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ON INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL COMPARISONS 69
£40,481,0000nlyforimports, and £35,902,000 (or ex-
ports. Th~se would be the proper figures to use in a
comparison with other countries, such as Canada or the
Argentine Republic, in more or less similar economic
conditions. Compared with either of these two states,
and assuming for the present that the figures are made
up in much the same way, as I believe is the case, the
foreign trade of Australasia comes out at about double
that of either of the countries named. Its exporting
powel is so much greater than theirs. This is a true
comparison. But a:comparison in which the intercolonial
trade is not eliminated would give an altogether untrue
notion. Australasian foreign trade would appear about
thrice or four times that of Canada, instead of about
double only j and this would be a false comparison.
The truth is favourable enough to Australasia.
Generally, however, I should like to add that the
selection of foreign trade, as specially a test of the wel-
fare of nations, does not seem to be in any way justified.
\Vhether the foreign trade of a given country is large
or small in proportion to its whole production is an
affair to a large extent of size or of historical evolution,
and nothing can be made of comparisons unless atten-
tion is given to the point I have already suggested-
that of size and general similarity of conditions. But it
is quite conceivable that nations might approximate to
each other in many respects, and the one have a large
foreign trade and the other not, yet both be in much
the same condition of individual prosperity. Accident
might determine that the one should be more self-con-
tained than the other, so that its exchanges with other
countries should bear a Jess proportion to its' total in-
dustry. France and England are very good illustrations
of essential differences of this sort, England having
much more manufacturing, shipping, and foreign trade
than France, but France being certainly a highly pro-
sperous nation, with home industries of different kinds
which England either has not at all or not to the same
degree, and the products of which are only or largely