The extraordinary ignorance which still exists as to the plainest
economical laws, is well illustrated by a recent corre- spondence between Mr. Fawcett and some stupid people, who complain that the paper for postage-stamps is bought abroad. Mr. Fawcett replies by stating that the paper is bought by a contractor, not by Government ; but as this contractor makes stamps for all the world, English workmen receive from abroad more than he ever sends there. That is final, of course, but even that argument is unnecessary. If Mr. Do la Rue buys paper abroad, he does it to reduce his contract price to the Post Office. The request to interfere with that is, therefore, a request that all British households may be taxed in order that one British paper-maker may be enriched. In Nottingham some worthy people are quite enraged because Mr. Mundella has a factory abroad, and entirely forget that the profit of that factory comes to be spent here. They might as well complain that their Member owned a mine in Chili, and made it too profitable.
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