The times., 1899-07-03
THE VALUE OF COLONIES
England's Possessions Furnish Her
a Good Market.
They Take More Than one-Third of
Her surplus Products and supply
0ne-Fifth of the Material She Pur-
chnses Abroad-Eigures From the
Treasury Burcnu of statistics.

British colonies furnish market for
more than one-third of Great Britain's
surplus products. and supply one-hfth of
the material which she purchases from
abroad. OF her total domestic exporta-
tions in 1897, which amounted to e2S4.
100000 in value, esO.s75 600. or S4.4 per
cent went to her colonies, and the per-
centage of her exports which the colonies
take appears to be gaining. A recently
published statement by the British Board
of Trade Journal. just received by the
Treasury Bureau OF Statistics, shows that
Of the total exports of British produce
and manufactures from the United King
dom, 81 per cent went to the British col
onies in 1895. 50 per cent in 1896. and 3f4
per cent in 1897.
On the other hand Great Britain an
nually purchases from. her colonies about
$3.50 O00. 900 worth of their productions. the
imports from the British colonies into the
United Kingdom in 1895 being R95. $50. .0O0.
in 1896, e93, ,20s. 900. and in 1897. e94.-
O19.000. Naturally the bulk of her import
ations from the colonies is articles of food
and raw materials for use in manufactur-
ing Food products in 1897 were G34. ILL.,
900 of the e94, oil, 600 of importations from
the colonies into Great Britain, while raw
materials for textile manufactures import
ed from the colonies amounted to e26. .09S,-
0O0 and other raw materials to e25 314-
coo, while manufactures imported from the
/ British colonies were only e 1896, 600. Thus
the people of the United Kindom in buy
ing the food products and material for
manufactures for which they are compelled
al ohI to-
pend over S400,000.000 annually among
their own people in other parts of the
world. people who represent British blood
and British capital; for it is asserted on
high authority. that probably 81 600 GOO 600
Of British capital is invested in various
ways in the colonies. and the purchases in
those markets by the people OF the United
| Kingdom thus contribute to the prosper
ity of her own citizens whose money is
! there invested.
| In other countries which have colonial
| possessions. a considerable percentage of
/ their commerce is also with the colonies,
though not to as great an extent as that
OF Great Britain, France purchased 10
per cent of her total imports from her
colonies in 1897; Holland purchased 147
per cent of her imports from her colonies
| in 1887. while the proportion which the
German colonies furnished of the imports
into Germany is comparatively small, in
most cases the colonies being new and
4 little developed.
| The following table shows the value of
imports into the United Kingdom from her
colonies in 1897. by great classes:
ARTICLES
| Food products Of all kinds-IncIudes
| cereals and farinaceous substances.
animals-liying (for food, meat,
| fish, poultry. eggs. dairy products,
| fruits. and vegetables. coffee cocoa,
Spices wines, spirits (or drinking
purposes). f3i, III 900
! Raw materials for textile manufactures
| includes wool, cotton silk,
| fax, jute, hemp, etc................ 26,O0S 900
| Other materials-Ineludes timber
Of all kinds, palm OIL and oil OF
! nuts and seeds. caoutchouc gums,
| hides, skins, furs, and feathers, dye
stufs, metals. ores, etc.....-.....- s53li 900
Manufactured and miscellaneous ar
| ticles-Includes leather, paper. and
| all other manufactured goods and
parcels pOst...................... 100000
Total. ---...--..--.--........s so4. .Ol9, 600