Are We Ruined by the Germans?

Commercial rivalry becomes a dispute over evidence in Harold Cox's response to Ernest Williams's Made in Germany. Built from articles published in the Daily Graphic, the volume challenges claims that German competition has brought British trade close to collapse. Cox tests those claims against official figures for imports, exports and prices, arguing that selected dates and money values can give a misleading picture of economic change. His preface, dated December 1896, explains how he revised the articles and included Williams's replies in an appendix.

Railways, coastal shipping and tramways supply further evidence for his account of British prosperity. Passenger numbers and capital spending turn the argument from overseas trade toward the everyday activity of the country. Readers interested in free trade debates will find a sharply argued economic pamphlet, while its tables and comparisons offer a useful example of how statistics can shape public fears about international competition.