THE SUEZ CANAL.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 245, 12 July 1928, Page 2

THE SUEZ CANAL.

QUESTION OF PROTECTION. England and America. Other Ocean Highways.

There is no reason why Great Britain should give up any vital interest, but, as we said on a previous occasion, in our view the security of the Suez Canal will in the last resort depend on the British Navy, writes the London Spectator. If we were prepared to refer this vexed question of the British occupying forces to the League of Nations then years from the signing of the Treaty, why cannot we go a step further and see if we can meet the Egyptian point of view by offering to submit the question to the League of Nations at an earlier date ? We have everything to gain by putting our position in Egypt on a legitimate footing. The moral gain would be enormous, for we cannot forget, even if we would do so, the very specific pledges of previous Prime Ministers, that our occupation was a temporary one.

From the standpoint of the British taxpayer a friendly Egypt would be a great gain, and we think that there are many more persons in authority in Egypt, despite some of their public utterances, who realise that the best interests of their country demand an Anglo-Egyptian understanding and an end to the present unsatisfactory situation. i They have no desire to see the [ complete withdrawal of British forces j from the Canal banks, leaving the j country open to some other European j invader, although they do not say so. We regard the question of guaran- j teeing of vital international high- ! ways as of international concern, and J we would welcome the co-operation j of the League of Nations in this mat- ) j ter. But we would even go further. I The two greatest Naval Powers in the world at the present time are the British Empire and the United States. Just because they failed to reach agreement on the question of cruiser

parity at Geneva, is there any reason why they should not enter into an agreement about guaranteeing the freedom of some of the vital ocean highways? If the United States were ready to enter upon a mutual guarantee to keep the Suez Canal open in time of war, could not we on our side, as a “ quid pro quo,” undertake to give a similar guarantee as , regards the Panama Canal ? If the two greatest British-speaking Powers j undertook to keep these international highways open; can it be seriously contended that they would not succeed in doing so ? This would be an effective piece of English-speaking

co-operation for the good of mankind. Alarming Possibility. A correspondent writes to the Spectator as follows on the same subject:—

“ Your article of March 10, under the above heading, is, I consider, much below your standard of being well-informed. The British Navy alone could no more keep the Suez Canal open in case of war than it could the Dardanelles during the last war. Very well, you may say, then put the British troops in Egypt (not Army of Occupation, please, this nomenclature was, altered four or five years ago) in the Canal area. Just what we want, the Egyptian would say: we have got you right under our thumb. Why? “If you travel through the Suez Canal you will notice on the African side a sluggish stream which you can almost jump across. The branches from Port Said and Suez of that stream join forces at Ismailia and proceed some hundred miles to Cairo under the name of the Fresh Water Canal, which is navigable for small sailing craft. So the Suez Canal situated in the arid Sinai Desert lives by this umbilical cord connecting with Mother Nile at Cairo. Cut that cord and within forty-eight hours some 170,000 residents in the Canal area will be dying of thirst or migrating hurriedly. “ The British Navy is, no doubt, an efficient policeman of the Egyptian coasts, but who can be trusted to see that the keepers of the Fresh Water Canal locks do not forget to keep them "open so that we can live? As you say, the Suez Canal is vital to Imperial communications. You can also add that is is extremely vulnerable.” \

To the above the Spectator rejoins:— “ We have written on this subject elsewhere, but we maintain that the British Navy must, in the Jast resort, be our chief defence of the Canal. “We look forward to the time when international highways, such as the Suez Canal, will be internationally guaranteed. We would welcome American co-operation in this matter.”