the
head of a great engineering firm.
DO you know" said he, that since this
strike began have been getting twice the output
per man in my shops from my apprentices that
/ received from our skilled union worKmen,
working the same number Of hoursf"
The explanation lies in the pernicious and in
defensible practice Of trades unionism which
limits tho output to less than half on the aver
age OF the capacity Of men and machinery when
at work. This explanation carries with 1t. Of
course. exposure Of the fact that, rs tho British
workman's so-called days work of nine hours
was more than half idleness. therefore,. tho rate
OF wages, which must BIO measured by accom-
plishIne t, not by time, is really much higher
even than in the United States. This pregnant
truth is at last breaking in upon English minds.
and II has doomed the eight-hours movement in
this country to ignominious failure.
The alarm caused by this revelation has led to
an earnest study of the whole question Of the
ubClinc VI EuGlsu tTduc. NJ" tnhL puuiiC III
terest has been thoroughly aroused, the effects
OF this introspection are pretty sure to include
some radical reforms. No more forcible exposi.
ton of the weakness OF the British trade posi-
tion has ever been made in small space than In
contained in n short series OF articles which the
Mail has pu bl!shcd this week from the pen of
Earnest L. Williams, the author Of Made In
Germany" Mr.. Williams sets himself to show
how Great Britain is tagging behind in the
1900 ia H. 400 a-l l- IL .H ,N ,.s.l ah.A
Lutte clearness. Above all he lays stress on the
decrease in British export trade. In 1895 Sir
Courtney Boyle, AS u permanent official OF the
Board of Trade, commissioned" as Mr.. VIII
Aiams puts it, "to curse the German scare
drew up some tables Of trade movements. Tax
ing his figures. Mr.. Williams shows that the ex-
ports OF manufactures between 1883 and 1895
grew in value, in the case OF France. from
ga. OOO, 900 to $40. 0O0, 900; in the case of Ger
many, from EOS. 900 600 to alO9, 600, 600: in
the case of the United States, from 22S, 900, 600
to R3s, 900. 900. In the case of the United
Kingdom they fell from 9@l5,00O 900 to
Rl96 ,oOO, 900.
Tho optimistic statistician who adds together
imports and exports and calls the result tho
total volume of trade" Is reminded that u man
cannot add together his income and his cxpendi-
ture md point to the sum in proof of his wealth.
And even where an attempt has been made to
ah~,, $50 --.Ao, - n-r.rt. a. Ia nHnunl 20 h.
n" ~, - nao 1ooonh
~ rs.,.I.'H 80, ;.n,t".ho,, aon,.
80 ors@ns $1,000 Iaa1 "nS
an. rs. 49, a,oS,ta nro.uoa go,
10 I ~. 80, -. -
~ aono nnttn 49,. na.uouna
increase was 5000 900. Taking the English
increase II appears to be entirely due 10 the fact
~, !" 49,
u >" inns ''"' mr.
Now every ION OF coai eN'rac'eu 'rom our
coaihei"" impiies permanent loss ot wealth. 10
tnat amount Inc coai ooesh sro" asaih'
40" can 20 on reapihg crop AFTER crop from
your h'ius' 'he seiling OF crop ooes not mean
aporrh'heh' Gram on your resources. you can
go on Tor all nh'c turning out manufactures oy
the "ppiic"tioh OF iator 10 raw material "heh
you pun cohi OUT OF the ground you Just leave a
hoio behind. You are using up precious capl-
tai' ANA wheh you SEM IL away 10 the LOT