list4-第7章

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translations　and　extracts。　Hence　one　must　use　no　expressions　which



might　lead　the　Germans　to　a　perception　of　their　true　interests。



Therefore　to　every　method　which　was　adapted　to　influence



Parliament；　an　antidote　must　be　added　for　the　use　of　the　German



Governments。　It　must　be　alleged；　that　in　consequence　of　the



protective　system　much　German　capital　had　been　diverted　into



improper　channels。　The　agricultural　interests　of　Germany　would　be



damaged　by　the　protective　system。　That　interest　for　its　part　ought



only　to　turn　its　attention　to　foreign　markets；　agriculture　was　in



Germany　by　far　the　most　important　productive　industry；　for



three…fourths　of　the　inhabitants　of　Germany　were　engaged　in　it。　It



was　mere　nonsense　to　talk　about　protection　for　the　producers；　the



manufacturing　interest　itself　could　only　thrive　under　foreign



competition　：　public　opinion　in　Germany　desired　freedom　of　trade。



Intelligence　in　Germany　was　too　universal　for　a　desire　for　high



duties　to　be　entertained。　The　most　enlightened　men　in　the　country



were　in　favour　of　a　reduction　of　duties　on　common　woollen　and



cotton　fabrics；　in　case　the　English　duties　on　corn　and　timber　were



reduced。



　　　　In　short；　in　this　report　two　entirely　different　voices　speak；



which　contradict　one　another　like　two　opponents。　Which　of　the　two



must　be　deemed　the　true　one…that　which　speaks　to　the　Parliament；　or



that　which　speaks　to　the　German　Governments？　There　is　no　difficulty



in　deciding　this　point；　for　everything　which　Dr　Bowring　adduces　in



order　to　induce　Parliament　to　lower　the　import　duties　on　grain　and



timber　is　supported　by　statistical　facts；　calculations；　and



evidence；　while　everything　that　he　adduces　to　dissuade　the　German



Governments　from　the　protective　system　is　confined　to　mere



superficial　assertions。



　　　　Let　us　consider　in　detail　the　arguments　by　which　Dr　Bowring



proves　to　the　Parliament　that　in　case　a　check　is　not　put　to　the



progress　of　the　German　protective　system　in　the　way　which　he



pointed　out；　the　German　market　for　manufactured　goods　must　become



irrecoverably　lost　to　England。



　　　　The　German　people　is　remarkable；　says　Dr　Bowring；　for



temperance；　thrift；　industry；　and　intelligence；　and　enjoys　a　system



of　universal　education。　Excellent　polytechnic　schools　diffuse



technical　instruction　throughout　the　entire　country。



　　　　The　art　of　design　is　especially　much　more　cultivated　there　than



in　England。　The　great　annual　increase　of　its　population；　of　its



head　of　cattle；　and　especially　of　sheep；　proves　what　progress



agriculture　there　has　achieved。　（The　report　makes　no　mention　of　the



improvement　in　the　value　of　property；　though　that　is　an　important



feature；　nor　of　the　increase　in　the　value　of　produce。）　The　wages　of



labour　have　risen　thirty　per　cent　in　the　manufacturing　districts。



The　country　possesses　a　great　amount　of　water　power；　as　yet　unused；



