The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-09-16
DEVELOP
 RESOURCES IN COL 0NIAL LANDS

New York, Sept. 14.-Unusua1 prog ress in the development of commerce and natural resources in the French colonial possessions and dependencies has brought them wealth ranking next to that of the British colonial em- pire, according to a survey made sion. The French colonies, with an estimated population of 50, 900, have an area of 100000 square miles.
 Total exports from the colonies in 1917, with the exception of Algeria and Tunis were valued at approx1- mately HOS, 100000 francs. Since 1914 exports in the various posses sions increased from 25 to 100 per cent. The increases are attributed 70 the thrift of natives following the Ewar's ending.
 r Total Algerian exports in 1919 were more than 1884, 4,o0o,o00 francs an increase of about 558 millions over 1918.
 i The port of Algiers alone handled exports approximatings aa5,d5s.ooo francs, according to estimates. Chief | i'''Dorts were cotton. clothing and linen, skins, coal sugar and coffee. Chief exports were wines, fruit, to-
 bacco, wheat, oats, barley and wool. Amounts of imports and exports were greatest in the order men i toned.
 l National roads in Algeria have a length of 3,310 miles, while 2,203
 miles of railway were open for traf- 1 fife in January 1919.
 Tunis, essentially an agricultural | country had bumper grain crops in 1919, as follows: Wheat, $500, 553
 bushels; barley, 542s, ,223 bushels, oats, 3,44,722 bushels. The cork in
 dustry is important, cork trees cover i ing more than 600,00O acres. The an-
 nua1 mineral production averages | in value more than 3o,0OO,OOO francs.
 The spring estimate of 1920 har- valued the crops at 1000, 0,000.000 francs, and it was expected there 1 would be a large surplus for export, the survey states. Exports to France
 francs, the imports at 1855, 5,224925 francs.
 The French possession in India consists of five separate colonies with
 miles Rice, sugar, cotton, cocoa coffee and ground nuts are grown The principal export from Pondi-
 cherry, the chief possession, is oil
 seeds
 Il French Indo-China. has popula-
 ton of about 100000. The terri
 tory tributary to Saigon is almost en-
 tirely agricultural. being one of the
 minerals are coal, Ignite. wolfram tin and zinc.
 In the other possessions including
 Madagascar, French Equatorial Africa. Trench somaliland and the
 largest of the colonies, commerce , has almost doubled since 1914, the survey says. French West Africa comprised of Senegal, Haut- Senegal Niger, French Guinea, the Ivory 1 coast, Dahomey, the military territory Of the Niger and Mauretania, cover: approximately 25, 100000 franc:
 annually. The agricultural resource,
 are most important. The production
 Or co ton is growing, while jute, agavs and sisa1 are cultivated extensively : Rubber is the most important prod ; uct in the forest resources. Cattl. . raising has increased. The minera !, wealth is great. The commerce O this possession increased 500 pc
 ~.frce the French administration : was created in 1895.
 | h trencn colonies in America ! consisting of Guiana, Martinique ! Guadeloupe and St. Pierre and Mi :: quelon are principally noted for thei 5 lumber products, sugar, rum. coco
 and codfsh. Agriculture takes al important role in the smaller prov r inces, especially in New Caledonia :. said to be one of the richest coun tries in the world.