Evening star., 1925-04-26
Story Week Has Told
Comprehensive Survey of Latest Events in United
States and Abroad.

BY HENRY ". BUM

| HE following is a brief sum-
mary of the most important
news of the world for the
seven days ended April %:
X x X x
The British Enpire.-The Prince
of Wales continues his interesting and
fantastic progress" down the coast
of western Africa. On the 22d he
sailed away from Lagos, on the Blight
of Benin, after spending some days
in the protectorate of Nigeria, the
largest of the British possessions in
western Africa, with an area of about
| 336 900 square miles and a population
of some eighteen millions. The excel
lent system of motor roads in the
southern provinces enabled him to see
a good deal of that section, but he
| probably would have found the north
ern provinces. with their Hausa towns
| and Fula EmirateS, still more inter
| esting.
The population of Nigeria is of great
variety as to blood and degree of civ
| iliZation. The Hausa, though Nigri-
| tic, are much crossed, with Arab and
| Berber strains. The Faula are a mix
ture of Berber and negro. The former
are remarkable people. numbering
about five millions, very intelligent
| in many instances even cultured, eX-
| cellent agriculturists and with a va
| riety of industries developed by them
! selves, including the making of cot
| ton cloth, mats, leather goods and
glass.
They have a sonorous language
which they have themselves reduced
| to writing the only instance of the
| sort among the natives of tropical
I Africa. and they boast the beginnings
| of literature, poetic and historical
| They furnish most of the soldiery and
| military police to the British admin.
| istration. The military force of the
! protectorate consists OF a small body
: of police and the Nigerisn Regiment
| -four battalions of infantry and a bat.
terry and two companies of mounted
| infantry, natives officered by British
| With development of the railway
| system (already we'll towardl in con
| nection with the rivers Especially the
| Niger and its tributariesl, a future oi
great material prosperity for Nigeria
| seems certain.
Northern Nigeria is one of the most
| promising fields for cotton growth ir
the British empire. and there is great
| variety and profusion of other ex
| portables in the country-palm oil
rubber, indigo, cocoa. etc.
| Nigeria furnishes the not least hap
py illustration of the British genius
| for colonial administration. There
| are perhaps no more than a thousand
| Europeans in the protectorate.
| The national debt of Canada is about
81, 400 100000. It is being very slowly
reduced.
France.-On April 81 the new gov
ernment appeared before the Chamber
! and submittedsto both houses of Par
| lament the ministerial declaration.
| The Chamber voted confidence. 30-
to 218. sThe Senate postponed its
vote.
| The declaration was general. not Il
say vague, except as follows: Term o
| service with Colors not TO be further
| reduced prior to satisfactory settle
ment of the problem of security. AS
| similation of Alsace and Lorraine II
be effected in discreet and concilia
tory way, and with delicate considera
ton for the rights and susceptibilitie!
of the redeemed people. obviously {
bid for Senate support at the risk o
alternating the unified Socialistsl
The new government, said tht
declaration, was chiefly concerned fOl
the security and financial equilibrium
of France. The budget would be bal
anced. The lending capacity of the
country would not be overstrained
but great sacrifices would be required
| Ut is not clear what is thus suggest
| ed-apparently increase of taxation
and stricter collection of taXes.)
Foreign policy would rest on thu
| League of Nations. The grand OBJ
jects of the defunct protocol of arbi
! tration and security must be realized
by other achinery-namely, and il
| the following order of importance
| Security, arbitration, disarmament.
The problem of the interallied debt:
must be squarely faced. Effort mus
| be made to procure the adhesion t
| the League of Nations of all the state!
| now dissenting with a view to com
| plete reconciliation and pacif1cation o
| Europe.
! Discussion of the declaration re
| solved itself chiefly into violent Ma
! tionalist attacks on the record of NJ
! CaillauX and denunciations of th'
| government for his inclusion therein
| The great defeatist spoke very briefly
| He would avoid increase of the note
| circulation and increase of advances
from the Bank of France to the state
| He contemplated a Large operation