RETALIATION—IS IT FEASIBLE?
(To WM EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."' Sin,—Though you are (rightly) going to protect letters dealing with subjects other than fiscal by giving them a preference, perhaps you will kindly allow me a few lines to deal with Mr. Parker Smith's letter of last week in which he challenges my figures, and asserts that I have underestimated the amount of the imports of Russian and American " manufactures " on which we could retaliate. I adhere unreservedly to the figures I gave. The particulars were taken from the Custom House Return (Cd. 1,617, pp. 177-79 and 322-28), checked by the Inquiry Blue-book (Cd. 1,716), to which Mr. Parker Smith refers. By "manufactures" I meant, of course (my whole argument showed it), the finished product. Take Russia, and the list of so-called manufactures which we import from her, as given on p. 91 of the Blue-book. The only articles of manufacture there enumerated are caoutchouc (a,000), linen (218,000), woollen goods (221,000), and house frames (24,000). To these were added math and matting (228,000), enumerated in the Custom House Return, but not in the Blue-book ; and, with some doubt, I added also unprinted paper and paper wood pulp board (2216,000). This gives a total of 2290,000 of imported Russian manufactures,—the figures I gave. Of semi-manufactures enumerated there are only cordage (e67,000), leather (M9,000), and linen yarns (22,000). To these a few unenumerated items have to be added, making a total of 2110,000. The rest of the imports, enumerated on p. 91 of the Blue-book, consist of flax, dressed and un- dressed (21,415,000), flax tow (2240,000), hemp, dressed and undressed (2258,000), hemp tow (250,000), oil-seed cake (2343,000), oils (224,000), and quicksilver (22,850). I venture to assert that none of these items can be classed as "manu- factures," but that they come under the heading of raw materials or food-stuffs. If the list of so-called American manufactures imported, as given on p. 95, be analysed in the same way, it dwindles down to the total which I gave, of 29,000,000 to 210,000,000 only. As regards our exports to Russia and the States, I did not assert that they were all manufactures, though the bulk of them are. But it is quite certain that if we get into a war of tariffs with these countries, neither of them would hesitate to retaliate on all or any of our imports to them.—I am, Sir, &c.,
SYDNEY RUSTON.
P.5.—In my letter of last week I see that by accident the headings "Woollen" and " Cotton " were transposed.—S. B.
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