THE ISLAND OF YAP
HOW IT WAS PLACED ON THE MAP
IMPORTANT STRATEGIC BASE
Who knows where Yap is? If you don't know you need not feel disgraced, for you have company in such a distinguished person as the President of the United States (runs an informative article in the New York "Saturday Evening Post Magazine," apropos of an important strategic point in tlie Pacific, mentioned in a recent Press cablegram). At anyratc, that was the state of mind of the President until recently, when Yap intruded itself into the solemn conclaves of -the Peace Conference at Paris, Even (here Yap escaped general notice, and it was not until the meeting of tlie President and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee of tlie White Hoii.sc that the far-away Pacific Island was "discovered." It came about in this way: Senator Lodge asked it the American naval authorities had recommended that the United States should have one of the Ladrone, Caroline, or Marshall Islands for naval purposes. "There was r. paper on that subject, Senator, which lias been published," replied the President. "I only partially remember it. If was e. paper laying out the general necessities of our naval policy in the Pacific, and Hie necessity of having some base for communication upon those islands was mentioned, just, in what form I do not remember. Bu.t let me say this: There is a little island which I must admit I had not heard of before " "The island of Yap," Senator Williams interposed. "Yap." the President went on. "It is one of. the bases and centres of cable and radio communication on the Pacific, And I made the point that the disposition, or rather the control, of that island should bo reserved for the general conference which is to bo held in regard to the ownership and operation of the rabies. That subject is mentioned and disposed of in this treaty and that genoral cable conference is to be held." "I had understood or I hod heard," /aid Senator Lodge, "the report that our general board of tlie Navy Department, our chief of operations, had recommended that we have a footing there, primarily in order to secure cable communication." To this Mr. Wi!«on replied: "I think yn» are right, sir." Yan is the most western group of the Caroline Archipelago away off in tho South Sens, variouslv known _as Yap. Guap, or Wap—a low-lying strip of land rising in the middle into a round plateau looking down upon an exquisitely green belt of coco-nut palms. The group consists of one main island, with the Islends of Map and Ramung to the north. There appear to have been torn av.ay by volcanic forces, being only separated from each other by a narrow channel easily fordable ftfc low tide. _ Tho other islets are called Tapelau. Obi, and Impakel. Yap is surrounded bv a coral reef about; thirty-five miles long and five miles broad. According to the authorities of the American Geographic Society, Broadway nnd 156 th Street, who have been perfectly familiar with Yap for many years and expressed surprise tlmt so few persons knew anything at all about tho little island, the Carolines are among tlie most romantic and beautiful in their landscapes of all the islands that anywhere dot the surface of the sea. " J Tis there that mere existence is a delight," writes one enthusiastic scientist, who has made i) number of explorations to that remote'part of the world. Small, indeed, is Yap Island, compared to Hie va-:t surrounding stretch of sea, yot it is raising problems of great complexity for statesmen of the world.
Early History. Yap has been described us "discovered by the Portuguese, claimed by the Spnnis'li aiftl seized by the Germans." Without going into the full history of the Carolines, it may be said tint Germany acquired them f)y purchase from Spain in 1599 for the sum. of 2,000,0(10 dollars. AVhcu the world war began the Governments of Australia and New Zealand seized them and hoisted the British Flag. So the British nre in charge until final disposition is made of them by the Allied Powers. Australia and New Zealand were informed by the British 011 August 7, 1911, that they would perform "a great awl urgent service'' if they would capture German wireless stations in the Pacific. They were warned that "my territory now occupied must at the conclusion of the war .be at. the disposal of the Imperial Government for purposes of ultimate settlement.''' They were later instructed that "the British flag should be hoisted ill all territories successfully occupied by His Majesty's Forces and suitable arrangements be made for temporary administration, but 110 proclamations formally annexing any such territory should bo made . without previous communication with His Majesty's Government" "The above are liie conditions under which the islands ire now occupied by Australia ami New Zealand," wrote the kilo flight Hon. Sir William MacGregor, "The conditions under which the Austral asian Governments are representing the British Empire in occupation of these Gorman possessions should be collated with the announcement made by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom that under a resolution passed by the War Cabinet the Dominions and India will in future have an adequate voice in the foreign policy aud relations of the Em. pire. definite statements have bcoll made several times in the House of Commons that the Imperial Government will not make peace without first consulting the opinion of WlO Dominions, It is therefore certain that the Australasian and Canadian Dominions will have a voice in the final disposal of the German Pacific possession!;.'" Its Strategic Valuo, The chief importance of Yap, cf course, lies in itis strategic value. Germany foresaw this years ago, and the news of Berlin's transaction with Spain was not welcomed in Australia and New Zealand, whoso statesmen had long sought to stir tho British Goverment to a realisation of Germany's growing strength in the' Paei fie. As far back as 1818 Sir George Grey, Governor of New Zealand, drew attention to this danger, as lie called it. Britam had hesitated over the acquirement of New Guinea and haggled over tho price, so some of the British', historians sav. Meanwhile Germany, stepped in and hoisted her flag on the northern coast. This was in September, 168!. As the vears went by Germany's Pacific holdings increased until they included not only Yap, but many other important possessions. Oddest of all, however, is the Yap monev. The coloured <">onle of little island believe in displaying their "filthy lucre." They ouik raiin-r than intrinsic value. "Glittering gold" makes no appeal there. The mcst highly prized specie is the limestone wheels, varying from eight inches to Wive feet in <iiameter. A man at an auction sale of wives, where the bidding is lively, might find it nccessary to employ half a dozen ox carts to transport liis purchase nrice. The village clubhouses are called fe-bai or stone, money nouses, from the wheels of stone which rest asiainst their walls. In any of the settlements the. ; e great discs or wheels may be seen outside the houses of the lnundangadang or plutocratic class. By the wijv. there nre four classes in magicians, nobles, rich men, and slaves. Tho natives also use seashells and bags of conra, or dried coconut kernel, as mediums of exchange. Copra is the principal export product. The men spend a good deal of their time fishing, and le! the women do most of the work. The climate is mild and uniform, the temperature ranging from 74 to PO degree-, the year round. The While House conference was not in vain. One might say it put Yap on the map. At nil events, it established beyond poradventurc that Yap is 011 tho man. Sir II cat on Harrison, an old Brasenose man, and. formerly a Liverpool' shipowner, has offered the University of Oxford the st;m of X'l's,ooo, one-quarter of the annual hiccnie from which is !o provide instruction in French and modern European languages, and the. remainder to institute travelling scholarship ill tho same subjects, to bo held exclusively by natural-born British subjects and undergraduates of the University,
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 29, 29 October 1919, Page 7
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1,359THE ISLAND OF YAP Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 29, 29 October 1919, Page 7
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