in our own country
a larger proportion of the food we consume is necessary, first, in order
to meet our own needs from our own internal resources, and so reduce the
amount which has to be paid to other countries for the commodities they
supply; secondly, in case of war, to avoid the risk of starvation and
reduce the strain on the Navy and on the Mercantile Marine due to the
necessity of bringing the larger part of the essential food of the
country overseas and also, what may be equally important, to avoid the
distress which may be caused owing to the country being unable to
provide the means of payment for the immense proportion of the food
required which must be brought from overseas. It was long ago pointed
out that the "trades by which the British people has believed it to be
the highest of destinies to maintain itself cannot now long remain
undisputed in its hands."

The next object is to increase the agricultural population. It has been
found again and again in other countries as well as our own that a large
and healthy agricultural population is essential to keep up the physique
of a nation. The town folk tend to decay unless constantly replenished
by influx from the country. One good effect of the War has been to
direct attention to the vital importance of this subject, and careful
inquiries have been made and useful steps taken which have had the
effect of greatly increasing the home production of food.

The subject is treated clearly in a popular way in a book published in
1917 on Agriculture after the War by Sir A.D. Hall, now secretary of the
Board of Agriculture, and in fuller detail in the report of a committee
of which Lord Selborne was chairman. The report was published at the
beginning of 1918; some of the proposals have been already acted upon,
others will no doubt be the basis of future action by the Board of
Agriculture and the Ministry of Reconstruction.

Before the War the imports of food less re-exports amounted to about 229
millions annually, or, to put the case in another way, about half of the
total food consumed in the British Islands was brought overseas; but "if
the most essential foodstuff, wheat, is considered, less than one-fifth
of what we required was produced in the country." The position was one
of terrible insecurity; but for the efficiency of the Navy the country
would have been starved into complete submission in this War, and its
prosperity and liberty would have been lost for ev