HITLER'S LATEST COLONIAL MOVE.

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 37, 6 November 1937, Page 4

HITLER'S LATEST COLONIAL MOVE.

Australia, on account of New Guinea, and New Zealand, on acconnt of Western Samoa, are both more or less direetly eoncerned in Grermany's "demand" for tlie return of the colonies she surrendered under the Treaty of Versailles. There is some interest for us therefore in examining the fresh grounds uf>on which it is Said that she proposes to press her claim. To understand these aright it may be necessary first to remove a vefy general misapprehension as to the source of the "mandates" under which government of these colonies is administered. It is quite the lisual thing to regard and speak of them as beiilg held nnder the League of Nations. To an extent this may be correct, inasmuch as nnder the Covenant, which is an integral part of the Treaty, the Allied iPowers agreed that the League Couneil should exercise a supervisoty authority oVer the conduct of the thandates, and it is to it that the mandatory Grovernments have to make their annual reports. But beyond perhaps issuing comments and criticisms on the exercise of the mandates the League Couneil would appear to have no real Jurisdiction. It certainly would Seem that it has no express, or indeed .implied power either to cancel or transfer any of the mandates. Under the main Treaty itself it was in favour, not of the League but of "the Principal Allied and Associated Powers" «-^-the United States of America, the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan — that GerMany "renounced all her rights and titles over her oversea possessions. * The American Senate's repudiation of President WilsOn's signature to the Treaty and Covenant, of course, meailt the disappearance of the United States from among the Principal Allied • and Associated Powers, leaving the disposal and distribution of the mandates provided for in the Covenant to be arranged among the British Empire, France, Italy and Japan. Thus though it raay, in a way, be said that these mandates are held under the League, they are not held from the League, but from the four Powers last named. At any rate that is the interpretation whieh it is now sRggested Herr Hitler will seek to put npon the clauses of the Treaty dealing with the German colonies. The first thought that may oecur in this connection is that it iS something a little out of the way to have the Fuhrer accord any recogmtion, even as much as is implied in this suggestion, to the Treaty, and to this extent his new shift might perhaps be regardad as a favourable sign. However , that is merely by the way* .What is of real interest is that, according to the reports, he purposes putting forward the contention that two of the four Great Powers, Italy and Japan, to which ihe colonies were surrendered are ready to consider their return to Germany, and that therefore he may fairly call for a review of the Treaty provisions concerning them. Here, however, the question arises as to how far he can depend on these two to give him tlie backing he desires. Italy certainly has a fairly free hand in this respect. 'Although as an outcome of the Great |War she secured very much desired territorial accessions in both Europe and ' North Africa, she neither sought nor was given a mandate over any of the German colonies. So her own interests would be in no way prejudiced by her joining hands with Germany, in pressing for a revision of the Treaty, while, of course, by doing so she would give further evidenee of her frieudship for Germany and thus strengthen the "Berlin-Rome axis." Japan is, however, quite differently placed, for to her was awarded the mandate over all the German-owned Pacifie islands north of the Equator. Not only this, but, though she has cut adrift from the League, she has intimated very clearly that she means to retain them, and indeed evidently now looks upon them as having become one of her own permanent possessions andan extremely valuable one from a naval and aerial strategic point of view. This fact can scarcely hut embarrass her a good deal in advocating the return of other colonies to Germany, despite her . Jdesire to cultivate friendly relations with that country as a counter to Russia. It will be interesting to see how it may be proposed to get over this little difficulty. Q It may be worth while to note in condusion that the Covenant secures to all members of the League "equal opportunities for their trade and commerce" in the mandated territories, a privilege which Germany forfeited when she withdrem frem the League because she could not get all her own way in it, but wbich she can revive by rejoining it.