Already, continued Mr. Lloyd George, we had lost lingo orders
in Brazil, and we were losing ground in the Argen- tine; we had reached a grave erinio in our trade, including the coal trade. The 'Macro desired to meet the increased cost of living, and to prevent unemployment ; but to destroy our export trade would be to increase unemployment. It was true that the 'Millets Federation had challenged the accuracy of the figures upon which the speaker was booing his observations, and therefore his deductions from those figurer. That fact strengthened the ease for inquiry ; we could not permit one industry to be the judge in a ease affecting all other industries. As to wages in mines, the average was almost £3 As. per week. That could not be called a starvation wage. 'The millers alleged an appalling waste in mines : that statement demanded inquiry. People were too ready to estimate coal profits on the average by the balance-sheets of the moot prosperous companies. For five years before the war the average profits in the Coiled Kingdom were only Is. per ton, with a royalty of fat. per ton.
