[To THE EDITOR OP THE "SPECTATOa. '.] SIR, - It is said that
the idea that an increase in the imports of manufactured articles causes loss of employment to our working class has taken hold of our workmen, and is causing many of them to lean towards Protection. I think that the following table shows that this argument, advanced by Mr. dhamberlain in his Greenock speech, and since then elaborated and developed, is founded on a misapprehension of fact :- Imports of
Percentage of Manufactured Members of and Partly Trade-Unions Manufactured Out of Work. Goods.
Million R.
1883 21 84-9 1884 7 4 62-9 1885 9-0 83.4
1886 9.5 81'4
1887 71 82.4 1888 4.7 93.2 1889 2.1 100.8 1890 2.1 98.2 1891 3.5 97.6 1802 6.3 98.9 1893 7.5 98.1
1894
6-9 101.7
1895
5.8 1071 1896 3.4 117-6 1897 3.5 123.8 1898 3.0 125.1 1899 2.4 15.9 1900 2.9 1451 1901 3.8 142.7 1902 4.4 1489 The foregoing table seems to indicate that an increase of imported manufactures corresponds with an increase of home employment. For according to Mr. A. L. Howley in his work on " National Progress in Wealth and Trade," employ- ment was bad in the years 1884 to 1887 ; and we find that in those years the imports of manufactured goods remained stationary, or declined to a trifling extent, falling, from £84.9 millions in 1883 to £82.4 millions in 1887. Einploy- went, he says, was good in 1889 to 1891, when the imports of manufactures rose to about £100,000,000. It was bad in 1892 to 1894, when the imports of manufactures remained stationary ; and good from 1896 to 1901, when the import's of manufactures rose as high as 2145,000,000. These results would be expected if, as seems to be the case, increased imports of manufactures are the result of increased employ- ment, and not the cause of diminished employment at home;
Year. and if they have their origin in the fairly obvious fact that when trade is"good the working men, with other classes; have money in their pockets, which they spend partly among their countrymen at home, and partly in buying such goods as they fancy from abroad.-I am, Sir, &c., W. R. MA.LcoLu.
[That is . undoubtedly the case. Since, also, trade is an exchange, foreign imports may, from one point of view, be regarded as orders to manufacture goods with which to. pay for such imports, and so orders to employ workmen-En. Specie toir.]
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