Fill Up Empty Spaces.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 January 1922, Page 3

Fill Up Empty Spaces.

VITAL NEED IN NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA.

PLAIN WARNING FROM EAST.

“If you people of New Zealand only realised what it meant you would remember what Lord Northcliffe told you about Japan. People down here don’t seem to have any conception of the .strides that Japan has made during the past five years alone.” This was the warning uttered the other morning to an Auckland “Star” reporter by a widely travelled Britisher who lives in the East, and has made a dee]) study of Eastern problems. Fie is anything but a scaremonger, and notiiihg is further front his desire than to stir up strife, but he realises that we must look matters square in the face, “You have in New Zealand the richest couiitfv in the world, and it is simply suicidal to continue in your present policy of keeping it empty.” Speaking of Japan lie said that country little more than sixty years ago was very much in the same state as that in which the early colonists found the Maoris when settlement started in New Zealand. The Americans and British who landed in Japan at the time of which he was talking forced a trade treaty on the Japanese, who were very loath to enter into such an agreement, but their barons—damios, as they were then called—saw that it was the only policy to pursue, immediately after that treaty was entered into Japan began sending her emisssaries—the best men she could find—-to all the loading countries of the world with instructions to find out till about those countries and report hack to Tukio. That iliioimalioii was carefully silk'd and F" c 1 est of each country was picked out as the model for the new Japan. It anything did tint suit the country or the people it was carefully omitted. WHAT MADE JAPAN.

The religion of the Japanese is Shintoism and to a certain extent Hiuldhism, and to-tlay an attempt i being made to supplant that Buddhism with Shintoism, the first tenet of the last mentioned being that the laws ol ti e country must be obeyed. Up to live years ago there were only an upper class add a lower class in Japan, with practically tio hiiddie class. The consequence was that the upper clascs made the laws and the lower classes obeyed them implicitly and without question. » “That is how it lias come about,” said New Zealand’s well-wisher, “that Japan’s navy is modelled on the British Navy; her army on that ol Germany ; and her educational system mainly mi that of Germany, Tiles'-' are the three principal depitrtincuts of government that have made the country what it is to-day. Amhlitu thing; is that Japan has had the faculty of u,,i in- the disputes and weakne'-ses of the white nations and getting the greatest advantage possible out of tip? circumstances, which arise as a result. At the crucial moment Japan made war on China, and at the riucihl moment she made war on Russia. The result is that from being a mere nobody among the nations Japan is to-day one' of the Great Powers, on an absolute equality with those Powers. From her geographical position she is the leading Power in the East—the IVnver that must be reckoned with.

A VITA!, QUESTION. t “The immigration laws of America, , Canada, and Australasia are such that \ it prevents the Japanese spreading in , tire countries named. Japan’s popula- , lion is increasing by .10,000,000 ovoin , l on years, and a child can see that • such a country must seek outlets lor its surplus people. Japan "self is crowded ; she is a small country with n population of 70,009,000. What is she going to do with her surplus people? This question is vital, and must vitally affect New Zealand and Altstralia. • “You miist never forget that the , distance from Japan to Australasia is only half that between Australasia and Ue Old Country. You must never lose sight of that point, and if trouble should over unfortunately arise you could soon have on your coasts a hostile licet, against which it is very problematical whether you could do anything. And there won't he any notice given. It will he remembered that Japan sank part of the Russian fleet end bottled up Vladivostok before ever she declared war against Russia, and it. would be the same thing over n-am if trouble came to-morrow. ••New Zealand must extend. She must not listen to those who say there is no more mom ; she must make vnnm . She must take a lesson from j America, which to-day has a population Using 110,009,000 against the fi,000,000 or 7,000,000 of Canada. New Zealand must attract more population. It is «uicl tin- 'Labour Parly won’t allow it i but if there is trouble to-morrow an 1 Japan he victorious, then good-bve to) the Labour Party and its aims.’’ lesson well learned. Incidentally the “Star’s” informal, said there was hardly a merchant steamer that sailed under the Japanese fin,- that couldn’t bo turned into a transport. Japan was a country ot wood, and stored at convenient- por s was the necessary timber to enable . each steamer to he turned into a transport. “And,” he said, “you must remember that the people in Japan are like flies, and, moreover, they nave 1! 9(10 000 trained men. The military spirit is remarkable. I remember once j se eing what 1 thought was a regiment jof soldiers on manoeuvres, but I "’as ! i o t,i (and saw for myself when i got | j closer) that it was simply a huge ! crowd of schoolboys ‘plavmg at being i soldiers.’ Each lad had a rifle on one 1 shoulder, a shovel on the other, am j full, pack up, and for a month they had ; li»en ‘digging themselves m, just as ; the Allies and the Germans were tloI ij„r at that moment in Europe. No, ! vo 7, can have no conception how well : Japan has learned the military lesson. ' Vsked what lie thought of the mimeiliate future, the "St«V' informant said it was quite impossible to say. 1 lbmost important factor, in his opinion, was that at present Japan was not a st ee l-producing country. That was wby she was so anxious to get control of the iron-ore '.country m Noiftli China. However no matter walk the future held, New Zealand and Australia’s duty was clear. They must fillup their empty spaces or be prepared to . have to dispute their homes with some alien race.