For the determination of this question local committees were



198 ECONOMIC PROTECTIONISM

appointed, though an appeal from their decisions to the
central committee in London is permitted. The mark is not
obligatory, and indicates the origin only, not the quality of
the goods. It includes a blank space for the addition of a
more specific designation of the part of the empire in which
the goods were produced, as ' Scotland ', ' Canada ', &c. In
addition, the usual trade-mark of the firm itself may be
afiixed. The promoters of the movement proceed on the
assumption that large quantities of foreign goods are pur-
chased in England merely from ignorance of the facts. Not
merely are the marks of British firms imitated by foreign
competitors, but a great number of foreign articles are given
a British designation after importation into England. This
deceives the purchaser as to their origin without involving
fraudulent procedure, as it is not illegal for a British firm
to place its name or mark on foreign goods. It is assumed
again that, under otherwise similar conditions as to quality
and prices British goods would be preferred to foreign. The
High Commissioner of Canada, Lord Strathcona, declared in
his memorandum : ' It is generally recognized that the
British public would on their merits give a common-sense
preference to British goods over similar competing foreign
goods, all things being equal, and it is absolutely necessary
to afford such buyers definite information by means of the
proposed mark to give this preference the full effect.' Oppo-
sition has not, to be sure, been wanting. The Chamber of
Commerce and many firms in Manchester declared that they
did not consider the adoption of the mark desirable in the
case of textile products. In some cases, too, misgivings as to
the results of placing English manufacturers on an equality
with those of the colonies seemed to have formed an obstacle.
