The skillful policy of Sir Wilfred Laurier, the discussions of the colonial conferences, the propaganda of Mr. Chamberlain, and the activities of the colonial legislatures have served to bring the subject of preferential trade most prominently before the attention of the British public. Unfortunately the consideration of the question has been almost exclusively of a partisan character, the merit or expediency of the policy being lost sight of amid the stress of national political issues. The question, however, is one which readily admits of scientific economic treatment, since the history of imperial relations, and more especially the reciprocal economic policies of the several groups of colonies offer abundant material for an impartial historical and political investigation. The preferential program is not new or experimental; it has been tried both as an imperial and intercolonial policy by imperial and colonial governments alike. The Canadian, Australian and South African colonies have all attempted to work out within their several groups a more perfect political organization through some system of commercial coöperation or fiscal preference. The experience of the Australian group is especially valuable and instructive to the student of imperial politics, on account of the favorable conditions under which the experiment was made. On the one hand, the isolation and the geographical unity of the colonies, the uniformity of their legal systems and political institutions, and above all the racial, social and religious unity of the inhabitants combined to weld the colonies into an organic whole; on the other hand, the diversity of economic life, the natural independence of the colonies, thanks to an open sea-board, the irreconcilable differences in their fiscal systems, the ambitions of local politicians, the jealousies of competing cities, and the selfishness of particularistic interests impelled each state to maintain a separate existence, and to pursue a course of free and independent action.