WHAT BRITAIN MIGHT DO. 107

be giving him an effective preference over the
foreigner which might in many cases exceed what
Mr. Chamberlain proposes to give, and would
perhaps do much to stimulate trade development
and immigration.

INTERNAL TRANSPORT, &amp;C.
[t has been suggested that the Imperial Government
 should be prepared to advance capital to be
invested in, or even given as grants in aid to,
important developmental works, such as the construction
 of railways, canals and irrigation systems
in the colonies. These are to be considered, not
merely as colonial, but as Imperial works, for the
progress of our colonies is material to the welfare
of the Empire, and the more they are developed,
the more attractive they will prove as an outlet for
the valuable part of our surplus population. In
Canada especially are railways to be regarded as
Imperial undertakings, for they must form an
important part of an all-Imperial route for trade
and passenger traffic to Japan and the East. But
so far as Canada is concerned, assistance in internal
engineering works would not be a useful method
of evincing Imperial sympathy. Her prosperity is
so assured that there is no lack of private capital.
Her people have not yet learnt the luxury of living
to the extent which so often accompanies commercial
 affluence in Europe, and these works provide
sxtremely profitable investments for the rapidly
increasing wealth of the country. We cannot, of