THE WINDWARD ISLANDS. [Area, 524 square miles; population, 157,401.] A group of islands formimg the eastern barrier to the Caribbean Sea between Martinique and Trinidad. They include St. Lucia, St. Vincent, the Grenadines, and Grenada, and are under the control of a governor and commander in chief appointed by the Crown, who appoints, subject to approval by the Crown, a legislative council in each of the islands. Each town has a board for local affairs, semielective for the chief town and wholly elective for the others, and each parish a nominated board for roads and sanitation. Each island is in charge of an "administrative and colonial secretary," who cooperates with the council in the forming and administration of laws and regulations. Although all of these islands are under one governor, there is no common legislature, laws, revenue, or tariff, each island having its own legislature and laws, although a common court of appeal administers law for all of the islands. The area of Grenada is 133 square miles; its population 64,098; St. Vincent has an area of 132 square miles; population, 44,633; St. Lucia, 233 square miles; population, 48,650. Revenue of group.. 1899. -pounds sterling.. 172, 446 LEEWARD ISLANDS. [Area, 701 square miles; population, 136,666.] A group of islands divided into five presidencies: Antigua, St. Kitts, Dominica, Montserrat, and the Virgin Islands. They lie north of the Windward group, and southeast of Porto Rico. They are under one governor and commander in chief, with a colonial secretary. The federal executive council is nominated by the Crown, and of the federal legislative council, 8 members are nominated and 8 elected. Three of the latter are chosen by the elective members of the local legislative council of Antigua, 2 by those of Dominica, and 3 by the unofficial members of the local legislative council of St. Kitts. The federal legislative council meets annually. The area of the Leeward Islands, combined, is 701 square miles; population, 136,666. An island of the British West Indian possessions, lying east of the Windward Islands. Area, 166 square miles; population, 192,000. The government consists of a governor, executive council, and executive committee, and a legislative council of 9 members, appointed by the Sovereign, and a house of assembly of 24 members, elected yearly. The most southerly of the West Indian Islands, lying near to the north coast of South America, being 16 miles distant from the coast of Venezuela. Area, excluding Tobago, which is a part of the colony of Trinidad, 1,764 square miles; population, 281,917. The government is administered by a governor, an executive council of 7, and a legislative council of 9 official and 11 unofficial members, all appointed by the Crown. The island of Tobago, lying adjacent, has an area of 114 square miles and a population of 21,400, and is under the control of the governor and council of Trinidad. Revenue • Expenditure Public debt .. Total imports.. Total exports... 1899. THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. [Area, 2,972,195 square miles; population, 3,756,894.] The Commonwealth of Australia includes the five colonies into which the continent of Australia was formerly divided, viz, New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia; also Tasmania, an island at the southern extremity of the continent of Australia, 120 miles distant from the mainland. The union of these six colonies as the Commonwealth of Australia was authorized by an act of the British Parliament in the year 1900, and, after the acceptance of its terms, the date January 1, 1901, was fixed as that upon which the Commonwealth should be established, and the Earl of Hopetoun selected as the first governor-general of the new Commonwealth. The constitution under which this union is formed is summarized as follows by the Colonial Office List of 1901: The constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia is contained in the act of Parliament 63 and 64 Vict., cap. 12. The opening part of the act recites that the union is to be indissoluble, and provides for the admission of other Australasian colonies and possessions of the Queen. It makes provision for the proclamation and date of establishment of the Commonwealth, declares the binding force of Commonwealth laws, and makes definitions. The federal council of Australasia act, 1885, is repealed, and the Commonwealth is declared to be a single self-governing colony for the purpose of the colonial boundaries act. The leading features of the constitution proper are as follows: The Parliament consists of the King, a senate, and a house of representatives. A governor-general is to be appointed to act for the King. The senate consists of six members from each State. The number may be increased or diminished, but so that the equal representation of the original States is maintained, and no original State has less than six senators. The qualifications of the electors of the senate and of the senators are the same as in the case of the house of representatives. Senators are to be chosen for six years. The house of representatives has twice as many members as the senate, and the number of members for each State is in proportion to the population, but not less than five for any State. The qualification of electors is the same as in the case of the more numerous house in each State. Qualifications of a member to be (a) 21 years of age; (b) to be an elector or entitled to be; (c) resident three years; (d) natural born or naturalized five years. House may continue to exist for three years from first meeting, but may be dissolved sooner; number of members may be increased or diminished by Parliament, subject to the constitution. The general powers of the Parliament are thirty-nine in number, the principal of which are to make laws for trade, taxation, bounties, borrowing, postal services, naval and military, statistics, currency, banking, insolvency, corporations, divorce, marriage, oldage pensions, immigration and emigration, railways, etc. Exclusive powers in regard to the seat of government, State departments transferred, and other matters declared by the constitution to be within the exclusive power of the Parliament. Money bills not to originate in nor to be amended by the