A GRAVE MENACE

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 294, 31 August 1918, Page 9

A GRAVE MENACE

GERMANY'S KEY TO THE PACIFIC (To the Editor.) Sir,—from a letter that appeared in She London "Times" of May 10, 1918, mid tho letters of Colonel J. S. Lyster of May 27 and July 25, 1918, which appeared in the Sydney Press, with reference to Gormany's present "peaceful penetration" and eventual absorption of Holland. I wish to bring tho following points before your readers. If Germany is allowed to dominate Holland now, which has a population of 6,000,000, she will, 'notwithstanding any "Monroe doctrine" regarding the dominions, and the other islands in the Pacific, which may be forced upon lior by the Allies, as one of tho peace conditions, eventually dominate Holland's possessions in South . America, the (West Indies, and tho East Indies, including Java, and Sumatra, which latter have a population df some 40,000,000, most of whom are Mohammedans, and many millions of whom are physically qualified for military and naval purposes. Holland's possessions in the East Indies constitute a-formidable chain of exceedingly rich islands, stretching from Penang to Australia, which in ■the hands of a powerful hostile nation would block the direct high sea route to Australia, Siam, China, Hong-Kong, Japan, and America. ■ . Not only will German ocoupation of these lands constitute a grave danger to Singapore, Penang, tho whole of the Malay Peninsula, Burmah, India, 'Australia, New Zealand, and our other possessions, and the possessions of our Allies in the Pacific, but will also be a danger to the West Indies, tho Panama Ganal, and South America; and as lasting peace—after theso terrible years of war—is a matter of the highest importance to ourselves, our Allies, and tho world generally, Germany's "peaceful penetration" of -Holland now, and her designs for the domination of Holland's possessions after peace has been declared, must constitute a grave menace to the world. It must be obvious that a German : "peaceful" occupation of Java, Sumatra, Dutch Borneo, Celebes, Dutch New Guinea, and Holland's other possessions, with their harbours, enormous agricultural wealth, oil wells, coal mines, minerals, timber, and other raw material, would place Germany in a highly advantageous position for threatening tho freedom of the seas, particularly tho Pacific and the Indian Oceans. In 1804, "William Pitt instructed Lord Castlereagh to inlform Holland that "England for all time would guarantee her independence." iWould that guarantee be observed if Germany ia allowed by "peaceful penetration" to dominate Holland in Europe, and her possessions in the East and elsewhere? A Press cable of July 28, 1918, from' Reuter's Amsterdam Agency, clearly shows Germany's intentions. It states that a German Economic Council has been inaugurated to counter Britain's adoption of Imperial preference by the establishment of close economic relations between the Central Powers. The president of that council stated: "The next task would bo tho economic cultivation of the Near and Far Easts against English and American competition. Tho council would also have to enforce an economic pea.ee in Europe, and re-establish tho supplies of raw material from overseas. The preliminary committeo of the coiv..ci'[ comprises tho leading business experts of Germany." The question is: Can Holland, by remaining neutral, frustrate German designs, and retain her. independence, and also prevent Germany becoming a grave menace in tho near future to "the peace of tho_ world? 'Should Holland join the Allies, in their strugglo for freedom, self-determination, and civilisation, she will not only gain tho help of England and the Allies to freo her from German intrigue and "peaceful penotration," but she will also become fl partner to tho Allies' peace .auditions, which conditions must bo a matter of the most vital importance to her. .—I am, etc., ■ C. A. M. A. BAKER (Lato of New Zoaland), Hon. Organisor Malayan and Australian Air Squadrons. Kinta, Poralc, Federated Malay States. "Written from Sydney, August 20, 1918. "CEFIMAN AGENTS IN THE EAST. A. London "Times" correspondent writes from The Hague as follows— By invitation I have, listened to a lecture by Captain Vermeer, of the Dutch East Indian Army, on German intrigues in the Dutch East Indies. The lecturer, who has been for 16 years in the service of the colonial Government, showed how the Germans have been en-

deavouring to extend their influonoo over the Mohammedan population of the Dutch East Indies and to uso that, influence as a threat in case of troublo between Holland and Germany. They have also used the Dutch East Indies as a. starting point for intriguo in British India. I summarise the loading points of his speech :— First, the Germans have succeeded in getting a largo number of their nationals into the Dutch colonial army. They have six officers out of a total ol 1136; 12 under-officers out of 173: and 625 non-commissioned officers out of 8649, and also technical employees, such as photographers, chemists, etc. The Germans alone exorciso the mfluenco in the colonial army, as there are no English, Americans, or Japanese, and only ono Frenchman jn it. Hence it is a'common saying in civil and military clubs that in the event of trouble 'with Germany tho Dutch Indian technical institutes would ' fly into the air" immediately.' Second, from about 1901 onwards, all barracks in the colonies have been supplied with good pictures of the German Emperor ajid the Sultan of Turkey. These are now seen in every barrack room. Sympathy with the Germans has been carefully aroused in the Mohammedan section of the colonial forces. This influence is mainly exhibited in the anti-English tone of tho Mohammedan Press, and in tho desertions from that force itself. Captain Vermeer quoted passages from the chief organiser of the Mohammedan League, the "Ootesan Hindia," in support of his contention. In regard to desertions, Captain Vermeer believed that the Germans were able to create discontent owing to the preference in the matter of pay and pensions given by the authorities to Christian native soldiers. Desertions among Mohammedan troops during the war rose from about 15 per cent, in 1914 to nearly 50 per cent, in 1916, Third, shortly before the outbreak of war, and as far as possible afterward, Germans from Japan, HongKong, Singapore, New Guinea, and elsewhere fled to the Dutch East Indies, where they are kept encouraging native unrest, chiefly in order that the flame may spread 'to British India. Theso Germans live largely in the lu'ghlanus of Java, in tho district called Preangeo. They go about in fezes, talking to the natives. From this district is recruited tha loth Battalion, stationed at Semarang. It is significant that Semaraug has been characterised lately by nativo disturbances. Reports published in the Dutch Press record, under various dates in April, the extraordinary reception given by. nativo soldiers of Semarang to the Dutch revolutionary agitator, Sneevliet. This man was carried into the, town by native soldiers in triumph at a moment when the Resident of Semarang was unable to leave the train owing to insults from the natives. Eighteen months ago the native troops could not possibly have created a disturbance of any kind, but for a year German agents had been at work. A telegram to the Dutch-news-papers on May 1 says that when tho political authorities were understood to be about to take action against Sneevliet the local committee of tho Mohammedan League asked the central committee to raise a protest all over Java.

Fourth, Semarang was whore Dekker, who founded the Indian National Party in 1912, came from. He was arrested at San Francisco for taking bribes from Germans to raise troublo in British India, and is now imprisoned. Fifth, Preangeo was the centre of the activities of the notorious pensioned Lieutenant Keil and von und zai Kglotfstein, the latter a brother of the Kaiser's Chamberlain. This district was also visited by Admiral von Spec during the visit of his squadron to Java. He lodged with rubber planters, and at ono place where ho lodged tho Dutch authorities subsequently found a wireless apparatus. Sixth, Captain Vermeer related how tho German agents Helfferich and Co., made famous ""through the San Francisco trial, bought up the "Batavier Handelsblad," then the principal newspaper, and a few weeks later introduced into it pro-German articles.