Page:England under free trade.djvu/30

 {| United States.|| ||Exports from Great Britain.
 * ||Exports from the
 * ||Exports from the
 * Africa|||4,468,040|| |||59,503,000
 * Asia|||12,519,000|| |||226,590,000
 * America. (excluding U.S.)|||93,152,000|| |||140,100,000
 * Australasia|||6,771,000|| |||104,611,000
 * Europe (excluding G.B.)|||260,927,000|| |||556,554,000
 * |||$377,837,040|||||$1,087,358,000
 * Or|||£75.567,400|| |||£217,471,600
 * }
 * Europe (excluding G.B.)|||260,927,000|| |||556,554,000
 * |||$377,837,040|||||$1,087,358,000
 * Or|||£75.567,400|| |||£217,471,600
 * }
 * Or|||£75.567,400|| |||£217,471,600
 * }
 * }

"Where are the United States as an exporting nation in the neutral markets of Africa, Asia, and Australasia? To those three divisions of the globe they send £4,751,000 worth of goods, while we send £78,140,800 worth! Even to the peoples of North and South America, at their very doors, our exports are one-half more than theirs, and theirs are mainly food."

Well, gentlemen, besides being Englishmen, you are Sheffield men; and having heard what I have had to say concerning our common country and her commercial position, and having, I hope, come to the conclusion that England is prospering, you are probably ready to hear what I have to say about Sheffield, and Sheffield trade in particular.

With your permission we will follow a line of inquiry similar to that taken with regard to the nation at large. We will first take population. I find that in 1871 the population was 239,946, and in 1881, 284,464, an increase of 18 per cent. Well, there is no indication of decay in these figures; but before we can form a correct idea of the progress of your town, we must look at other factors. Let us take pauperism. In 1871, your paupers numbered on the 1st of January, 7,560; in 1881, 7,126; decrease, 434. So that with 44,000 more inhabitants you have 400 less paupers! If you had kept to the same ratio as in 1871, you would have had 9,000 and not 7,126.

That, at all events, is a satisfactory indication. Let us now, from the Savings Bank returns, see how Sheffield fares in the matter of thrift. As you are aware, there are two