"IMPERIAL THINKING."
• "TER EDITOR OH THE' "SPECTATOR."]
Sza,—Nr. Chamberlain asked his Guildhall audience to .refer tteMlue-book, p.234. The object of this.reference.w.as to show that there had been a greater decline in the prices of the principal articles of food in Germany than in the United Kingdom between the years 1890 and 1902. But the Blue= book gives tile _figures since 1871. Had Mr. Chamberlain taken these figures, they would have shown clearly that—to quote the Blue-book itself, p. 123—" the fall in wheat has been much more rapid in the United Kingdom and 'the United States than in the two Continental countries." In the endeavour to discover why Mr. Chamberlain should start with '1890, I turned to p. 121 of the same volume, which I venture to think affords a clue. In the years 1888-91 the duty on wheat in Germany is given as /Os. loid. per quarter. In 1892 the duty was reduced to 7s. 74d. per quarter, at whiCh rate it has since remained. In the same way, if we refer to p. 127, it will be seen that the duty on meat of all descriptions was higher in 1890 than it has been since. This "Imperial thinking" does not seem to involve any impartial considera- tion of the important facts of this question. I suggest that it would be more correct to describe Mr. Chamberlain's arguments as "Imperial hoodwitiking."—I am, Sir, &c., -
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