litt. This policy would eventually lead to lower wages at the hands of those employed by the private enterprises which in turn would decrease their purchasing power and would yield no current advancement in the economic welfare of the nation. This example also serves to demonstrate how political aspirations (in this case, Ballen's attempt at appealing to the large, but poor indigenous farming minority) can often affect the economy of a nation.
             Chapter Twelve concerns itself with the author's aphorism which states that essentially, when seeking an increase in exports, a country must also increase its imports. This could be achieved when one establishes a "favorable balance of trade". Besides this fundamental advantage, further economic benefits result when countries trade with one another. International trade leads to more efficient and increased world production, thus allowing countries (and individuals) to consume a larger and more diverse bundle of goods. A nation possessing limited natural resources is able to produce and consume more than it otherwise could. Furthermore, as Hazlitt adds, the establishment of international trade expands the number of potential markets in which a country can sell its goods. The increased international demand for goods translates into greater production and more extensive use of raw materials and labor, which in turn leads to growth in domestic employment. While the importance of foreign trade varies, Hazlitt makes the recognition that it promotes domestic economic growth is very crucial.
             A subsequent section of the book, Chapter Sixteen-" 'Stabilizing' Commodities", was concerned with the tragedies that followed attempts at controlling the
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