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253726

COPYRIGHT, 1902

BY

DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

PREFACE.

THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR Book for 1901 is the fourth volume in the series. Its three predecessors have been received in a manner to justify the view of the editors and publishers that a work of this kind would be widely useful and favorably regarded. It was expected that it would meet with some criticism in detail and that suggestions would be made as to possible means of improvement; but in the numerous and for the most part highly commendatory press notices and reviews there has been little of such criticism or suggestion. As indicating approval, both of the plan and of its execution, this has been most gratifying to the editors. At the same time criticism of a constructive sort would be most welcome and would undoubtedly suggest means for enhancing the usefulness of the book to its readers. The YEAR BOOK for 1901, while not departing from the plan of its predecessors in essentials, has aimed at a greater degree of condensation, and to this end has altered somewhat the method of treatment in the articles on the States of the United States. Certain classes of statistical matter formerly given under the separate States have been tabulated under general heads. Thus, instead of including in every article on a State a separate paragraph on Educational Statistics, the figures are given in consolidated tables under the following heads: EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES; SCHOOLS; NORMAL SCHOOLS; PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS; and UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES. This method admits of the introduction of more general discussion pertaining to the subject as a whole, and offers a means of comparison. Again, the statistics of the Crops will be found in the articles on the crops themselves (BARLEY; CORN; WHEAT, etc.), which sum up the yield by States so far as the figures are available. And the same rule applies to Banking Statistics, which will be found in the articles BANKing; State Banks; PRIVATE BANKS; NATIONAL BANKS; SAVINGS BANKS, and TRUST AND LOAN COMPANIES; to RAILWAYS, and to the principal minerals (COAL, COPPER, IRON, etc.). The space thus gained has made it possible to include in the articles on States an account of the progress of Industries, based on the Census Reports on Manufactures, most of which were published in 1901, and to notice the great body of State Legislation. Since most of the State legislatures meet in the odd-numbered years, the latter subject has necessarily received more extended treatment than in 1900.

In the political history of the year, the matters of most interest to Americans are naturally those which have to do with the pacification and government of the new possessions of the UNITED STATES. Chief of these was the decision of the Supreme Court in the insular cases. Next in importance were the beginnings of civil government in the PHILIPPINES, the adoption of a constitution for CUBA, and the progress of PORTO RICO under her new government. The industrial record was remarkable for the formation of the largest trust of modern times, the UNITED STATES STEEL CORPORATION; for one of the largest STRIKES of recent years, the Steel Strike; and for the taking of an important step toward the ARBITRATION of labor disputes by the formation of the National Civic Federation. The financial record, instead of being scattered under different heads, is in this volume comprised in a single article, the FINANCIAL REVIEW OF THE YEAR. Among the important topics in foreign affairs are the advance of RUSSIA in Manchuria, PERSIA, SERVIA, and the BALKAN PENINSULA; the discussion of GERMANY'S new tariff measure; the passage of the Associations Bill in FRANCE; the settlement of the indemnity question in CHINA; and the continued war in the TRANSVAAL. In GERMANY the results of the 1900 census became available during the year, and in FRANCE and GREAT BRITAIN the census returns for

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