Evening journal., 1923-01-16

The time for the evening story
had come and Jack was eager to ask
Uncle Ted about something that had
been on his mind all day.
"A long time ago" said he. you
told us that the big German colonies
in Africa that were captured in the
war were going 10 be divided among
the Allies, but since then we haven't
heard anything more about them.
Won't you tell us. Uncle Ted. what
has been done with them, and If they
are really worth anythlng?"
Il am glad, Jack, that you have
brought that matter up" replied
Uncle Ted. You and Ruth are not
the only ones who have heard moth
ing about those old German territor-
les. For some reason there has been
hardly any mention of them in our
newspapers for two or three years
Many, many columns have been
printed discussing the ability OF
Great Britain. France and the other
allies TO pay their big debts TO the
United States but nobody seems to
have remembered the big new coun-
tries that were won from Germany.
or TO have considered that the natu-
raj wealth they contain is sufficient
TO pay those debts several times
over. I will tell you all that know
about them.
THE former German territories
were distributed among the allies
as mandates under a paragraph
contained in the covenant of the
League OF Nations. The countries
that got them are supposed 10 look
after them in the interest of the ma
tive populations, but really they
have become colonies OF those cOun-
tries. and their wealth IS at the dis
posal OF their new owners. The Ger
man colonies in Africa had an area
of $4,000 square miles. about four
and a half times as large as the old
German Empire in Europe. There
were four of them: German East
Africa, German Southwest Africa,
the Kameruns and Togoland.
German East Africa Is now
called Tanganyika Territory and
has an area OF about 365, 200
square miles. all but 10000 OF
which IS now controlled by Great
Britain, and the rest by Belgium.
German Southwest Africa IS $4,000 |
square miles IN extent, and was
given entirely TO Great Britain. The I
Kameruns has been translated into |
English and Is now called the Cam |
eroons. II has an area Of 191. 900 |
square miles. $4,000 Of which went /
10 France. and the rest TO Great 1
Britain. Togoland has an area Of I
$1,000 square miles, about one-third /
1f which went to Great Britain and /
he rest to France.
You see from those figures that
about four-ffths OF that African
and IS now British, and about one
fifth French. All the colonies are
much the same in natural resources.
population. etc, and most Of what I
IN going TO tell you about them can
'e applied 70 all alike.
You must realize, children. that
hose countries are wild. They are
Inhabited by wild black men, and
utilization has scarcely made an i'm
lression upon the natives or upon
he wonderful riches OF the land.
hat IS the reason why they have
lot yielded more treasure for the
se OF their new owners. But in
hat they are no different from Can
da, when the British first obtained
ontrol OF the country. or from our
wn nation when the Indians were
he only people who lived here.
Those African colonies have a
opulation OF about 100000 ma
ives, but only 235OO white men.
hat means that there is only one
-hite man to every 40 square miles
( territory. and only one white man
D every $40 wild men. Is 1t any
-onder that the rich. mines. the
reat hardwood forests. the large