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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 77

Preface

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Preface.

The four articles reprinted in this pamphlet have been written in recent years, and have been published in the Fortnightly Review, the Monthly Review, and in Feilden's Magazine, in the period 1897—1903. The Author's thanks are due to the Editors and Publishers of these three Reviews, for their permission to make this use of the original articles.

No apology is needed for the republication of these articles in' pamphlet form at the present moment. They deal in an exhaustive manner with the subject that is uppermost in the public mind, and represent the result of five years' study of trade figures. The articles have been reprinted in chronological order, so that they may exhibit the gradual growth of opinion brought about by a study of the official figures relating to British and Foreign trade.

The Author commenced this inquiry in 1897 as a Liberal Free Trader. He ended it in 1901, with opinions that are fully set forth in the third and fourth articles of the series.

It is possible that a careful examination of the facts and figures presented in this pamphlet, may lead others through the same gradual change of page vi opinion, regarding the best means of promoting Trade and Empire.

The attention of readers is especially directed to the figures given on pages 20, 21, and 51—53, since these prove the fallacy of one of the strongest arguments for a policy of non-interference with our present system of so-called "Free Trade."

An Appendix has been added, giving details of the following:
1.Values of British Imports and Exports for 100 years.
2.Values of the Exports of Foreign Countries for 27 years.
3.Values of the Colonial Exports of Food Stuffs and Imports of Manufactured Goods for 13 years.
4.British Population Returns for 100 years.

These figures are all presented in the articles chiefly in diagrammatic form, but it is not in many cases easy to ascertain the values for individual years from these trade diagrams.

The Author has therefore thought that the collection of the official figures for these returns in an Appendix, would be of great service to all engaged in the study of the question, and would be especially valuable to those engaged in educating popular opinion on this subject.

John B. C. Kershaw.

Waterloo, Liverpool,