The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-10
BRITAIN MUST GROW MORE FOODSTUFFS Navy No Longer Able To
 Protect Transports TO RAISE OWN COTTON Great Britain May Not Depend on United States Much Longer.
 General and Political News
 of England
Fly PHILLIP EVERETT

1 London, December 9.-(Specfal. )-NoW
 that the British navy is no longer strong
 enough to prevent an enemy from sezing food transports in time of war, the En-
 glish people are waking up to the fact that unless they are able to produce at least
 some of the necessities of life on home
 soil they are very apt to find themselv es
 in an embarrassing position one of these fine days.
 Strong efforts are being made all over England to induce the farmers to cuitf-
 vate the soil and large donations are given to bacon factories. The government
 is encouraging poultry farming. and lately
 an agitation has begun to cultivate sugar beets on q large scale.
 1 In Bristol the old industry of sugar re- lining is soon to be revived, sugar having doubled during the last few years. Tne
 Bristol Sugar company has just leased
 site at Monmouth for the erection of a
 large refinery and a capital of I,oo00oo
 has been raised. The new refinery is ex-
 pected to turn out 5o,eoo tons of sugar year.
 A report Just issued by the International l Association of Tropical Agriculture con- l tains reports from a number of regions where experiments in cotton growing have | been carried on with excellent results. These reports show that there is no req
 son why Great Britain should continue to | rely on the United States for her supply l of cotton. as there are vast areas in the colonies where superior cotton may be nroduced at a very much lower cost than | in America.
 An established cotton industry is ar- ready to be found in Nigeria, and Uganda is rapidly becoming a producing resioh In fact the statistics justify the eXpecta- ton that the industry in Uganda will rap idly expand Favorable conditions for cotton growing have been proved to exist in certain portions of British East Africa Rhodesia and in various localities Wlthl1 the borders of the Union of South Africa. The principal necessity for the develop ment of the industry in these countries IS capital and the provision of ginning faell- ites.
 Tn Queensland, the cotton growing in- dnstrv has suffered many vicissitudes. 1t was in a flourishing condition about lSoo, when the United States civil war seriously curtaied the output from North America, hut ii gradually declined until 1887, when it practically ceased to exist. Between lSS7 and 1897 there was revival, but the industry again declined. In 1902 cultiVa- ton was recommended, and since that | date it has been steadily growing En- 1 coura eed as it is by the commonwealth | .royernment there is every prospect of the 1 industry attaining considerable propor- l tions The extension of the industry to l Papua is now proceeding, and much cap | ital has been invested in the island with
 every prospect of a satisfactory return.  The great landowners of Great Britain l have succeeded in finding new objection 1 to the land tax, which they hope Will 1 carry great weight, as 1t appeals to the natriotism of the British people. In con neetion with the new land valuation scheme series of new ordnance maps are heinz issued, which are very accurate. Every tree in the country IS marked and a pine tree is indicated differ entlv from oak or an elm. even shrub is distinguished from fruit bush. Every snring is shown, and mission rooms, smithies and mills are also marked Wllh the utmost precision.
 It is now claimed by he landowners that the public sale of these maps is great danger to the country. Ihey say tbe German government is sure to buy them up in large quantities and state they will be of inestimable value to the Kaisers armies in case of invasion, dolns away with the necessity of employing snies. except to locate the positions off euns in the various fortresses.
 pr Inge, the new dean of St. Paul ;, nessinistfc view of the prospects of Eng land expressed in recent speech, raised storm of indignation all over the coun- t,.y assured me today that nothing was farther. from his intentions than to create sensation. and that he had not spoken on tbe impulse of the moment, but that he was firmly convinced of the truth of what he had said.
 we English he said, have never haen in the habit of submitting gracefully even to the most friendly criticism, fact which is one of our greatest weaknesses.
 we are still fond of imagining that the
 words British made stamped upon an article :. are synonymous with non plus ultra ,, though the fact is that the time has lone ago passed when this was so. The cnrse of wanting to make money too ot1icl<ly has taken hold of our employers work of all kinds has been dehumanzed, 2 fact which has exerted d baneful inilu- ence on our workers. who are furthermore heinz gradually ruined physically by the unnatural and unhealthy conditions of town life Moral conditions are even worse for the workman now seems to resolved to retaliate by living comfortaoly on taxes paid by others"
 "Irnless conditions change very quickly, ba concluded. "England's days as the
 ,,,l-,bo,, of tho world are numbered and