COLONIAL SYSTEMS OF THE WORLD 



By 0. P. Austin, 

 Chief of tile Bureau of Statistics, V. S. Treasury Department 



Recent discussion in this and other countries renders timely 

 any convenient summary of the colonies, colonial policies, and 

 results of colonization throughout the world. As a first attempt 

 to meet current needs, the following facts and figures have been 

 compiled from the best available sources : * 



The colonies, protectorates, and dependencies of the world 

 number 125. They occupy two-fifths of the land surface of the 

 globe, and their population is one-third of the entire people of 

 the earth. Of the 500,000,000 people thus governed, over three- 

 fourths live between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, or within 

 what is known as the Torrid Zone, and all of the governing coun- 

 tries lie in the North Temperate Zone. Throughout the globe- 

 encircling area known as the Torrid Zone no important republic 

 or independent form of government exists save upon the conti- 

 nent of America. 



The total imports of the colonies and protectorates average 

 more than $1,500,000,000 worth of goods annually, and of this 

 vast sum more than 40 per cent is purchased from the mother 

 countries. Of their exports, which considerably exceed their 

 imports, 40 per cent goes to the mother countries. Large sums 

 are annually expended in the construction of roads, canals, rail- 

 ways, telegraphs, postal service, schools, etc., but in most cases 

 the present annual expenditures are derived from local revenues 

 or are represented by local obligations. The revenues of the 

 British colonies in 1897 were £151,000,000 and their expend- 

 itures £149,000,000. While the public debt in the more impor- 

 tant and active of these communities aggregates a large sum, it is 

 represented by canals, railways, public highways, harbors, irri- 

 gation, and other public improvements intended to stimulate 

 commerce and production, the railroads in operation in the 

 British colonies alone aggregating 55,000 miles. 



The most acceptable and therefore most successful of the colo- 

 nial systems arc those in which the largest liberty of self-govern- 



* The subject is treated at greatei length in the ''Summary of Commerce and Fi- 

 nance" for December, L898 (issued by the linn 'an of Statistics, Treasury Department). 



