HANDS AROUND THE PACIFIC

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 11110, 6 May 1911, Page 5

HANDS AROUND THE PACIFIC

CLOSER FELLOWSHIP URGED. By Telcsraiili—Press Association-Copyt'ieht Sydney, May o. Tho Governor of Uan'cii, who is a vice-president of "Tho Hands Around tho Pacific Club," of which Sir Joseph Ward, New Zealand Primo Minister, has accepted the presidency, in a letter Ito the Director of tho Immigration Bureau, says:—"l hope our several Governments will seriously take up the matter of bringing all Pacific lands into closer fellowship. So that wo may jointly iuvito representatives from Europe and America to visit us, the" club proposes to entertain Sir Joseph Ward and the Australian Premiers when they are returning ; from tho Coronation, via Honolulu, when matters of Pacific interest will be discussed." WHEKE EAST AND WEST 'MEET. In an article on the future of tho Pacific Air. \V. Francis Ahcrn wrote recently in the Sydney "Morning Herald":— "Noted British publicists art pointing out that tho Armageddon of the near future will be a groat naval struggle for supremacy in the Pacific. It is not necessary to go far for tho ronton of this alarming prophecy. The struggle will probably arise over a claim by Japan to enjoy freo'access to tho largo unoccupied tracts of land with a seaboard to that ocran. 'in this coming struggle Australia, MowZealand, and America must necessarily bo deeply alarmed. At tho present time there is just tho faintest probability that (ho combat will bo waged between the United State? and Japan, but no ore can say with confidence'.how long the British Dominions can escape being involved. Military success has exaggerated the iiitcn.ee patriotism and national pride of the Japanese, who will not much longer endure the stigma placed upon them Jiy the restrictive immigration laws of Australia and America. Tho people of the western slopes of Canada and United States have had a foretaste of tho results of Japanese immigration. llow would.they enjoy the prospect of tho whole of the United States west of the Rocky Mountains being seized and peopled by the Japanese? And, in such event, how Ion? would they be able to keep tho Oriental flood out ot western Canada ? "Mow this possibility is not at all remote. A French naval officer lately placed on record his deliberate conviction (ha>, in the event of war, between the two countries, the Japanese' could take possession of tin' whole of (he Pacific senboard of Hie United Slates before she could take any effective flops lo prevent (hem. Hecnuso tho Americans know this conviction is a sensible argument there was recently formed the Pacific Sloj;o Congress, which from its headquarters in San Francisco is urging the United" States Government to create a powerful Pacific Fleet. Admiral Evans says such a fleet i> an urgent necessity, and however apathetic the authorities at Washington may bo on flic subject, no one who studies tho question c«n deny that there is need for strong and immediate action on the lines indicated if America is not to suffer a serious humiliation. "The imminence of the Japanese menace, so far as America is concerned, lies in the fact that (ho Hawaiian Islands, thrown out by Nature as a shield between America and Asia, have been so completely 'Japanned' (hat they may bo said already to constitute a Japanese outpost for ati-ick on the Pacific seaboard, of America. These islands, instead of being a safeguard, may very easily provide a 'e.isus belli ' whenever .l;i]mn is ready to take the, offensive. They have a. total population of 210,000, and of these over 70,000 aro Japanese."