list4-第9章

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unwise　corn　laws；　for　by　them　the　prices　of　provisions　and　raw



materials　and　the　wages　of　labour　have　been　kept　low　in　Germany。　By



them　the　German　manufactories　have　been　placed　in　an　advantageous



position　compared　to　the　English　ones。　Make　haste；　therefore；　you



fools；　to　abolish　these　corn　laws。　By　that　means　you　will　doubly



and　trebly　damage　the　German　manufactories　：　firstly；　because　the



prices　of　provisions　and　raw　materials　and　the　wages　of　labour　will



be　raised　in　Germany　and　lowered　in　England；　secondly；　because　by



the　export　of　German　grain　to　England　the　export　of　English



manufactured　goods　to　Germany　will　be　promoted；　thirdly；　because



the　German　Commercial　Union　has　declared　that　it　is　disposed　to



reduce　their　duties　on　common　cotton　and　woollen　goods　in　the　same



proportion　in　which　England　facilitates　the　import　of　German　grain



and　timber。　Thus　we　Britons　cannot　fail　once　more　to　crush　the



German　manufactories。　But　the　question　cannot　wait。　Every　year　the



manufacturing　interests　are　gaining　greater　influence　in　the　German



Union；　and　if　you　delay；　then　your　corn…law　abolition　will　come　too



late。　It　will　not　be　long　before　the　balance　will　turn。　Very　soon



the　German　manufactories　will　create　such　a　great　demand　for



agricultural　produce　that　Germany　will　have　no　more　surplus　corn　to



sell　to　foreign　countries。　What　concessions；　then；　are　you　willing



to　offer　to　the　German　Governments　to　induce　them　to　lay　hands　on



their　own　manufactories　in　order　to　hinder　them　from　spinning



cotton　for　themselves；　and　from　encroaching　upon　your　foreign



markets　in　addition？



　　　　All　this　the　writer　of　the　report　was　compelled　to　make　clear



to　the　landowners　in　Parliament。　The　forms　of　the　British　State



administration　permit　no　secret　Government　reports。　Dr　Bowring's



report　must　be　published；　must　therefore　be　seen　by　the　Germans　in



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