The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-07-06
Institutes. Libraries and Museums
Keep Public Interested
and Informed.
COLONIAL TRADE FosTERED.
Chief of Treasury Bureau of Stats
ties Returns From Visits TO
CapitOls of Five Nations
With Valuable Data.

Washington. July 5.-The Chief of the
Treasury Bureau Of Statistics has just re-
turned from brief visit to London. Paris.
Berlin. Amsterdam and Brussels, where he
went for the purpose OF making some sta
tistical studies regarding the commerce of
European countries. and especially their
commerce with and their development of
their colonies.
II was greatly impressed" said Mr..
Austin. with the interest erinced in CO.
lonlal questions at all the capitals which I
have visited. Each OF these five countries
has its colonial department or division.
with a thoroughly equipped force largely
made up of men who have had long eX
perience in the colonies of the countries. In
England the Colonial Office at :he Home
Government interchanges. at intervals. its
employees. as far as practicable with the
colony thus obtaining practical and aXper-
fenced men in the home office and keeping
Il corps of men in training In the colonies.
AT the Netherlands. whose colonial work
Is matter OF pride on the part Of every
citizen of that country. the heal of the
Colonial Department has had long expert
ence in Java. the principal Netherand col
ony. and one which has been emiuently
successful.
In France tire Colonial Department IS
extremely active. obtaining large numbers
of reports from its colonial officers and dis
tr!buting information by,a specially organ
lied bureau for that purpose. and in Ger
many and Belgium equal interest vas man
Tested.
everywhere l found great public interest
In colonial matters outside OF official cir
cles. In London. for instance. there is a
colonial institute, composed Of several nun
dred ex-Offcials of the colonies and others
Interested In colonial matters. which has a
library Of nearly $4,000 volumes and which
Is In close working relation with the library
OF the Colonial Department also containing
5000 volumes. The members of the insti-
tute hold monthly meetings for, the discus
sion of matters pertaining to the manage
ment. commerce. statistics and prosperity
OF the colonies and their commercial rela-
lions with the mother country
study Of Colonial Conditions.
AT Paris there Is a colonial organiZa :ion
with about 500 members. some of whom
have had experience in the colonies. Others
are merchants and business men. desiring
to keep In constant touch with business
conditions and opportunities In the colo
MES. and still others are students of colo
nal subjects from an economic standpoint.
in Germany. although their colonial 3ys-
tern Is young. as compared with those of
England. Netherlands or France, the colo
NAL association numbers 10000 members
scattered Throughout the empire. some of
whom are officers and ex-offcials others
connected with the army and navy. and
II
commercial and agricultural development of
the colonies.
THE study of colonial conditions and de-
veiopment of the colories both as to
products and commerce. is encoura ged by
all of the Governments which control terri
tory of this character The French Gov
ton devoted exclusively to colonial studies
and the training of men fer the colonial
service: admission to its classes is obtained
through connective examinations: the term
are men of high standing, both in colonial
experience and In the study OF economics
ton is to educate men for the colonial
service. those who prefer. at the end Of
their term: to devote their efforts to the
commercial and agricultural development OF
the colonies may do SO.
THE Netherlands Government also niair-
tains training school, similar In general
somewhat similar system for the train
Ing Of men for service in India and the
colonies.
Colonial Museums Common.
I'm nearly all of the countries in question
there are excellent and interesting colonial
museums, devoted to the exhibition OF the
products OF the colonies. and the articles
they are accompanied by admirable statis-
teal statements. showing the growth in
production OF the principal articles. and the
growth In exports from and imports into
the colonies.
Each OF the Governments maintains a
statistical service. by which the commerce
of the colonies Is carefully studied. and the
share which the mother country supplies Of
the imports receives of the exports Is
carefully tabulated. the receipts and ex
penditures of the colonies and of the home
Government on account of them recorded.
and the growth of agricultural. commercial
and educational conditions noted.
Especial attention Is given In all cases
to the ability OF the colony to meet the
commercial wants of the mother country.
Countries which do not produce. within
their own borders. the focdstuffs and raw
materials required by their population en-
courage the production in the colonies of
the articles thus required ut home while
the countries which produce their own food
stuffs or raw materials look to the colonies
for the tropical products which they call
not produce at home. and encourage the
production OF those articles In the colonies
and their distribution In the mother coun-
tr;.
1.-The Investment of home capital In the
colon,es is thus encouraged through the as
surahce given that the. products of those
colonies will find a ready market in the
mother country. The manufacturers and
producers of the mother country are. in
turn assured of an enlarged market In the
colonies through the increased consuming
power which accompanies their Increased
production and sales and the general pros
perity Of the colonies through increased
production. larger markets and better road.
fu,prOved educatin,aI Pa