The state of the manufacturing districts, according to a report
which we quote, is not more unsatisfactory than it is curious. There is some stagnation in trade—sufficient to oblige the manu- facturers to shorten time. The splendid harvest has had its le- gitimate effect, and the home trade is good ; the fault, therefore, is in the foreign trade. It is not said that there has been " over- production" or that there is a "glut": the explanation is, that as the harvest in foreign countries is short, their capacity for commerce is unusually deficient ; hence the stagnation felt by the British manufacturers. It is to be observed, that our traders at home feel these changes abroad with instantaneous pressure ; a proof that production always treads close—too close—upon the heels of consumption, or even outruns it. The remedy applied is Short-time. But instead of making that a mere resort in periods of emergency, would it not be better to use the same means as a pre- ventive? How would it do to establish Short-time as a perma- nent practice? Very welcome would it be to multitudes ; very conducive perhaps to the interests of all. This seems a favour- able juncture—neither triumphantly prosperous nor hopelessly adverse—to consider that question.
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