Science and Colonial Development 



It cannot fail to have been noticed that the two 

 items of capital expenditure, and almost the whole 

 of the exchequer grants, are concerned with those 

 parts of Africa that are within the tropics. These 

 territories were no doubt brought under British 

 influence mainly in order to forestall foreign rivals. 

 " If other nations," as Mr. Chamberlain has put it, 1 

 {t would only stand aside, it might have been wiser 

 that we should have proceeded more gradually, and 

 that we should have developed the countries we 

 already possessed before seeking this vast exten- 

 sion." Mr. Chamberlain consoled himself, how- 

 ever, with the reflection that "all our colonies 

 and protectorates are either self-supporting from 

 the first, or become so in a very short space of 

 time." 2 This, unfortunately, is not the case with 

 the most recent acquisitions, as is shown abun- 

 dantly by the figures given above ; and the writer 

 ventures to think that a thorough examination of 

 the whole position would be advisable. He has 

 not only in view the small rate of diminution in 

 the aggregate of the grants-in-aid, he also suspects 

 the existence of false economy, where a compara- 

 tively insignificant additional outlay would soon 

 bring in a double return, in the relief of the British 

 exchequer and the more rapid development of the 

 country concerned. Mr. Lyttelton stated 3 in the 

 last session of Parliament that an extra 5000 or 



"Foreign and Colonial Speeches" (authorised edition), 

 P- US- 



2 7&V*,p. 145. 



3 " Parliamentary Debates," vol. cxliv. p. 564. 



163 



