OUR JAPANESE ALLY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2280, 14 October 1914, Page 6

OUR JAPANESE ALLY

-: OUTBURST OF MILITARY ARDOUR SCENES WHEN WAR BROKE OUT ; V ■ ■ - ■ ■ 'Among those who have recently ieturned from abroad with a good tale to .tell is Mr. F. Montague, who represents a Wellington firm in Auckland, and who is well known throughout tho Dominion. Mr. Montague has been on '.a trip to China and Japan, and hap- . pened to bo in the latter country when ; war was declared on Germany. Mr. said that when'it became .'"known: that Britain' had, declared war against Germany ttere was a great out- ' burst of feeling amongst the people in '.favour of their ally, and without any : disguising the fact", the Germans at once became the hated-, enemy.. Both the Press and publio were unanimous. Japan, it must be had never forgiven Germany foiv stepping in 'after the China war and preventing •:/her. acquiring any/territory. ..ln return ; , for "her action, Germany got'a 99 years' concession of the Kiao-Cliau peninsula, actually taking possession of .property . that was Japan's by right of conquest. .[•"The Japanese have always had a grudge ■against the Germans.for that," said Mr. Montague, "and, from the very . day the. war broke' out the popular cry was: 'We are Britain's allies —their '.war is our war.' Matters . developed epeedjly. It was not difficult to see that England was endeavouring with every show of international politeness to keep-Japan out. of' the fray. The published official intimations indicated that' clearly enough. But the: Japanese ■ people were very keen'. They referred to their treaty obligations with great . ehaphaeis, and days prior to the official declaration of war we knew that it was

. , coming. ..'.. .7 7 ' • : ' "On the announcement being made, .'mobilisation at onoe ' commenced, and before I left\Japan.46,ooo soldiers had , been sent from Nagasaki to participate ... »ri .'the' investment of Tsing-Tao, the /. Jentre.'bf.- Gerinany-'s '-activity'''in 1 the , Kiao-Chau district. My chief trouble," continued Hr. Montague, "was to get out of Japan, pearly, every available '■: steamer had been seized by the Government for transport purposes, and .sixty-four ships were bouig utilised to : . coiivey troops to Tsing-Tao. Ultimately; '■' I ■ succeeded in getting away in a Japanese-cargo steamer bound for Australia, the lnata Maru. On the way down to Manilaywe passed the Empress 7.0r Asia, au,armed merchantman, owned by the Canadian-Pacific Railway Cqm•:;pany, .and then engaged in patrolling , rGhina-i waters. ' When we arrived at ; Manila, our captain was advised- that it would be unsafe to. proceed, and we ■■• remained there seven days. It was a ': convenient neutral port, for we found eighteen German vessels tied up .there.. ■' ~. ■'■ ■; '■ (■'- ; -' 7 . - ; s :'>' An Exciting Trip. .7 v '■■. : .."Whilst we were at Manila," continued Sir. Montague, a consignment of coal, arrived from Japan for a local (American) company. Aβ most of the .-' coal is usually'lightered, in the stream, -. there, was no difficulty in persuading the Japanese boat,to discharge her coal : into a collier -in.' the stream. There : . was,■■;:howeyer, ,a. sudden stop .put to this operation.when the Japanese Conrsul heard 'that the ,coal was 'for Ger.'man',; cruisers.;7,The order was immediately...given ..for. the coaling to the . collier ito-cease.-. On leaving Manila we .had a rather uncanny experience. Travelling! one night without lights',. we suddenly found ourselves in the focus "of a big warship's searchlight. -The change > from - the dense - blackness of night to the dazzling glare of a power■'..fill', searchlight was an extremely weird experience. What had. happened was that a French warship, also travelling hvith shrouded, lights, had nearly run -. /us down, Wβ had to haul to whilst ■ the French and English officers from .;'the ■ cruiser 'overhauled our papers. .' 'After'-' passing Zambenanga,. in - the . 1 hdippines, we were once more held 'up; on this occasion by a perky little ..British destroyer, 7 which .had already '•-. captured, two German colliers' with 7000 tons of, coal. The ; disappointment -of . the officers was intense on discovering . that we were not a third collier they , ■;Were:on the look-out : for. Beyond meeting patrolling' Japanese warships there were no' further incidents' before ■.. .wo arrived at Sydney,. .. .'.;••'■; Ccrman Press Propaganda. : -~-.:.."Right through the East the war '..liews that was being circularised all ■ from German circles, and ..told of : nothing but, Germany's continuous victories.. Oniy now and then ..;oid- ; the semblance of the truth appear. .Everywhere one heard of the defeat and ire-treat of the Allies and the' trium','phant advance of Germany's invincible ■ torces. It is to Japan's credit that the (more of such stories that were heard . r the keener she was to get into the fray. I In Manila the origin of the news was j purely Germanic. Whilst we were there .'an extra was-issued stating that Paris Vwas being invested, and that London ( was in flames." -■ \, -Mr. Montague is. glad that he hapw pened to be-m Japan at such a momen- , ytous time. He is convinced , that Japan vis fated to be one- of the most ageres- ' ; eive and progressive industrial nations, : and Jie-is sure that she regards her '■ I t rei «y with England as something a .'.deal-more precious than "a scrap of * paper.' :