which　is　the　cheapest　of　all　motive　powers。　Its　mining　industry　is



everywhere　flourishing；　more　than　at　any　previous　time。　From　1832



up　to　1837　the　imports　of　raw　cotton　have　increased　from　118；000



centners　to　240；000　centners；　the　imports　of　cotton　yarn　from



172；000　centners　to　322；000　centners；　the　exports　of　cotton　fabrics



from　26；000　centners　to　75；000　centners；　the　number　of



cotton…weaving　looms　in　Prussia　from　22；000　in　1825　to　32；000　in



1834；　the　imports　of　raw　wool　from　99；000　centners　to　195；000



centners；　the　exports　of　the　same　from　100；000　centners　to　122；000



centners；　the　imports　of　woollen　articles　from　15；000　centners　to



18；000　centners；　the　exports　of　the　same　from　49；000　centners　to



69；000　centners。



　　　　The　manufacture　of　linen　cloths　contends　with　difficulty



against　the　high　duties　in　England；　France；　and　Italy　and　has　not



increased。　On　the　other　hand；　the　imports　of　linen　yarn　have



increased　from　30；000　centners　in　1832　to　86；000　centners　in　1835；



chiefly　through　the　imports　from　England；　which　are　still



increasing。　The　consumption　of　indigo　increased　from　12；000



centners　in　1831　to　24；000　centners　in　1837；　a　striking　proof　of



the　progress　of　German　industry。　The　exports　of　pottery　have　been



more　than　doubled　from　1832　to　1836。　The　imports　of　stoneware　have



diminished　from　5；000　centners　to　2；000　centners；　and　the　exports



of　it　increased　from　4；000　centners　to　18；000　centners。　The　imports



of　porcelain　have　diminished　from　4；000　centners　to　1；000　centners；



and　the　exports　of　it　have　increased　from　700　centners　to　4；000



centners。　The　output　of　coal　has　increased　from　6；000；000　Prussian



tons　in　1832　to　9；000；000　in　1836。　In　1816　there　were　8；000；000



sheep　in　Prussia；　and　in　1837；　15；000；000。



　　　　In　Saxony　in　1831　there　were　14；000　stocking…weaving　machines；



in　2836；　20；000。　From　1831　to　1837；　the　number　of　manufactories　for



spinning　woollen　yarn　and　of　spindles　had　increased　in　Saxony　to



more　than　double　their　previous　number。　Everywhere　machine



manufactories　had　arisen；　and　many　of　these　were　in　the　most



flourishing　condition。



　　　　In　short；　in　all　branches　of　industry；　in　proportion　as　they



have　been　protected；　Germany　has　made　enormous　advances；　especially



in　woollen　and　cotton　goods　for　common　use；　the　importation　of



which　from　England　had　entirely　ceased。　At　the　same　time　Dr　Bowring



admits；　in　consequence　of　a　trustworthy　opinion　which　had　been



expressed　to　him；　'that　the　price　of　the　Prussian　stuffs　was



decidedly　lower　than　that　of　the　English；　that　certainly　in　respect



of　some　of　the　colours　they　were　inferior　to　the　best　English



tints；　but　that　others　were　perfect　and　could　not　be　surpassed；



that　in　spinning；　weaving；　and　all　preparatory　processes；　the



German　goods　were　fully　equal　to　the　British；　but　only　in　the



finish　a　distinct　inferiority　might　be　observed；　but　that　the　want



of　this　would　disappear　after　a　little　time。'



