WAR THREAT IN PACIFIC

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 175, 19 June 1940, Page 2

WAR THREAT IN PACIFIC

Ij DUTCH SPEAKER'S WARNING DANGERS FOR NEW ZEALAND His fear of war in the Pacific and of common clangers facing Dutch and British people in this part of the world were discussed by Mr J. T. Schoon, a Dutchman living in Christchurch, in a luncheon address to the Christchurch Businessmen's Club. Mr Schoon . said he believed thai if the battle in France went against the Allies, Japan would take her chance in the Pacific. He criticised New Zeaalncl for not making more extensive preparations to meet dangers facing the country, and for refusing to take the situation seriously enough. Mr Schoon claimed that the Japanese Ileet was concentrated in Hainan, about two days' steaming from Singapore, and partly in the Japanese Archipelago, north of the Philippines, about seven days' from New Zealand a:nd three days from Australia. Within the Netherlands East Indies the Government and the whole population were working day and night for the defence of the country. The regular army was now 100,000 men, and there were about 30 undersea boats, 15 destroyers and many small vessels. Five hundred of the new type of bomber were manned with excellent Dutch pilots Would Fight. People asked him almost every day whether the Dutch in the East Indies would fight. Certainly they would, and even a greater part of the natives would fight, too, but the Netherlands East Indies could not do the job alone. What was New Zealand going to do about it? Many New Zealanders thought that distance would save this country, but if that was true why was America working night and day to strengthen its defence forces? Other New Zealanders said that we could look to the British Fleet to save this country, but the British Fleet was fighting the battle of life and death now on the coasts of England, France and the Netherlands. If this battle was lost New Zealand "would be in tlie same position as the Netherlands East Indies.

Time to Prepare,

| Now Avas the time for New Zca- ' land to prepare the whole of her people for the defence of the country., There were thousands who spent their lives in idleness arid pleasure and never thought of the dangers facing the country. News ol sporting events and of women's parties filled the newspapers. The people had only one idea—that Britain could not lose. But A 7 ictory could not be won unless they did their part as well. The press and the radio in New Zealand had done nothing to awake the people of this country. Mr Schoon made a series of suggestions for stimulation of the war effort in Christchurch, Involving radio talks, newspaper articles, etc. He claimed that if New Zealand people thought they could win the war holding their regular office hours, their sports, their morning, and afternoon teas, races, holidays' and 10-hour week, etc., they would awaken . within a very short time with Japanese, Italians and Ger-

mans in their county