Show FRANCE LOOSENS UP ON COLONIES vast overseas empire Is promised greater voice in in government washington france the second largest colonizer of the world has drawn up a magna charta for its vast overseas over seas empire exceeded in irea area only by that of great britain rich territories scattered around the world are promised a greater voice in government enar energetic development of their resources credits for agriculture and industry abolition of tariffs and better communications between each other and the mother country announcement followed the opening of a great french colonial ex position in paris all modern gaul is di divided aided vided into some thirty parts and dependencies says a bulletin of ulf HIP national geographic society french colonies can be found in every continent except the north american mainland and australia althou although h french owned island lie ile but a short sail from these the french share the proud boast of the british that the sun never sets on their empire frances greatest success as a colonizer and administrator afas been achieved in africa where the tricolor floats over nearly the whole western shoulder from italian libya and the anglo egyptian sudan to the atlantic ocean and from the mediterranean sea to the belgian congo the SC ihlia inhabitants bitante of these regions run the gamut of human buman colors from the white berbers to the blackest blue black senega gal and congo negroes smaller but important Is isolated french Soma liland on the opposite shoulder of africa the district Is hot and inhospitable but through its port france controls commerce of ethiopia abyssinia in the indian ocean not far from the east cast const coast of africa lie ile the comoro islands madagascar and reunion madagascar one of the worlds largest islands produces much vanilla in reunion abdel abd el cl krim moroccan rebel leader spends a lifeson felons li vacation five bits of india syria including a syrian republic and a lebanese republic lias has been french by mandate of the supreme council of allied powers since 1923 1023 outposts of the french foreign legion have pushed the des ert arabs steadily inland until the caravan routes to iraq are now open nod and safe to travelers not all of india is british controlled troll ed france has five diminutive colonies along the coast of the great empire french indochina indo china almost mile for mile equal in area to texas boasts inhabitants and one of the worlds greatest rice producing areas france is well stocked with islands off the northeast const coast of australia lie ile the loyalty islands new caledonia and many smaller groups and the new hebrides which are jointly governed by the french and british tahiti Itil ild Is even more interesting and alluring it Is the center of the society islands and a port of call for world tourists not for far away are the Marque sas the group archipelago NG gambler ambler and rapa islands where singing dancing feasting and all that suggests happiness and romance are part of the daily life of the natives about inhabitants most of them hospitable live there amid scenery whose description by captain cook enraptured all europe at the edge of the antarctic ocean where that body of water merges with the indian ocean france lays claim to several habited islands among them st paul amsterdam the crozet islands and the islands devils island and mt pelee belee it Is a long jump from here to the french colonies in the americas french guiana one of the european triplets of south americas north coast has diamonds gold sliver silver mercury tin and copper but it Is best known because it Is the principal french penal col ony possessing the notorious devils island cayenne its capital ships no pepper but it carries on nn active trade wilh the indians of the interior obtaining gold and foodstuffs principally rice cocoa coffee and sug sugar ar tane ane in the west indies the tricolor lor floats over guadaloupe Guadal Gundal and martinique ti whose combined population tinn of whites mulattoes negroes and orientals orient als is almost half a million martinique h has not forgotten the terrible eruption of mt alt beje peje in 1002 when the city of st was completely wiped out french north america consists principally in two rocky islands off the south coast of newfoundland st pierre and miquelon peopled by bv about sturdy of breton and norm norman in stock all told the french lag flag flies over almost square miles and people the french empire Is thus about a ns as large as the british and has about one quarter as many people |