A WORLD AT ODDS.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 194, 2 September 1937, Page 4

A WORLD AT ODDS.

Neither from West nor from East does there come any news calculated to bring comfort to the hearts of those vvho are yearning to see peace established in the world. The fratricidal conflict in Spain still goes on with but little, if any, abatement, and always with the possibility of other countries becoming involved. It is quite obvious that all the long talks about non-intervention are as yet showing but scant result in practice, simply beeause Italy at any rate and probably Germany also have shown that there is 110 sincerity in their verbal adherence to the plan. Both have displayed exultation over the success that has attended General Franco's Fascist forces at Santander, and neither has ipade any move to withdraw the troops they sent to fight under his banner. Perhaps of even more sinister signihcance are the continu- , ally multiplying "incidents0 in wliich the shipping of various countries, British included, has beeq made the victim of aerial and submarme attack. So far it has been found irnpossible to identify the nationality of the assailants. But there can be litt'le doubt as to the direction in which the strongest suspicion lies, and it can be readily imagined what might possibly follow should a British warship, foliowing the orders that hav6 been issued, catch and sink an Italian submarine in the act. That may perhaps be a somewhat reiqote contingency, but it is still one that has to be kept in view. So long as the Spanish civil war continues, with Signor Mussolini and Herr Hitler defmitely ranged in support, even if only moral, of the one faction, so long must there coptinue to be, danger of . other countries becoming actively implicated. Apart from this open advocacy, there is evidently a great deal of underhand work going on that has only to be uncovered to create something like a very serious crisis iq the Mediterranean. The fighting in China goes on, daily assuming more formidable proportions, with Japan now making but little pretence that she is bent on anything short of compell'ing China by force of arms to submit to her will — "beating her to her knees" as the Japauese Prime Minister puts it. liere, too, the war is being conducted in such a way that it may prove difficult for other countries to refrain indefinitely from taking a hand for the protection of the lives and property pf their citizens. It is, of course, quite evident noiie of the other Great Powers is desirous of being drawn into the war, but the arrogant disregard which Japan is showing for outside interests has only to be carried a little further to make it' very difficult indeed to submit further to it without being laid open to the charge of actual pusillanimity. Already both Great Britain and the United States have suffered affronts, even if only incidental or accidental, that in bygone days would have stirred to speedy action. The time may come and possibly at no very distant date, when they may recognise the urgent need for combined action to check Japan' s ambitious schemes on the Asiatic Continent, Bearing in mind the close association between Germany and Italy, the German-Japanese understanding aimed against Russia, the Italo-J apaneSe rapprochement and the recent Sino-Rnssian convention, it may not be altogether wide of the mark to suggest that it is in Japan 's interests that Signor Mussolini is keeping Great Britain a good deal on tenterhooks with regard to the Mediterranean. Aspirations and motives, both national and international, have become so mixed, so little reliance can be placed on the given word of responsible statesmen, so little respect is had for treaty or other like obligations or for the yules that are supposed to govern modern warfare that there is almost unbounded room for speculation as to what may be the, ultimate outcome.