NO DANGER OF WAR?

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 105, 28 January 1935, Page 8

NO DANGER OF WAR?

A refreshingly optimistic view of the international situation is taken by the English publicist Vernon Bartlett in the January issue of the still-new monthly review World, which he edits. “ There is very little danger of war at the present time,” he says, and proceeds to deal with the prospect as it affects the several nations. France? Ot course not.” Russia? “Why, with such a tremendous home market to develop and so great a change in the system of government still to turn into an accepted tradition, should she indulge in foreign war? which could bring her no advantage except, possibly, the ownership oi an extra port - or two with a few thousand tons ol idle shipping . r japan? “Possibly, since her population ,is so crowded that it seems as though she must either expand or explode. But she has avoided revolution not by her invasion of’ Manchuria but by the rapid development of her foreign trade. A war in which she was the aggiessor would check this development, would destroy her control over her inflation, and would end in civil war. ... A war, even if temporarily successful, would plunge Japan into changes as great and as unpredictable as in Germany or Russia.” Germany ? The opinion is expressed that however busily her Government may be encouraging aviation she is still years .away from the point at which she could “carry out a successful surprise attack against what would be almost the whole world minus Poland.” And Italy, says Mr. Bartlett, will not fight “unless Signor Mussolini loses the skill which enables him to talk about war without being dragged into it. Italy, like Japan, has a terrific problem of over-population io deal with, but it is noi satisfactorily to be solved by committing suicide.”