Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-28

and returned home, explaining that he
was handicapped in his work by the ira
ditional English view: This can't be
fore" When he tried to make the engi-
neers, the foreman and the other hands
alter their system of working and do
things as they are done in America
he found the entire Staff against hina
There was a time, long ago, when
England was self-supporting. A small
population lived on the islands. In
dustry in the modern sense was un-
known. Sailors use to scoiir the seas,
bringing home wealth. Trade and ag-
ricuiture made England . powerful
country
Things have changed since those
days in the nineteenth century. The
English people, who realized they could
become prosperous by supplying the
world with manufactured products,
abandoned agriculture and devoted
their entire activity to trade and in
dustry. Labor was cheap. Coal and
iron were to be found in 7inexhsustible
quantities. why waste time in grow
lists Of those days, who pointed out that
no purely agricultural country had ever
become powerful. Why grow corn when
1t could be = purchased for 50 little
abroad? BY buying goods ch6aply and
selling manufactured goods at high
price this country would prosper.
The landed gentry opposed this idea
for while, but their objections were
easily waved aside in the early sixties.
Parliament passed laws abolishing taxes
on all imported products, and since that
time England has become the most
highly iiadustrialized country in the
whole world. Men engaged in farming
found mare reHnunerative employment
in factories. The attraction Of city life
lured them into abandoning the dull
ness of farm life. The rich land own
ers found by placing their capital In
industrial enterprises they made sx-
cellent investments.
Dependent Upon World.
Within twoscore years anybody who
believed that anything but free trade
and intensive industrialization could
make England prosperous was consid-
cred crazy Europe was dependent on
England for manufactured goods, but
since those days England became en-
tirely dependent on the world for her
food. Some fsr-sesing statesmen did
see the danger of the situation, but
their objections we're overruled by the
enthusiastic advocate of induStrializa-
ton, who answered that Canada and
Australia alone easily could supply food
for the entire population of the islands
for many years TO come. The fields
which used to feed the English people
became their Fairgrounds. Wheat is
grown In certain districts, like Hert-
yorkshire, because partridge and snipe
would otherwise disappear" In other
counties fields lay hare because these
are good hunting counties"
The landed gentry had In the old
days expensive properties which they
tarnaed out to men of modest means.
The landlord provided the farmer not
only with the land but also with the
necessary barns and implements. The
farmer paid rent and was satisfied with
modest living. It was hard for him
then, IS 1t Is now, to compete with
foreign countries where extensive farm
ing yields large crops which can be
exparted at q lower price than the
English farmer could afford to sell for.
When the farmers gave up farming
for other occupations the landlords,
having made profitable investments in
industries, did not mind-it gave them
more room for hunting and golfing.
Thus England's fields have been trans
formed into pleasure grounds. The re-
pressed sorne time ago by Lord Birken-
head in his speech to American editors
| visiting London. He said England
has food supplies for only three weeks. F"
Forced to Take Up Farming.
The World War forced the English
people to take up farming again. They
gave 1t up however, during the short
period of industrial prosperity which
followed the first year of peace. The
economic depression of the last two
wears did MT enco,ira ue them To taka
up farming again. There is much talk
now about encouraging the farmers.
but this Is not longer possible without
sweeping reforms and good deal of
expenditure. The heavy taxes have hit
| the land owner more than anybody
else. Some Of them are compelled TO
sell out, and the small farmer cannot
afford to buy. Others under the strain
| Of heavy taxation cannot afford to give
the old days. As result it has be-
come more difhcult fer man to start
farming, because he requires much
larger capital than ever before. On
| the other hand, the market conditions
| have net changed as far as the price
Of the English-grown food Is con-
| cerned.
Imported feed is still untaxed. and
the competition from agricultural coun-
| tries, including the donations, still is
as great IS before the war. The Eng
lish housewife considers homegrown
food luxury, and prefers to buy
French vegetables. Italian fruit, Aus
| tralian and South American frozen
meat. Danish butter and American ba-
con because the difference In the price
is enormous. A pound Of South Arneri-
q pound OF English beef The butchers
and the grecers display posters urging
people to bus home groWK food, but