Mr. Bright, in an excellent letter published at length in
Thursday's Times, comments on a paper read by Mr. Lywood at the Warminster meeting of the South Wilts Chamber of Agriculture, on "Agricultural Depressions,"—the object of the paper having been to press an official inquiry into the subject on the Government. Mr. Bright remarks that a very careful inquiry into the condition of Agriculture was made by the last Government ; and that there is no mystery about one, at least, of the subjects into which Mr. Lywood asks the Government to "inquire," namely, the low price of wheat ; that Mr. Lywood and every one else knows exactly why the price of wheat is so low, that it arises from the competition of all the best soils of the world in wheat-growing ; and that, except so far as that competition has overshot its own mark, and more wheat has been grown than was wanted, there is no remedy except Pro- tection, which would force up the price of wheat, and raise rents at the cost of every bread-eating Englishman. This pro- posal Mr. Bright characterises as one of the same nature as a proposal to raise the Poor-rates in order to enable paupers to become better customers of our manufacturers and tradesmen. Mr. Bright is quite right. That is precisely the drift of those who tell us that if we only look after and cherish the producers, the consumers can take care of themselves.
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