THE PACIFIC WORLD: ITS FUTURE

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12618, 1 December 1926, Page 6

THE PACIFIC WORLD: ITS FUTURE

Since the Pacific basin became the centre of international dis- ' cussion, it has been treated as the probable centre of some great future war. And that treatment holds much talk of the dimly overshadowing, much-discussed “Yellow Peril.” Americans have founded an association to establish peace among all the nations surrounding the great ocean basin. New Zealand has appointed a representative to keep touch with the work of this association, to which he has lately drawn public attention. The American, General Homer Lee, some twenty years ago published his book, “The Valour of Ignorance.” In that book he showed the easy vulnerability of the Manila capital, of the outlying Hawaiian Islands, and of the whole Californian coast. He added a detailed demonstration of the ease with which Japan could transport large, fully-equipped armies along the Pacific routes to exploit these vulnerabilities. He gave lists of ships, detailing the tonnage and troop and munition-carrying capacity of each. I he general sketched Japanese campaigning possibilities of not only capturing strategicpoints of the Western American coast, but also of a land invasion cutting the United States in two, for the conquest of either half at future leisure. That was a warning to the States to prepare for war, and to take measures against the Japanese preparatory methods, then very successful, of peaceful penetration of the American territory. Since then the States have stopped the peaceful penetration—causing much anger in Japan. This association for the establishment of peace round the Pacific rim may be regarded as a sign of the American preference for peaceful over warlike methods to meet the Pacific difficulty, which is as great to-day as it was when Homer Lee published his famous book. Britain, on the other hand, has, by perseverance in the Singapore project, proved that she thinks warlike preparation is necessary to safeguard her interests in the event of trouble in the Pacific. A Chinese general, rather more successful than his rivals, has lately proclaimed that the Chinese objective to be seriously considered in the event of established peace in China, is the abrogation of unfair treaties and the insistence of the absence of outside interference with Chinese affairs; in other words, of the complete independence of China. Rumour declares that Britain, after an unsuccessful attempt at international interference in China, has applied to Japan,’ and has been met with a conditional demand for the abandonment of the Singapore policy. If this is true, we see the Pacific problem in a new light. As the key is the internal unification of China, with a strong Government in possession of a powerful army of modern equipment, there is no great need for hurrying on towards a solution at present imperfectly visaged. Neither is there any need for giving up the Singapore project, which is not now a possible cause of war, but may be some day a powerful British defence in case of war.