9
| From Foreign Countries. |
From Self- Governing Colonies. |
From Other British Possessions. |
Total. | ||
| £ | £ | £ | £ | ||
| A. | Grain and Flour | 51,429,402 | 9,604,589 | 6,846,598 | 67,880,589 |
| Percentage | 75.7 | 14.2 | 10.1 | ||
| B. | Meat, including animals for food | 39,152,754 | 12,810,914 | 62,785 | 52,026,453 |
| Percentage | 75.2 | 24.6 | .2 | ||
| C. | Other food and drink | 84,427,651 | 15,009,852 | 14,094,784[1] | 113,532,287 |
| Percentage | 74.3 | 13.2 | 12.5 | ||
| D. | Tobacco | 4,640,302 | 10,128 | 68,397 | 4,718,827 |
| Percentage | 98.3 | .2 | 1.5 | ||
| Total £ | 179,650,109 | 37,435,483 | 21,072,564 | 238,158,156 | |
| 75.4 | 15.7 | 8.9 |
- ↑ Nearly all Cocoa, Coffee, and Tea.
It will be seen, taking the figures as a whole, that more than three-quarters of our supplies reach us from foreign countries, and less than one-quarter from the British Empire. Of this amount less than one-sixth reaches us from the self-governing Colonies, and what reaches us from the other parts of the British Empire is not, generally speaking, food at all, but is mainly cocoa, coffee, and tea. The last-named commodity obviously, by the way, requires no preference, as it has practically already ousted China from our markets. The request of our self-governing Colonies is, therefore, that for less than one-sixth of our supplies we should raise the price of five-sixths of the food supplies we import, and also of the £200,000,000 or £300,000,000 of foods we produce at home. In other words, that for the sake of £37,000,000 worth from our Colonies we should raise the price to ourselves of £400,000,000 or £500,000,000 of food-stuffs. Assuming that the duty average 5 per cent., the cost to the nation would be £20,000,000 or £25,000,000 a year, and at 10 per cent. £40,000,000 or £50,000,000. It is
