CRISIS IN THE FAR EAST

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 211, 22 September 1937, Page 7

CRISIS IN THE FAR EAST

Our Own Correspondent) •

Not Likely To Deyelop Into World Conflict ADDKESS TO W.E.A.

(From

WAIPUKURAU,- Last Nigut. The opinibn that he did not. think that the presSnt hostilitiCs betwden China ahd; Japan would develop into a wdrld conflict, even if thfey led to major operhtibns betweeh the two counfnes directly concerned; was expres&fed tlils evemng in Woods' Teafooms, Waipukurau, by Mr P. • MartiU-Smith, MjA., LL.B., Whenr he leetured to some 25 Xmembers of the , local branch ^ of the W.E.A., under the chairmanship of Mr W. J. . Phillips. The speaker said he had a feeling that Japan would nesitate to embroil herself with the Soviet at the present time, because she feared tho latter's air power. Tracing the treud of eveutB to ..the present Far Easterii upset, Mr MartihSmith went into some detail as to the circumstances responsible for Japan 's expansionist pplicy, and,. showed that, since her Tapia inaustrialisation . after she was forced to open her doots to Western trade ih 1854, she had had virtually no choice but to seek freSn markets for her inereasiiig production, fresh materials to feed her factories, and fresh territories to hoid a population thdt stood at 69 milliohs and Whs inereasing at the treinehdous rate pf about a million a year. Another factor given consideration ih the • address W4S the trernendous pressure that could bebrought to hear oii the whole economid and political life of the country by the bUreaucratic control of the State through the influence of a- few large industrial combines and the militarists, with' their fnhaticUl belief. that it waS Japau's destiny to rule the whole of Asia, under the sldgan of "Asia for "the Asiatics," a policy that openly declared it could find no plaCe for Soviet Kussia, ahd ainied at her ultimate elimination fiOm the Asian scheme of things. Trernendous Influence With 70 per cent of Japau's trade in the hands of 15 powerful families, and cver §0 per cent of her finances in the liands of eight, it was easy to imagine the trernendous political influence these bureaucrats could wield. Further, while Japan had avidly seized on the iuaterial progreSs of the West, she had determined to keep the uational spirit uusullicd, and developed an educational system which strongly ihsistfed on ihe superiority of all things J apanoss. and taught the youth of the country to iegard themselves as a chosen pedple with a divine mission — much as sections of British people were apt to regard themselves. Tliis State Sliintoism, with its Imperialist outlook, coupled with tne fact that the constitution, in practice, lei't the balance of State poiver with the owners of industry and fihahc© and with tho militafists, had of rbceht years fed the ideal of Asian dominahcd, which was noW taking a inore concret© fdrin. Japanese plans, had lohg included the taking of Manchuria and, the five northern provinces from China, tlie seizure of Inner aiid Outer Moiigolia, and the cutting off of an eUoi-moUs portiou of Asiatic Ruscia east of Lake Baikal. The land east of tlie Utals ahd tHe Aitai was regarded as tlie place for the expahsion of Japanese culture, ahd Japau's policy towards Russia was expressed ih that belief. A brief history of Far Eastefn evehts iu ret'eht years was given by Mr MartinSinitli, who showed boW by itisidious propaganda, industrial penetratioh, bribefy aiid even viblence, Japah had furthefed her policy in Chiiia Uhtil the present ci'isis had been reaclied. Russia's Position Russia would not consider Mongolia's bccoming Japanese, the speaker went on, and the great Powers of the West were vitally intcrested econoiiiically iu parts of China. Therein lay the danger of a world-wide spread of the trouble, but he was of the opinion that a settlement would be reached before any such far-reaching developinentS took place. The famous memorial of Baron Taraka issued in 1927 and since denied. by the autliorities as 'beiiig the poliby _ of Japanese militarists, but noW being gradually fulfilled, Was quoted: "If we sueceed in conqueritig China, the rest of . the Asiatics and the South Seas coUntries will fear and surrender to us. Then the world will realise that Eastern Asia is ours, and will not dare to violate our riglits." Bitterness towards the Japanese would not hfilp a settlement of the trouble, Mr Martin-Sniitli coflcluded. The creation of goods which could not be disposed of at a profit was a world-: wide difficuity and would rcquire to be tackled ott a woi'ld-wid© basis, '"We cannot settle the problems of the world or of Japan till We have some world-wide organisation to plan and produce the goods of the world, so that the standard of living of the world' s peoples can be raised without involviilg nations in Wars that settle nothing but brmg a host of problems in their train," he said. Discussion followed, and the meeting concluded with votes of thanks to the speaker and the chairman.