ime cotton can be produced in
large commercial quantities over a wide area."

Franck now turned to a subject which reflects his courage and
progressiveness. He said, "There is a strong tendency in other Colonies
to give too large a place to State enterprise. The result of this system
is that officers are burdened with an impossible task. They must look
after the railways, steamers, mills, and a variety of tasks for which
they often lack the technical knowledge.

"I have made it a point to give first place to private enterprise and to
transfer those activities formerly under State rule to autonomous
enterprises in which the State has an interest. They are run by business
men along business lines as business institutions. The State's principal
function in them is to protect the native employes. The gold mines at
Kilo are an example. They are still owned by the State but are worked by
a private company whose directors have full powers. The reason why the
State does not part with its ownership of these mines is that it does
not want a rush of gold-seekers. History has proved that in a country
with a primitive population a gold rush is a dangerous and destructive
thing.

"We are always free traders in Belgium and we are glad to welcome any
foreign capital to the Congo. We have already had the constructive
influence of American capital in the diamond fields and we will be glad
to have more."

The average man thinks that the Congo and concessions are practically
synonymous terms. In the Leopold day this was true but there is a new
deal now. Let Monsieur Franck explain it:

"There was a time when huge concessions were freely given in the Congo.
They were then necessary because the Colony was new, the country
unknown, and the financial risk large. Now that the economic
possibilities of the region are realized it is not desirable to grant
any more large concessions. It is proved that these concessions are
really a handicap rather than a help to a young land. The wise procedure
is to have a definite agricultural or industrial aim in mind, and then
pick the locality for exploitation, whether it is gold, cotton, copper
or palm fruit."

"What is the future of the Congo?" I asked.

"The Congo is now entering upon a big era of development," was the
answer. "If the Great War had not intervened it would have been well
under way. Despite the invasion of Belgium, the practical paralysis of
our home industry, and the fact that many