senate, which house may, however, return the bill, requesting any omission or amendment. Equal power in all other matters. Tacking bills prohibited. Provision for deadlocks: Joint dissolution, and if again passed in lower house and rejected in Senate, a joint sitting to be held, and if passed by an absolute majority of total number of both houses, disputed biil to become law. A bill having passed both houses the governor-general shall either assent, withhold assent, reserve the bill, or return it, and recommend amendments. Executive power vested in King and exercisable by governor-general in council, who may appoint ministers of state. State departments of customs and excise transferred to commonwealth on its establishment. Departments of posts, naval and military, defense, light-houses, etc., and quarantine on a date or dates to be proclaimed. High court of Australia established; appellate and original jurisdiction. Collection of customs to pass to commonwealth. Customs and excise duties to be uniform, and intercolonial free-trade established within two years after the establishment of the commonwealth, after which period the Federal Government shall have exclusive power to levy such duties as well as bounties in the production or export of goods. Western Australia may continue duties in force on intercolonial goods at the establishment of uniform tariff for five years, subject to reduction of one-fifth each year. Of the net revenue from customs and excise not more than one-fourth to be applied by commonwealh toward its expenditure. This holds good for the first ten years and thereafter until the Parliament provides otherwise. Right of States to reasonable use of river waters for conservation or irrigation reserved. Interstate commission appointed to regulate trade and commerce and prevent discriminations being made by any State which may be deemed unreasonable or unjust to any other State. Constitutions, powers, and laws of States protected. State debts may be taken over. Admission of new States provided for. Commonwealth to protect States against invasion or domestic violence. Seat of government to be in New South Wales, not less than 100 miles from Sydney, and to be within federal territory. Parliament to meet at Melbourne until it meets at the new capital. Constitution may be altered by an absolute majority of each house; then to be submitted to electors, and if in a majority of States a majority of electors voting approve, then the change may be made. In case of a deadlock between the two houses, renewed after three months' interval, the governor-general may submit the question to the electors in each State qualified to vote for the lower house. An alteration diminishing the proportionate representation of any State, or the minimum number of representatives of a State, or altering its limits, or in any way affecting the provisions of the constitution in relation to it, shall not become law without the approval of a majority of the electors of such State. The financial section of the act is too intricate to be briefly summarized. (See sections 81-105 of the act.) It will be observed from the foregoing summary that the constitution follows that of the United States rather than that of Canada, so far as the distribution of Federal and State powers is concerned. The matters belonging to the commonwealth are limited to those expressly specified, and in other respects State powers are maintained. The governorships of the States are still filled by the Crown, and the governors correspond directly with the secretary of state. The governor-general is, however, kept informed of the correspondence passing between the governors of the different States and the colonial office. The new commonwealth formed from these seven colonies is, according to the latest statistics, 2,972,195 square miles in extent, and has a population of 3,756,894. The table which follows shows the area, population, revenue, expenditure, debt, total imports, total exports, and other data with reference to each of these colonies in the latest attainable year, the figures of the colony of Northern Australia being, however, included with those of South Australia. It is proper to add that the figures of imports and exports include the commerce of each colony with its neighboring colonies, as well as with other parts of the world. Under the new organization, by which these seven colonies form a single commonwealth, the commerce between the colonies so included will not be further classified as "foreign commerce," and the figures of the "foreign commerce" of the Australian colonies, which was in the past materially swelled by the inclusion of the intercolonial traffic, will probably be materially reduced, since they will in the future show simply the commerce of the seven colonies with other countries of the world and not each with the other as heretofore. A table published on another page shows the proportion of commerce which is intercolonial and the proportion with other countries. AREA, POPULATION, REVENUE, EXPENDITURE, IMPORTS, EXPORTS, TONNAGE, AND RAILWAYS OF THE VARIOUS COLONIES OF THE AUSTRLASIAN COMMONWEALTH, NORTH AUSTRALIA BEING INCLUDED WITH SOUTH AUSTRALIA FOR STATISTICAL PURPOSES. A Crown colony, consisting of several small islands, 500 miles northwest of Samoa. The government is administered by a governor, appointed by the Crown, assisted by an executive council of four members. Laws are enacted by a legislative council of six official and six unofficial members, all appointed by the Crown. Native chiefs rule the native population. An elaborate description of the government and conditions will be found on another page. British New Guinea is a Crown colony occupying the southeastern portion of New Guinea and several small outlying islands. The colony is administered by a lieutenant-governor, advised by an executive and legislative council. A colony 1,200 miles east of Australia, consisting of three large and several smaller islands. The government is administered by a governor and a general assembly consisting of two chambers, a legislative council of 45, and a house of representatives of 74 members, who are elected for three years. Women are entitled to register as electors and vote for members of the house of representatives, but