The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-10-07
growing population with its trade prac-
 tically stagnant for thirty years He


 tries, which you have been told. and myself one time believed. were going rap- idly to wreck and ruin. have progressed infinitely better In proportion than our selves. and instead of. as, Cooden be- lieved. our remaining the workshop of the world, we are sending less and less or our manufactures abroad. whilst the pro tected countries are sending more of thcir manufactures here. Thus, our manufac- tured exports. from 116.oOO.00o pounds sterl- ing in 1872, have gradually dwindled to 73 500.O00 pounds sterling ip ,s0z to the protected countries of Europe and the United States.
 Tn the same period our exports to non-manufacturing countries like Egypt China and South Africa. have practically remained unchanged.
 England's Colonial Trade.
 ,This loss of trade to the protected countries has not been noticed hitherto because during the same period our ex- ports to the British colonies have In- creased in ratio to counter-balance this loss and are nov more valuable than our trade with the Whole of Europe and the United States together
 'Our colonial trade. in fact. is the most rapidly increasing, important and valua- ble of all of our trade. Meanwhile. for eign exports to the United Kingdom have
 
 900 900 pounds in 1902. I do not comment on that, but when am told that we ought to. hold the same opinions as our ancestors reply that we should if the circumstances remained the same.
 "I have made these figures clear It is plain that our imperial trade Is essential to our prosperity. If it declines. or fails to increase in proportion to our popula- tion and to the loss of our foreign trade, ehan ofn Int 6ffh A. tion.
 At the Highest Point.
 we have reached our highest point, and am not certain but that some of my opponents regard that with absolute com placency. I have the misfortune to be an optimist. do not believe in the setting of the British star but then I do not believe in the folly of the British people. trust them and trust the working classes. I have confidence that they who are masters. electorically speaking. will have the intelligence to see that they must wake up. that they must meet the new conditions with altogether a new policy -''-''-t
 Have you ever considered why Canada takes a much larger amount per head of British manufactures than the United States: Australia thrice as much as Can ada, and South Africa more than Aus tralia? These are all protective coun- tries see that some of our labor lead CTS are persuading the workmen to main tain the system of free imports. I un- dertake to say that not one of them could visit the colonies for six months without singing a different tune. The, vast major- ity of the workmen in the colonies are protectionists, and I am disinclined to accept the easy explanation that they are all fools. fail to understand why man who is intelligent here becomes an idiot when he goes to Australia. He does, how ever, get rid of a number of old world prejudices and superstitions.
 History of Protection. Now, what is the history of protection? First, there is tariff and no industries. Then gradually primary industries for which the country has natural facilities, grow up behind the earin wall. Then sec ondary industries spring up; first of necessaries. then of luxuries, until at last all the ground is covered
 ''The countries to which I have referred are in different stages of the protective process. In the United States the pro cess Is completed She produces every thing and excludes everything. There Is no trade to be done with her for a paltry six shillings per head.
 Canada has been protective long time The principal industries are there and you can never get rid of them, but tho secondary industries have not yet been created, and there is an immense trade still open to you to maintain ana increase.
 We can intervene now. but 1t Is doubt - ful if we could intervene twenty years hence. We could say to our great colo nies. We understand your views and as- nirations and do not care to dictate or think ourselves superior to you; we rec oenize your right to develop your inous- tries so as not to be dependent upon for' eipn supplies; but there are many things vou don't know how to make for wnich we have a great capacity or proouctlon' leave them to us; do not increase the ta' if walls against us; let us eAc"ahHo with YOU for your productions; we reiy unon vour patriotism and your anectlon that we shall not be losers thereby
 A Opportunity Lost.
 ..s,,nnose we had made such an oHer to tha limited States and Germany ten or wenty wears ago. Do you suppose uia' we should not have been able to retaln great deal of what we have now iost and cannot recover? I will give you an Illustration. America Is the strictest ol the protective nations. It mas udrli which, to me, is an abomanatioh' ahu' although America has prohted enefmole- ly, l think IL f1ae Deen CaAi iiNN " S sive lengths and I believe that a great number of intelligent Americans would gladly negotiate with us for It's renuC- tion But until very recent times even this immoderate tariff left us the great tin plate trade, amounting to millions or pounds per annum, and which we might have kept If we had given some recipro- cal advantage.
 ''If we had made some such concessions to Germany, we should still have been exporting to that country many articles the market for which Is now closed to us.
 Were we to lose the colonies as we lost our foreign trade. we should have arrived at the parting of the ways. If the oppo ortunfty Is not seized now 1t will not occur Canada will fall to the level of the United States; Australia to the level of Canada and South Africa to the level of Australia and that would be the be- ginning of a general decline which would rob us of our most important trade" Colonies Are Loyal.
 MT. Chamberlain said he believed that the colonies ''are prepared to meet us in ret,rn for a very moderate preference. They would reserve to us the trade we already enjoy and would also arrange their tariffs in tine future in order not to start industries in competition with those already in existence in the mother coun- try and not only would they enable us to retain our trade with them but they vo1lld give us preference on all trade done with them by our foreign competi- tors