The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-07-28
THE WORLDS COLONIES.

|
Colonial Administration, 1SO0-1sOO."
, It shows that the colonies, so-called,
of the world. including in this term
lan territory not contiguous to the coun-
try by whose government it is con-
trolled. occupy two-ffths Of the land
surface of the globe and contain one
third of the worlds population, or
about 500 600, COO people. OF this colonial
population of 5OO, 900. 900, only three
small groups numbering less than
Is. 900. 900 population, or three per cent
of the whole. are composed in any con-
| siderable degree of the people of the
governing country or their descendants.
The principal colonies composed OF peo-
ple from the governing country or their
! descendants are the English colonies of
British North America, Australasia and
South Africa. The remaining 4S5,OOO,OOO
people, governed by countries not con-
tiguous to that which they occupy. are
of different stock from that of the gov
erning country, and less than one per
! cent of their population is of the ma
tionality which administers the govern
ment Practically all of Africa, Oceania
and Southern Asia are governed by
ritory in question. All Of the govern
ing countries are located in the tenn
perate zone and practically all of the
territory governed as colonies is, with
the exception of Canada, Southern Aus
traIia, and New Zealand, tropical or
subtropical.
The ass, 900, 600 people of stock different
from that of the governing country. and
located in the tropics. are divided into
three great groups: East Indian, West
Indian and African. The East Indian,
or Oriental group, includes the British
colonies of India, Ceylon, the Malayan
Peninsula. Fiji and Borneo; the Dutch
colonies of Java and Sumatra, and the
French colony of Indo- China-all locat-
ed comparatively near to the Philip
pines and having a population, climate
and other conditions somewhat similar
to those of the Philippines. The second
group, the West Indian, includes colo |
MES governed by the British, French, |
Dutch and Danish governments; the
third group. Africa and adjacent ISL \
ands, includes territory governed by
Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy
Portugal and Belgium.
The population of the British colonies
is in round numbers three hundred and
fifty millions; that of the French colo
MES fifty-six millions; Netherlands
colonies, thirty-fve millions; Belgian
colonies, thirty millions; German colo
MES, fifteen millions; Portuguese colo
mics, nine millions, and Spanish colo
MES, 135, 900; while the noncontiguous
territory governed by the United States
has a population of about ten millions.
OF the population of three hundred and
fifty millions thus governed by Great
Britain, nearly three hundred millions
are in the East Indian group, thirty
five millions in Africa, and less than
three millions in the West Indies. OF
the Dutch colonies, thirty-five millions
are in the East Indian group, and
Sc. 900 in the West Indies. OF the French
colonies, about twenty-five millions are
in the East Indian group, twenty-five
in Africa, and 100000 in the
West Indies.
The report shows that the commerce
of the colonies amounts to about three
billions of dollars, of which about one
half is imports, and large proportion
drawn from the governing country;
while. in turn, the colonies supply
large proportion of the tropical and
subtropicaI products required by the
countries which administer their gov
eminent.
On the question of the government Of
colonies, to which the study is especial
w devoted, the report shows that in the
colonies composed of people of the gov
erning country, or their descendants.
the administration of government is left
almost exclusively to the people of the
colonies themselves; in the colonies
whose population is chiefly of a race
customs and climatic conditions diner
ing from those of the home country the
governor and other executive ofhcers
are usually appointed by the home gov
eminent, and these with the aid OF ma
tives CASUALLY in the form of legls-
lative body. one branch OF which Is
elected by the people) frame the laws
and regulations which are administered
by the officers appointed by the home
government Local and municipal leg
islation and administration are left TO
the natives wherever practicable, and
they are encouraged to assume the
duties of administering law and i'm
proving and developing the community
commercially and otherwise. The con-
struction of roads, railways, telegraphs
and other methods of communication
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