are not qualified for election nor for appointment to the legislative council. Revenues are derived from customs, railways, land and income taxes, and other sources. FRANCE. The colonies, protectorates, dependencies, and "spheres of influence" of France are second in number only to those of Great Britain, numbering 29, with a total area of 4,317,826 square miles and a population, according to latest estimates, of 61,870,560. The special trade of France with French colonies in 1899 amounted to 471,034,000 francs for imports and 475,411,000 francs for exports. Of the imports into the colonies 65.6 per cent was from France and of the exports from the colonies 62.6 per cent was to France. ASIA. French colonies in Asia include French India and French Indo-China. Under the title "French Indo-China" are included Cochin China, Tonkin, Anam, and Cambodia, which have, to a certain extent, been incorporated. The superior council of Indo-China fixes the budget of Cochin China, and advises as to the budgets of Anam, Tonkin, and Cambodia. FRENCH INDIA. [Area, 200 square miles; population, 280,000.] The French possessions in India consist of Pondichery, Karical, Oulgaret, Villenour, Nedounkadou, Shandernagar, Bahour, La Grande Aldée, Mahé, and Yanaon. They are divided into five dependencies, the total area being about 200 square miles and the population 280,000. The government is administered by a governor, who resides at Pondichery, and the colony is represented in the Chambers by one senator and one deputy: A protectorate in the eastern part of the Indo-China peninsula, fronting upon the China Sea. Its area is 88,780 square miles and its estimated population 6,000,000. The government is administered by Prince Buu Lam, proclaimed king in 1889, under the title of Thanh Thai, but subject to the general control of the French governor-general. Three ports are open to European commerce, but the customs revenue is controlled by France. French troops occupy a part of the citadel of Hué, the capital. Anamite officers, under control of the French Government, administer all of the internal affairs. A French protectorate in the Indo-Chinese peninsula, having an area of 40,530 square miles and a population of 1,500,000, consisting of Malays, Chinese, and Anamites, and a small European population. The government is administered by King Norodom, subject to the direction of the French governor-general. Imports, 1896.... Mexican dollars. 4, 000, 000 10, 000, 000 2,025, 000 Exports, 1896.......... Budget for 1897 .... NOTE. For the year 1899 the trade statistics are included in those of Cochin China. COCHIN CHINA. [Area, 23,160 square miles; population, 2,323,500.] A colony in the Indo-Chinese peninsula south of Anam, having an area of 23,160 square miles and a population of 2,323,499, consisting of Anamites, Cambodians, Chinese, Malays, and Malabarians, with a French population of 5,000. The colony is represented in the Chambers by one deputy. An army of 3,600 troops is maintained, one-third being French and the remainder Anamite soldiers. The government is directly administered by French officials. Imports into Cochin China and Cambodia Imports from France into Cochin China and Cambodia Local budget, 1900. 1899. .francs.. 66, 234, 008 .do.... 111, 004, 950 Mexican dollars.. 1 Value of rupee, 32.4 cents; franc, 19.3 cents. 19, 101, 860 320, 012 4, 439, 500 TONKIN. [Area, 119,660 square miles; population, 12,000,000.] A French possession adjoining Cochin China, having an area of 119,660 square miles and a population estimated at 12,000,000. The government is administered by a French residency. A large share of this territory was formerly held by Siam, but was annexed by France in 1893. A railroad 64 miles long has been constructed and is to be extended to the Chinese frontier. The transit trade to and from Yunnan amounts to about 8,200,000 francs annually. The army is composed of 18,555 officers and men, of which one-third are natives, A colony on the north coast of Africa, extending southward into the Sahara, with boundaries not clearly defined, large portions of the Sahara being claimed both by the French Government and the nomad tribes who inhabit it. The area is stated at 184,000 square miles; population, 4,394,000, of which 318,000 are French, 446,000 belonging to other foreign nations, the remainder natives. The Algerian Sahara includes about 123,500 square miles, with a population of about 50,000. Algeria is not included in the general term of the French colonies, having a government and laws distinct from the other colonial possessions, and being looked upon as a part of France, the French Chambers alone having the right to legislate for Algeria, while such matters as do not come within the legislative power are regulated by the decree of the President of the Republic. The government of Algeria is administered by a governor-general, assisted by a council, whose function is purely consultative. A superior council meets annually, composed of delegates sent by each of the departmental general councils. A protectorate on the right bank of the Kongo and along the north bank of the Mobangi, having a total area of 491,000 square miles, and a population estimated at 15,000,000 natives and 300 Europeans. The territories are under a commissioner-general, who, assisted by two lieutenant-governors, has charge both of the civil and military administration. There are 56 schools, 31 post-offices, and 27 military stations. This territory includes the larger part of northwest and central Africa, adjacent to the Senegal and upper part of the Niger rivers, besides the part of the Sahara Desert south of Algeria to the Lake Chad and east to the Nile basin. After the convention with the United Kingdom of June 14, 1898, providing for the delimitation of the possessions and spheres of influences claimed by both countries the administration of the French territory was reorganized, the middle Niger region, including the greater part of the area within the bend of the river, being put under a separate military administration, while the western portion of the old Sudan province was united with Senegal, under the administration of a civil governor. French Guinea, the Ivory Coast, and Dahomey were also largely extended by the addition of Sudan territory. |