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Show The revenues of the British colonies in 1897 were $755,000,000. and their expenditures ex-penditures $745,000,000. While the public pub-lic debt in the more important and active ac-tive of these communities aggregates a largo sum, it is represented by canals, can-als, railways, public highways, harbors, har-bors, Irrigation, and other public improvements im-provements intended fo stimulate commerce com-merce and production, the railroads. in operation in the British colonies alone aggregating 55,000 miles, and is In no instance assumed by or a charge upon the mother country. Of the 126 colonies, protectorates, dependencies de-pendencies and "spheres of influence," which make up the total list, two-fifths belong to Great Britain, their area (including the native feudatory states of India) being considerably more than one-half the grand total of colonial population. France Is next in order in number, area and population of colonies, col-onies, though the area controlled by France is about one-third that of Great Britain, and the population of her colonies col-onies less than one-sixth of those of Great Britain. Commerce between the successful colonies and their mother countries la in nearly all cases piacea on practically the same basis as that with other countries, goods from home countries receiving In the vast majority major-ity of cases no advantages over those from other countries in import duties, and other exactions of this character. We have given to Porto Rico and Hawaii vastly better treatment than is usual with colonies since we make the ratio of duty on commerce between Porto Rico and the United States but 15 per cent of that with other countries, coun-tries, and even that but temporary, while in the case of Hawaii, which voluntarily asked admission, we have continued and enlarged the freedom of interchange which already existed under un-der reciprocity. BENEFIT OF COLONIES. Their Commercial and Financial Relation to Mother Countries. An official publication of the bureau Of Statistics, issueu ouiuc muuiuo 5. shows that the colonies, protectorates, and dependencies of the world number 136. They occupy two-fifths of the land surface of the globe, and their population popula-tion is one-third of the entire people of the earth. Their total Imports average av-erage $1,500,000,000 worth of goods annually, an-nually, and of this vast sum more than 40 per cent Is purchased from the mother country. Of their exports, which considerably exceed imports, 40 per cent go to the mother country. Large sums are annually expended in the construction of roads, canals, railways, rail-ways, telegraphs, postal service, schools, etc., but In most cases the present annual expenditures are produced pro-duced by local revenues or are represented repre-sented by local obligations. |