trade relations have increased relatively more
rapidly than those of any other nation.

The colonies of Germany in South America
have a basis which is chiefly commercial. A Ger-
man merchant settles in some community, extends
his business relations by founding branch houses
in neighboring towns, and draws after him to his
new home other relatives and friends. Then,
too, by the side of their commercial establishments,
agricultural colonies are often founded. Finally,
to facilitate the exchange of products, banking
operations are carried on between the mother
country and the colony. The colonists avoid all
interference in local political affairs, leaving sterile
politics to the native population, and confining
their attention to the development of the country's
wealth. As a consequence, they generally enjoy
the confidence and esteem of the populations
among whom they work. They have a very
clearly expressed purpose to which they tena-
ciously adhere, -- the building up of commercial
relations between Germany and the fields of col-
onization.

In certain parts of Central and South America,
a very large portion of the trade has come into
German hands. ¹ Very important banking corpo-
rations have been established to mediate between
the colonial tradesmen and the mother country.

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