GERMANY'S LATEST

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3150, 31 July 1917, Page 5

GERMANY'S LATEST

ODR NEW ALLY, SIAM

(GLIMPSE OP INTERESTING NATION There aro few men in Australia who ,inow tho East so well as Mr. C. E. I Waters, of the firm of C. E. Waters and {•Co., merchants and millers, of this city, iand yesterday ho told a representative .rof tho "Herald" something about our latest ally, Siam. Twenty years have eonie and gono since Mr. Waters first visited the East, and frequently since jthen he has travelled back and forth. He ha 3 been the guest of lungs and other potentates of tho Orient; ho has entered the junglo and hunted elephants and tigers; he has penetrated littleIcnown parts of tho world, to where, away from the ken of white men, are the shrines and hidden mysteries of strange peoples; and, incidentally, hb has had some hair-breadth' escapes in the course of his adventures. Trade follows thtflag, it is said; but Mr. Waters has not ■waited for the flog—ho has got much of bis trade in advance of it. An open and fearless spirit, this it has been that has carried him safely through all hie travels. Ono day, perhaps, ho will write a book, and will have it illustrated with iSome of the most unique photographs Kmany of them taken by himself) that •one has seen.

: "Most of these' flhoto<rra.phs, x tells .you, of a magnificent group of pictures iof life in Siam, which were spread out ■upon his table, "were taken for me by ■the exprtss command of the King." One of these was a photograph 'taken on tie occasion of a great review ot the chief ■part of tho Siamese army not long since There wore 30,000 soldiers at the review, the "Wild Tiger" corps especially lnakins o. verp fine showing. "The King of Siam took Hie salute." .said Mr. Waters, "dressed in the uniform ot the Captain-General of the King's Wild Tigers, a pet regiment of his own. The uniforms, drill mammls, the ocromoni&l. etc., were all designed and origanised by the King, who took a very .creat'pride in this particular regiment, "he army is modelled on the Japanese 'scheme of organisation, and is thoroughly well equipped, while the soldiers are vory keen and interested in their work. The strength of the army just beforo Jthe outbreak of tho war was about ;50,000, and it consists chiefly of infantry, inasmuch as the country, bein? largely jungle and swamp, does'not offer much >of a field for artillery operations." Mr. Waters was asked whether the army wns recruited by voluntary or compulsory methods, and his Tβ•ply wns illuminating. Ho smiled nnd said: "Tho army -of Siani is recruited on the voluntary conscription system. Yon volunteer, or you don't volunteer, but yon join in any case. As to the ■'.Siamese navy—well, thero it is." And '.lie pointed to a river picture with n f Jcouple of vessels in it. The; larger of 'the two wns tTie Eoyal yacht, built many iyears ago in Scotland, but since its ar- • rival in Siam it Ims only been' to spa nn one occasion, and that was when it 'took the Queen Mother—a ladv of ninny h'arU, who tako3 n hand in the covornpnent of tho counfrv—on a voyage, to ■ 'Japan ami back. The King ni>ver goes J jito sen. The pocond vessel wns tho training ship of tho navy. It was, in fact, •sibout all the navy that Sinrn Had at 'the time the nictnro was taken.

"Rangkok itself, tho chief city n.nd '■V-nnital of this intprostins: countrv." Mr. "Waters went on, "is F'hinted nlv>ut 40 flnilps up the Monnm Elver. and_ thpre '■are few more picturpeque places in the Vorld. Tt is a -nine" of rivers nnd imiMs. ■It is like another Venice. Hpre. in this Jjiiotitro, you yep one of its watpr streets, tfnll of stranpe-lonkini; CTaft. There arc lieonln in Bangkok who live all the vear round on theso water streets. Viac-k there, you see. is the. wonderful WbJiclienj; temnlo—wlid riqht through—worldfamous. Tt fell to my lot to be. presented at (ho Palace, and I attended Hie Tncecour?i! in the King's entourage. Tho 'King, who is only about 30 years of bge, is' very fond of rncinp, nnd expressed mucli admiration for Australian horses, of which ho owns quite a number. The racepourso (it Bangkok during tho great Birthday meeting is a .particularly brilliant eight, because oi tho large number of gentlemen of the ■King's household in native dress, which .consists of gaily-coloured silk petticoats ■draped in a peculiar way." When asked for an opinion as to why :Siam had joined up with the Allies, Mr. AVaters said that during his last visit there ho thought he saw evidenco of somewhat strenuous attompts on the part of tho Germans 'to "boss" the country; They had forced certain railway concessions, and had also forced their way into trade and practically taken control of tho shipping in tho Gulf of Siam. "Pro,l>ab!y they have proved overbearing in .their attitude, and may havo been stirTing m> disaffection amongst the lativo population against tho King, just as they »lUI at Singapore. Moreover, as Siam is Ixmnilcd on the one sido by British possessions, and on the other by French possessions, the country would either liavo to remain neutral or throw in its' 3ot with the Allies. Haying been a student at Eton, it is likely enough also that the young King's sympathies leaned towards England."

Referring to tho nroducts of Siam, Mr. "Waters said that the chief article of export is rice, of which Siam produces a superior leind. The jrreat bulk of it Is exported to tho Straits Settlements and China; whilst a fair nuantity 2oes to Europe. The country also.exports large quantities of 'teak nnd a fair number of cattle. It is also noted for tho largo deposits of tin contained within its borders.