The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-04
COLONIES FOR TRADE PURPOSE.

One 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 re-
gard being wholly subordinated to
those of the parent country. In favor
of permanently retaining the Philip
| pines the present volume of their trade
! has been urged. That trade is not
nearly so large as usually. supposed.
/ There are no official statistics of i'm
ports and exports, but for 1896 they are
estimated by the Statesman's Year
Book as follows:
Imports e2, 49,, 500
Exports ADJ, 250
Onethe theory that the parent coun-
try gets the far greater part of colonial
trade, Spain should lead all other coun-
tries. The import trade was divided
as follows:
Great Britain. ..............34 per cent.
Hongkong and Annoy. .......21 per cent.
Spain ..l3 per cent.
Singapore and British India.10 per cent.
Other countries per cent.
SPANS share of this trade was not
very much.
How is it with Great Britain, the
greatest colony-owning country in the
world? In 1896 that country imported
from the United States alone e1S, 1884,
800 worth of merchandise more than
from all her colonies What were her
total imports?
Imports from colonies. SO, 20S, 029
Imports from other countries 34S,600,S75
And what were the exports for this
same year?
Exports to colonies. ........G 81, 136, 937
Exports to other countries. 156, ,614
Iotal ....-........... G24O, 49, DOL
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
have it in all probability did the colo
MES belong to some other nation just
as she has more of the Philippines
trade than any other nation; her colo
MES 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 over
populated country that must have an
outlet fer-its 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 rap
idly increasing population, have a con-
tinent for it to expand in, and their
population can easily increase to sew
eral hundred millions before there will
be the slightest reason for extending
their boundaries to accommodate it.
The trade argument in favor of col
onies is fallacious for the reason that
trade is governed by the laws of trade
and not by political considerations; peo-
pie will buy in the cheapest market and
sell in the dearest, and consanguineous
or political ties viii not deter them
from this.
The adoption of colonial policy for
trade purposes isn't worthy of serious
consideration. This country's foreign
trade can be made the largest in the
world if an enlightened commercial
policy is pursued.