　　　　It　is　very　easy　to　understand　how　by　means　of　such



representations　as　these　the　English　Parliament　may　at　length　be



induced　to　abandon　its　corn　laws；　which　have　hitherto　operated　as



a　protective　system　to　Germany。　But　it　appears　to　us　utterly



incomprehensible　how　the　German　Union；　which　has　made　such　enormous



advances　in　consequence　of　the　protective　system；　should　be　induced



by　this　report　to　depart　from　a　system　which　has　yielded　them　such



excellent　results。



　　　　It　is　very　well　for　Dr　Bowring　to　assure　us　that　the　home



industry　of　Germany　is　being　protected　at　the　expense　of　the



agriculturists。　But　how　can　we　attach　any　credence　to　his



assurance；　when　we　see；　on　the　contrary；　that　the　demand　for



agricultural　produce；　prices　of　produce；　the　wages　of　labour；　the



rents；　the　value　of　property；　have　everywhere　considerably　risen；



without　the　agriculturist　having　to　pay　more　than　he　did　before　for



the　manufactured　goods　which　he　requires？



　　　　It　is　very　well　for　Dr　Bowring　to　give　us　an　estimate　showing



that　in　Germany　three　persons　are　engaged　in　agriculture　to　every



one　in　manufactures；　but　that　statement　convinces　us　that　the



number　of　Germans　engaged　in　manufacturing　is　not　yet　in　proper



proportion　to　the　number　of　German　agriculturists。　And　we　cannot



see　by　what　other　means　this　disproportion　can　be　equalised；　than



by　increasing　the　protection　on　those　branches　of　manufacture　which



are　still　carried　on　in　England　for　the　supply　of　the　German　market



by　persons　who　consume　English　instead　of　German　agricultural



produce。　It　is　all　very　well　for　Dr　Bowring　to　assert　that　German



agriculture　must　only　direct　its　attention　to　foreign　countries　if



it　desires　to　increase　its　sale　of　produce；　but　that　a　great　demand



for　agricultural　produce　can　only　be　attained　by　a　flourishing　home



manufacturing　power　is　taught　us　not　alone　by　the　experience　of



England；　but　Dr　Bowring　himself　implicitly　admits　this；　by　the



apprehension　which　he　expresses　in　his　report；　that　if　England



delays　for　some　time　to　abolish　her　corn　laws；　Germany　will　then



have　no　surplus　of　either　corn　or　timber　to　sell　to　foreign



countries。



　　　　Dr　Bowring　is　certainly　right　when　he　asserts　that　the



agricultural　interest　in　Germany　is　still　the　predominant　one；　but



just　for　the　very　reason　that　it　is　predominant　it　must　（as　we　have



shown　in　former　chapters）；　by　promoting　the　manufacturing



interests；　seek　to　place　itself　in　a　just　proportion　with　them；



because　the　prosperity　of　agriculture　depends　on　its　being　in　equal



proportion　with　the　manufacturing　interest；　but　not　on　its　own



preponderance　over　it。



　　　　Further；　the　author　of　the　report　appears　to　be　utterly　steeped



in　error　when　he　maintains　that　foreign　competition　in　German



markets　is　necessary　for　the　German　manufacturing　interest　itself；



because　the　German　manufacturers；　as　soon　as　they　are　in　a　position



to　supply　the　German　markets；　must　compete　with　the　manufacturers



of　other　countries　for　the　disposal　of　their　surplus　produce；　which



competition　they　can　only　sustain　by　means　of　cheap　production。　But



cheap　production　will　not　consist　with　the　existence　of　the



protective　system；　inasmuch　as　the　object　of　that　system　is　to



secure　higher　prices　to　the　manufacturers。



　　　　This　argument　contains　as　many　errors　and　falsehoods　as　words。



Dr　Bowring　cannot　deny　that　the　manufacturer　can　offer　his　products



at　cheaper　prices；　the　more　he　is　enabled　to　manufacture　　that；



therefore；　a　manufacturing　Power　which　exclusively　possesses　its



home　market　can　work　so　much　the　cheaper　for　foreign　trade。　The



proof　of　this　he　can　find　in　the　same　tables　which　he　has　published



on　the　advances　made　by　German　industry；　for　in　the　same　proportion



in　which　the　German　manufactories　have　acquired　possession　of　their



own　home　market；　their　export　of　manufactured　goods　has　also



increased。　Thus　the　recent　experience　of　Germany；　like　the　ancient



experience　of　England；　shows　us　that　high　prices　of　manufactured



goods　are　by　no　means　a　necessary　consequence　of　protection。



　　　　Finally；　German　industry　is　still　very　far　from　entirely



supplying　her　home　market。　In　order　to　do　that；　she　must　first



manufacture　for　herself　the　13；000　centners　of　cotton　fabrics；　the



18；000　centners　of　woollen　fabrics；　the　500；000　centners　of　cotton



yarn；　thread；　and　linen　yarn；　which　at　present　are　imported　from



England。　If；　however；　she　accomplishes　that；　she　will　then　import



500；000　centners　more　raw　cotton　than　before；　by　which　she　will