The Free-trade position is greatly strengthened by the very striking
article published in Tuesday's Times from a Scottish correspondent. The pith of the argument is to be found in the following significant statement:—" The Scottish industry that stands in need of protection has not yet been named, and of late years, at all events, Scottish manu- facturers and merchants have had little cause to think about ways and means of breaking down foreign tariff walls, for the simple reason that they have been doing their utmost to supply a seemingly inexhaustible demand for both home and abroad." The writer, however, is not content with general propositions, but relies on facts and figures. The harbour statistics for Glasgow, the principal exporting city, show an increase of five million pounds in five years, while the whole of the increase in the population has been easily absorbed in very variegated industries which show every sign of vitality. Nor is this contentment with the status quo confined to merchants and manufacturers. Farmers, while welcoming "inquiry," are not prepared to support anything but an assured prospect of better prices for their products, while "the enormous majority of the persons interested in the mechanical industries are more afraid of anything being done to check foreign competition in the supply of their raw material than fearful of the effect of 'dumping' on the producers of iron and steel." Incidentally the writer notes that the dread of dear food is real, that it is being most assiduously fostered in advance of Mr. Chamberlain's visit, and that "most inopportunely for him the bakers have just raised the price of the loaf a halfpenny." The weather, it might be added, has also joined in this conspiracy, and bids fair to rain away preferential tariffs as it was said to have rained away the Corn-laws.
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