Arizona republican., 1901-10-14
THE BRITISH TRADE
English Lawyer Say There has
 Been no Decline
The Volume is Greater Than Ever. The Increase This Year Over Last-England is Dependent Only for Food Stuffs.

NeW fork, Oct- l3.-Robert Barrett Fithian of Nottingham. England. a commercial lawyer and member of the British bar. is in the city. MT Fithian has been visiting Canada for several weeks. studying trade conditions. labor problems, etc., there, and will remain in this country for some time on a like mission. MT. Fithian said that during his short stay in this country and Can ada he has been astonished at the com ment that is indulged in by the people and the press regarding the supposed increa sing decline in British trade and other things through American compe- tition.
 All this talk abou, Britain losing her commercial supremacy" he saic lis far from being the truth; at any rate, l see no reason to believe that British trade will cease 70 grow for many a year to come. The total of British exports and imports during the past year is the greatest volume of business ever transacted by any coun- try in the world, and amounts to near ly SSO.000.O00 increase over the prece9- ing year. which is more even than that of the United States. whose prosperity is the marvel of us all I admit, of course. that so far as the United King dom is concerned the increase is due mainly to imports. huge proportion of which is composed of foodstuffs. This is the only thing that gives Great Brit ain cause for anxiety, for year Dy year she is becoming more dependent upon the foreigner for her food supply There is no reason, however, for Britain to become pessimistic over this ract, for her colonies are amply able to provide her with provisions for increasing pop ulation for the increased cost only of transportation.
 Ut Is true that there is a great need of increased eXertion on the part of the Britisher.'' he said in answer 10 a ques- tion- ''Our business men show . ce-- tain want of adaptation to foreign wants and fancies. Our peculiar sys- tenn of weights and measures is also an obstacle to business, coupled with the want of thorough scientific train ing among the workmsn and lack Of acquaintance with foreign languages on the part of our commercial agents This all tends to give the foreigner an advantage that ought not to be his The more thorough attention that America has given to the scientific training of her workmen, and the fa- cility with which her commercial agents can speak the different lan- guages-which is the outgrowth, of course. of her vast foreign element have given the United States two Of the greatest advantages over the Unit ed Kingdom in the race for commer- cial supr emacy."
 Speaking of this lack of education in Great Britain and the consequences or strikes there, he said:
 There is no disputing the disastrous effect of strikes; but I think it is q mistake to suppose that strikes and the threat of strikes. which, after all, is only giving effect in the last resort to trade unionism, have not improved wages. I am not by any means an ad- vocate of strikes but it must be admit ted that in the majority of cases where they have been resorted to they have resulted in the workmen geininG their desired object. If labor had not be5n organized. and if employers of labor in Great Britain and other countries had not to recokn with strikes upon occa- sion, I can say with confidence that wages in Great Britain, at least. would not be what they are today, but very much lower. Our complaint is not that wages are too high-they are very much higher in this country-but that trade unioniSm. the organization that protects and also largely controls the worker. cramps effort rather than en- courages it. In America. as have said, wages are higher than in Great Britain. The reason for this is that the return for them is in still larger pro- portion. So far as I have been able to observe the American workman gives of his best. Each strives to excel the other, since all hope one day to be ern- ployers themselves but in Great Brit ain the policy of trade unions has been to reduce the best hand to the level of the whole second rate rather than first class.
 The continued advocacy. too. or bet ter education for the masses is all right. but, after all, the effect of educa- tion may be easily exaggerated. It is not, in my opinion. the well educated man who is wanted so much as the man with a sound mind in a sound body. What is better than education for the material progress of every country is common sense. untiring ef- fort. adaptability. It is through these qualities that Americans are making such keen rivals in the world of com merce in foreign countries. They are practical besides having a respectable smattering of the theatrical side of things. Education by all means, but education without these IS as a plough without horses. The men who built up the great businesses of Great Britain and America were mostly uneducated men. but they were men of grit. of common sense, of shrewdness, of great industry and simple life, and these qualities will serve the:r successors better than too much booK crammIng, however necessary that may be for certain professions"
  FOUND DEAD AT NIAGARA FALLS