The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1931. THE MANCHURIAN SITUATION.

Hokitika Guardian, 25 November 1931, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1931. THE MANCHURIAN SITUATION.

The war in the Far East, though not formally recognised, is still progressing in an unofficial sort of way. There are rumours of a great clash petiding between large Japanese and Ciiine.se forces in Manchuria, and in the meantime the Western Powers are doing little more than hold up their hands in horror. Of-course, the Chinese insist that the provocation, conies from Japan, and the Japanese object most strongly to investigation by independent outsiders to discover and revcai the truth. The League of Nations is protesting and sending Notes in abundance; but it is a- curious fact remarks an. exchange, that objections are being raised at Home to any intervention on Britain’s part. The “Daily Telegraph” thinks that the Council of the League has made a false step in requesting the Japanese to withdraw from the debatable zone, arguing that Manchuria is overrun with bandits unci that the retirement of the Japanese troops would leave their “nationals” at,the mercy of. these marauders. The “Daily Express” vehemently condemns the suggestion that our Foreign Minister, Sir John Simon, should go to Geneva to take* part in the discussion on the Manchurian question. For it considers that, the best that can come out of it all would lie humiliation, and that there is ‘‘n real danger that Britain may be drawn into an armed conflict.” This means that there are powerful forces at • work bent on obstructing ally attempt at Western interference in Manchuria, and if they geit their way Japan will be left to go her way in the Far East, to her own complete satisfaction. Under the circumstances, it seems that the first step towards getting at the true inwardness of the Manchurian situation is to remind ourselves that the Japanese have no right whatever to Manchuria. One of the greatest authorities on file Far East, Putman Weale (Lennox Simpson), in his “Coming Struggle in Eastern Asia,” complained a quarter of a century ago that, immediately after the war with Russia, the Japanese had begun to treat Manchuria as a conquered country. Yet the Powers, at the Washington Conference, agreed nine years ago that Manchuria is still an integral part of China,. Again, Putnam Weale, in his “Truth About China atic! Japan,” dated 1921, maintains that, after the Russo Japanese war was over theright course for Japan to take wns to recognise that Manchuria is essentially 'Chinese, and to hand back to China all the railways ns well as the occupied 'territory. “Had Junan taken |thj,s one step, she would have made China her ally for all time.” and she would have been easily able to monopolise the economic and territorial advantages of such a relationship, to the complete exclusion of Western influence and competition. As to the plea: that Japan' needs outlets for her surplus numbers, listen to Putnam Weale again: “Tt is not true that these regions (Korea, Shantung, Manchuria) are . necessary for the oversnill of the Japanese population,” for they are either densely peopled already or are not attracting , Japanese immigrants. Japan’s northern-most island, which could carry 12,000,000 people, is practically emptv. But the Japanese, who are not born cultivators or colonisers, hut “town dwellers by instinct,” prefer to find their way to “the white man’s lands, where they earn great profits rapidly and easily,” and refuse to* emigrate to Formula and other vacant regions close at hand. All these things are worm reflecting upon if we wish to get at the truth about the crisis in the Far E : ast.