THE WORLD'S BANKER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 404, 13 January 1909, Page 10

THE WORLD'S BANKER.

FRENCHMEN'S. !.£l,500;00D,0d(f. IN FOREIGN : :, ; ;. ■■■;.;; ■-STOCKS. , ; ■ V .:■ . .-./..••." 'In ■ confirmation V of-! Prince' Bulow's state-' ment iu the Eeichstag.that France has become the world's banker, it may be said (writes the Paris correspondent, of the "Daily Mail" under : date November 20) .that. the French -investing public holds an enormous. proportion of the tional debts. of Kussia; .China; Turkey, , . Italy; Spain, Greece, Portugal;- Rumania,.Brazil,, the Argentine,: Mexico, Belgium, Holland, and.many other'States.C'". , - '.■'■;■-.,■ .-.• . ■ -According t0,"51. , Edmond Thery's recently- , published book,. "Les Progres /Ecoudmiques. •de la France," the total market'value of the securities . known to be held.- by ithe> French invest mg -public ..or. oii-ldepbsit'' , in 'French'■ banks amounted on December, SI, 1907, to the' colossal sum of, i£3,942,840,000, and of this EigMtic suui jei,456,000,C00. was -invested in the-funds of foreign' Governments- and other first-class .foreign securities. ,■■.■.■;; ': ■' ■ " In- addition,-the ■ stupendous National-Debt of France itself, is entirely held by Frenchmen , , and stands at 37| per cent. . The rate'of interest is 3 per cent. : ;.Every. year for 'twenty years past. France ;has been receiving from-abroad .a great'deal more gold than she has had to pay out! the result.being.an immense surplus. ' In the eight lOOO.to.the-endof 1908, despite the investment'. iii. -the ■ same period of ,£572,C'00,0U0 : of French money in foreign- Government strcks, the gold :stock of- France is estimated to have increased by over £U6,000;6'0&::' : . :'■•