The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1929. PACIFIC PROBLEMS.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 April 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. TUESDAY, APRIL 16, 1929. PACIFIC PROBLEMS.

In the course <jl a recent address at Uaniaru on “ I lie Problems of tlie Pacini-,” Mr Lloyd Kos>. .w.A., gave a very interesting review ol mutters perurning lo ins subject. it is one in r. nk n .\ov /.eal.iiia must lie inlerest--a, .e.-.nise Lite facilie Ocean laps our •m.oilv., a.ul l.iore is the direct ocean ai o !nvay linking us to those greater .latioiis in the northern seas, who constitute the majorities ol the “Poopies il the l'aci'i.e. ' We cannot auord to igtune llieir status and point ol view, inet it is well* mat ail sections sliotml m la in 1 1 1 a r with their general attitude .Did aims, l'wi' that reas.m the summary ol the general .simation whiih Air Koss outlined m his lecture is well worth .studying, 'liieie were, the loc.irer said, 2UU.i miles from Behring .strait in tin* north to Antarctica in the south, and about the same distance oetween east and west. The wanes ol the Pacific wasiied almost every shore, viistralia was of great mineral and agricultural resources, of vast spaces, md with only 6,0!)./,000 people. This ■anul’ul of whites were determined to veep the country a monopoly for themselves and their children. Suppose some l’uwer decided to ship- its surplus people there or seize the crops lo feed .ts people. Suppose Australia produced dairy produce or wheat very cheaply, how would New Zealand be all'e.ted ? So, if the problems and ambitions of every country were analysed, .t would be found Hint New Zealand was concerned at every step. What Russia did or suffered, what the L'nitd States, Canada, ( liiiut, Japan, Julia. what even the smallest South Sea -band did or suffered, matter to New .eainiid, not ineiely for a sentimental .•egard f.r the suffering of other people, hut because the world was eco.oinically, culturally, and politically . ntercomiected and interdependent, iiecause of a fear of other countries, it was necessary for New Zealand to pend in armaments money that could /j used in improving the physique >r mentality of. its people. If Soviet Russia suddenly developed an export .rude in dairy produce, then the New Zealand farmer might suffer. It was. Jierclore. imperative that the New Zealand citizen should know something about the aims, ambitions, resources md positions of all countries bordering upon the L’acilis. The first part of the lecture would, therefore, lie devoted to an investigation in turn of the present position of Australia, New Zeaand. America, India, Japan, China, iamoa, the Pliillipines, and the South ea Islands. From that survey the ecturer came to the conclusion that .he most important problems were immigration. mi.dreg.:,nation, race pneucl ice, investments, self government, industrialisation of the East, the misdonary influence and population. A discussion of that would take up the second part of the lecture. One of the problems that needed considering first was that of the point of approach to ill the p oblems. When a question was raised, did the people hole at it from lie. point of the South Island, New Zealand. the Empire, the white race, or •he world? It would probably lie found that even on the simplest questions there w.-.s a clash of interest or loyalties. The development of roads, the tariff, the e.o.d. system, the steamship communications, which showed that there were many points of view. When : t came to international 'affairs the .•inflict, was oven more apparent, and much more dangerous. The first necessity to resolve these conflicts was to understand the point of view of the people. The lecturer quoted amusing anecdotes to show that what seemed usual to Europeans seemed ’ comic or strange •or dangerous to Asiatics. Wilien we realised that there were other points of view we were on the way to world pence and world prosperity. Through literature we seemed to get criteria of judgment that were universal. Could we get the same from politics? The lecturer believed that the only permanent safety would he obtained from looking at political problems from the jroint of view of all humanity. If wo acted unfairly towards a backward race, sooner or later, we would ourselves suffer. Ho thought that in all the questions that were to be discussed they would find some solution that would avoid an appeal to joroe, which, however, necessary sometimes. was being regarded less and less as a solution.