Show COLONIES FOR TRADE PuRPOSE On of the most frequent arguments urged in favor of the retention of the Philippines is that colonies are very valuable for trade purposes that they afford a market for surplus products This is a very selfish view for it makes of colonies nothing more than markets the interests of the colonies in this regard re-gard being wholly subordinated to I those of the parent country In favor of permanently retaining the Philippines I Philip-pines the present volume of their trade I has been urged That trade is not I nearjy so large as usually supposed There are no official statistics of im 1 i I ports and exports but for 1896 they are j estimated by the Statesmans YearBook 1 Year-Book as follows j Imports 2187500 Exports U H 4151250 I Online theory that the parent country coun-try gets the far greater part of colonial I trade Spain should lead all other countries coun-tries The import trade was divided as follows Great Britain 31 per cent Hongkong and Amoy21 per cent Spain 13 per cent I Singapore and British India10 per cent Other countries 22 per cent Spains share of this trade was not very much How is it with Great Britain the greatest colonyowning country in the world In 1896 that country Imported I from the United States alone 13139 320 worth of merchandise more than I from all her colonies What were her total imports I Imports from coJonies 93208029 Imports from other countries 348600875 Total 441808904 And what were the exports for this same year Exports to colonies 84136937 Exports to other countries 156008614 I Total i 240145551 This colonial trade is great to be sure but England has it because she can supply its demands cheaper than any other country and not because they are her possessions she would I have it in all probability did the colonies colo-nies belong to some other nation just as she has more of the Philippines I trade than any other nation her colonies colo-nies are perfectly free to trade where they like having the right to enact whatever tariff legislation they choose Colonies are a good thing for an overpopulated over-populated country that must have an outlet forits surplus population Such a country Great Britain is and has been One reason why France has no success as a colonizing country is that her population is practically stationary and this being so she has no surplus population to pour into colonies The United States while they have a rapidly rap-idly i increasing population have a continent con-tinent for it to expand in and their population can easily increase to several sev-eral hundred millions before there will be the slightest reason for extending their boundaries to accommodate it The trade argument in favor of colonies col-onies is fallacious for the reason that trade is governed by the laws of trade and not political considerations people peo-ple will buy in the cheapest market and sell in the dearest and consanguineous or political ties will not deter them from this The adoption of a colonial policy for trade purposes isnt worthy of serious consideration This countrys foreign trade can be made the largest in the world if an enlightened commercial policy is pursued i |