JAPAN AND PROTOCOL

Hokitika Guardian, 17 October 1924, Page 1

JAPAN AND PROTOCOL

NEW ZEALAND’S ATTITUDE

WELLINGTON, October 15

The following question was put without notice to the Prime Minister by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr !• -M. Wilford) in the House of Representatives to-day;

Has the Prime Minister read the cable in this mornings papers from London, dated October lfitll, oil what 1 consider to bo one of the most important questions for this country, and pregnant with all sorts of trouble if there is any truth in the report ? Tho cable says that the Singapore decision was not unlike a betrayal of Australia and New Zealand (though that is not what I am specially referring to), and that tho impression was deepened hy allowing the Japanese to insert a clause in tho Geneva Protocol compelling Australia and New Zealand to arbitrate on the subject of coloured immigration, on pain, possibly, of having the British F'lect used against them. There were, added Air Wilford, 15 nations now in the League of Nations, and four had applied to join, making ■I!) in all. A lot of them were small States, and had little or no interest in Australia and New Zealand. He had asked the Prime Minister some time ago if he would cable our representative at Geneva, saving that we declined to he bound by the Japanese amendment to the Protocol, and the Prime Minister said that, he was watching the matter carefully. But if this amendment was in the Protocol, Japan, after discussing the question of immigration and producing, perhaps, nearly a “casus belli,” might say, “Well, we want arbitration,” and if the Geneva Protocol provided l.or that we would have in arbitrate oil the question. It was a most serious and dangerous matter for this country.

Mr "Massey: We are not going to arbitrate mi the question of Japanese immigration. Wo simply says that they won’t come here unless we give them permission, League of Nations or no League of Nations, and they can do as they like. That is the law of this country, and if will stand. 1 telegraphed to Sir James Allen the views of New Zealand on the matter, and lie replied that lie had notified the Assemblv of the League at the time that New Zealand had no intention of submitting to anything such as was proposed. It is too absurd for words, I do not know who was authorised to send such a cablegram. Mr Wilford: It is in the papers. .Mr Massey: Rut it is absolute nonsense to think that British ships or British seamen would lie used to coerce US ill that way. Jt could never’happen. K—— l *— mmmm .