Abstract
IT has long been foreseen that one of the immediate consequences of peace would be to subject this country to a flood of manufactured articles from Germany. It has been known for some time past that German manufacturers were preparing, by every means in their power, to recover and retain their former hold on our home markets. They were steadily accumulating stocks to be “dumped” in Great Britain on the first possible opportunity. It was a policy of despair, but it was the only policy open to them. The salvation of certain of their industries depended on their being able to thwart, by fair means or foul, the expansion of such of these industries as the exigencies of war had called into existence in this country. Our national welfare, indeed, was bound up in these industries. The country was quick to recognise their importance, and the Government responded to public pressure by the steps it took to foster their initiation and development. Some of these steps were of paramount necessity as war measures, but they had a still wider significance. With the outbreak of war the Empire realised, as never before, that it had in large measure failed to perceive the full importance of the bearing of science upon industry. Owing to a variety of causes on which it is no longer necessary to dwell, we had allowed our chief enemy to take over and gradually to obtain almost exclusive possession of certain “key” industries depending upon the applications of physical science, such as the manufacture of synthetic dyestuffs and drugs, analytical reagents and other chemical products, optical glass and instruments, electrical apparatus and magnetos, etc. We had become wholly dependent, upon Germany for a large number of articles comprised under these categories which are absolutely essential to the prosecution of war under modern conditions. It speaks volumes fbr the innate genius of our race that our men of science and our manufacturers, when thus confronted with a national emergency, should have responded as they did to the country's call. We have not only triumphed over difficulties which at one time seemed well-nigh insuperable, but, as is well known, we have also in many cases bettered the example of our enemies, and certain of our manufactured articles have reached a pitch of excellence which Germany never attained.
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The protection of our “key” Industries . Nature 104, 5–6 (1919). https://doi.org/10.1038/104005c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/104005c0