FRENCH COLONIAL EXPANSION 149 
lishment of peace and order and the development of means 
of transportation. In 1906 the total was about $18,000,000; 
in 1921, nearly $55,000,000 (718,000,000 francs) and in 
1923, about $60,400,000 (980,000,000 francs). The French 
are trying to develop the colony along the lines, found so 
successful in the Gold Coast, of stimulating the natives to 
produce cash crops. In addition to the older staples of the 
country, peanuts in Senegal, palm oil and mahogany on the 
Guinea Coast, and cattle in the interior — the F rench have 
introduced cocoa, rice, cotton, wool and coffee. Imports 
of rice have been cut down by two thirds since 1914. The 
Ivory Coast exported about 50,000 pounds of cocoa in 1913 
and over 1,500,000 pounds in 1923; yet total exports of 
cocoa and cotton are still worth less than $1,000,000. The 
French have made as yet comparatively little progress 
toward their post-war ideal of a colonial empire which 
will make France substantially independent of other 
sources for her raw materials. 
French West Africa has recovered from the depression of 
1921. The total tax revenue has increased to 250,000,000 
francs (say $12,500,000) in 1924, and since the war a loan 
of 167,000,000 francs has been expended on public improve- 
ments. Somewhat over one half of the total is accounted for 
under the budgets of the separate colonies. The colonies 
receive no direct subventions from France, though French 
interests have subscribed millions of francs for promoting 
experiment and research upon cotton and oil products. On 
the other hand, the Governor-General estimates that 3,000,- 
000 francs of his budget is expended for imperial purposes; 
but West Africa’s chief aid to France consists in the 12,000 
recruits which she supplies annually for the French army. 
During the war, West Africa supplied 180,000 men as sol- 
diers and as laborers in France. 
The educational system has been thoroughly reorganized