§ 22 

In Westrogothia, handicraft and weaving are carried on with diligence: there an old man is not ashamed of sitting at the spinning-wheel; there knives, bowls, plates, tapes, bells, scissors and other articles can be had for less than elsewhere. What is the reason? The dweller in that county is entitled to go wherever he wants and sell his goods. The town of Borås has since times of old been allowed to carry on peddling all over the Country, i.e. enjoyed the liberty to go about the farms and buy goods and sell its own to others.

As no other Province in the Country but this one has had that liberty, I defy anyone to show in any other Province the industry that is to be found among its inhabitants. Thus it is obvious that here either diligence has produced liberty or liberty diligence.

Some years ago in Westrobothnia, Helsingland and West-Norrland a great many chairs and spinning-wheels were made, and the former were sold at a price of 9 to 12 Daler a dozen, the latter at 6 to 9 Daler a piece. Owing to sales restrictions the production has now ceased to a large extent and it seems as if the inhabitants would soon have to buy these articles from others.

Along the coast of Ostrobothnia, people are active both winter and summer, but 30 to 40 (Swedish) miles inland, where there are no towns, most people's occupation during the winter is to sleep and make Torches, as many as they will burn. There are no buyers for goods, therefore there are none to sell.

About Björneborg, Raumo and Nystad the Peasants are almost indefatigable in making wooden articles. All through the winter the worker is hard at work making all kinds of wooden vessels as early as one or two o'clock in the morning, and thus he can sell his goods cheaper than anybody in all Finland, though many others along the coast have not only a better supply of forests, but also of workmen well versed in this trade. Let us look for the cause of this. It is quite impossible that such diligence could arise and be maintained without freedom of Export.

The towns mentioned above have of old had the liberty of sailing round the Baltic with poles, laths and wooden vessels. The Staple Towns have often tried to deprive them of this privilege, but have up till now been unsuccessful. Now those towns supply not only several foreign places with such goods at reasonable prices, but even Stockholm itself to some degree, and at such prices that they undersell almost everybody else.

But had the prohibition been successful, the sales would of necessity have been limited, and consequently production to the same extent. Limited production makes idle hands and expensive goods, and if it should one day happen that other towns are allowed to stop these sales or prevent workmen from free occupation, then it is as certain as that two and two make four that Stockholm would have to buy more expensive wooden vessels than before, these towns would have their trade reduced, the country would lose inhabitants and earnings and the State its gain.

Ostrobothnia
Province in the north of Finland, where Chydenius' home was. -Ed. Back 

(Swedish) miles
About 200-260 English miles. [= 320-420 km] -Ed. Back 

Björneborg, Raumo and Nystad
Towns in Finland, on the coast of the Gulf of Bothnia. -Ed. Back 

The Staple Towns
The "staple towns" had the monopoly of foreign, and to some extent even domestic, trade. There were none on either side of the Gulf of Bothnia (see § 26). -Ed. Back