Evening star., 1914-10-04

In a dogged way the British government
has been back of the British merchant
settled abroad and the British manu-
facturer who was sending his goods
abroad.
During a naval review off Hampton
roads a few years ago the command
ing officer of one of our cruisers jo-
cosely remarked upon the full maga-
zines Of a visiting British warship.
YES" replied the British naval COM
mander. Were full up with ammuni-
tion ready to teach every little beggar
country to respect our flag or to get
five pounds worth Of British trade
anywhere in the world!'
This spirit Of aggressiveness and ar
rogance Is always the subject of more
or less criticism. but it does not change
the British policy.
Opinions always will differ regarding
economic policies of different coun-
tries, and it is not worth while to
discuss the merits or demerits of them
in building up foreign business. The
agitation started by Joseph Chamber
lain to form British imperial trade
empire collapsed after years of propa-
ganda, because the English people
would not stand for tax on their
food. But in dealing with its depend
encies the British government. what
ever party has been in power. has held
steadily to the notion that the de-
tendencies exist chiefly to supply a
market for British manufactures.
The shifting Hoogly river at Cal
cutta is made available to the commerce
of all the world by heavy expenditures.
Bombay is given splendid port i'm
.provements. Yet when India seeks to
develop her cotton industries by levy
ing small import tax she Is forced to
lay countervailing internal tax to
Offset it. and this is done in the inter-
est of Manchester The India market
for cotton fabrics is not closed to COM
petitors of Manchester. But 1t hap
pens that Manchester can supply the
goods better than they.
In the letting Of contracts in the Brit
ish dependencies there is also free
competition of kind. but when public
improvements requiring large sums OF
money are planned for Egypt or India
half a dozen English contractors and
engineering firms are invited to make
publicity to secure competition, and
also to insure awarding the contract
to English firms. 1t Is all iesitlmate
enough, but it shows how the British
dependencies furnish market ior
British manufactures.
Some years ago when Earl Kitchener,
then the Sirdar of the Soudan. was
pressing his vigorous campaign against
the mahdi, he wanted bridge putt
in a hurry. He called for tenders from
American as we'll as from Engnsn
bridge builders. and to the horror OF
the British contracting nrms ne let Ine
contract to an American company HIS
reason was that the Americans Gouia .,1
do the work more quickly. They built
the Akbar bridge in surprisingly
short time, and Gen. Kitchener pressed
his campaign in the Soudan anu
smashed the mahdi. NotWithstanoin,.s
the military necessity British public
ononion was a long time in reconciling
itself to Americans building bridges IN
Egypt. The British bridge builders
haye not vet become reconciied to 1t.
In India, where the Indian govern
ment constructs and operates the ran
ways at various times Americans nave
shown a willingness to PROVIDE some
of the material but they have never
got beyond that point. They nave peer n
given to understand that the 1nola
government prefers to place the con-
tracts in. England.
These are mere Incidents In the Brit
ish foreign trade policy, but they show
how solicitous British ofacialdom is
that British possessions shall be sup
plied by British mills and factories.
English trade diplomacy usually haA
been able to cope with any tarin SIT
uation that arises Notwithstanding the
inutility of a revenue tariff as means
of adjusting trade relations with other
countries. In cases of this kind the
political element and the value OF
England's friendship has been in
voked.
When France. in 1909. was revising
her tariff and increasing the duties on