Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1924-09-04
STARTLING CONTRAST OF THE
BRITISH EMPIRE AND THE
UNITED STATES

OF $4,000 900 square miles of land
area on the earth the British Empire
controls about 14,000, 900, or. largely
more than one fourth, as against g.
100000 square miles for continental
United States.
The British Empire has approx
mately the same relative control of
the worlds population, or somewhere
in the neighborhood of 100000 or
more inhabitants.
The resources in raw materials of
that mighty empire, far and away
the greater extent the world has ever
known under one flag, are almost
measureless in extent. Canada alone
with an area surprising that of the
United States, has reources sufficient
to enrich even the whole British EN-
pire. 1t has raw materials of many
Kinds, almost unnWnbered millions
Of acres of fertile soil, vast virgin
forests and mighty water powers. ~.
Great Britain, with it's century-old
domination of the worlds finances, of
the worlds shipping, and until of late
and mountaineering interests,
years of its coal and iron and steel
with its practical domination during
the fifty years or more of the worlds
shipping interests, having relatively
a larger control over the water area
ofthe earth than it has over the land
area, should logically have so de-
veloped its wealth by developing
Canada, Australia, India and other
countries, and its own resources in
England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland
as to lead the world in industrial pro-
gress and prosperity. But it has not
done SO. TO large extent Great
Britain is stagnant. It's people are
complaining of poverty, millions of
them are anxious to emigrate. This
condition is not due to the World War
for it was in evidence long before the
war.
In contrast with the poverty and
pessimism which rules throughout
Great Britain, and with the gradual
lessening of its industry as compared
with that Of this country is the enor-
nous expansion of the United States.
The London Mail in lengthy article
on the subject, contrasts the condi-
tions in its country with those in the
United States. 1.-THE United States"
says the Mail, produces more than
half ofthe worlds steel and of the
products made of steel. Millions of
workers own comfortable homes, and
have a telephone and a motorcar and
other Injuries Of which the English
workingmen scarcely dream" New
York." according to the Mail, alone
"has vastly more building than the
whole ofthe United Kingdom, and in
long line of other things Americas
superiority is overwhelmin."
I There is some reason for this
striking contrast. The British Empire
has been falling behind and signally
failing to keep pace with its former
relative positions in the world, of
trade and with the growth of the
United States. The London Mail at
tempts to solve the problem, and its
answer to the question as to why
Great Britain is not keeping ahead
while the United States is rushing
forward, is that Great Britain has adj
hered to Cobden's theory of free
trade, while the United States has
built it's marvellous wealth on a pro-
tective tariff.
England has gone on BASIS of
low wages at home and still lower
wages in India and elsewhere. 1t
has made a fetish of cheapness and
is reaping the inevitable result The
United States has gone on a basis of
high wages protected by tariff, and
the Astounding progress and prospeh-
the Astounding progress and prosper
result here.
1t is well for US to see the situation
as viewed by the London Mail, one
of the great daily papers of that EN-
pire.
But suppose the British Empire
changes its national tactics, and it
will, then what our position in the
worlds trade?