Germany in Pacific

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 74, 17 August 1914, Page 7

Germany in Pacific

POLICY OF EXPANSION. 6IMPSON-HAFKN NAVAL BASK. For many years Germany has been steadily pursuing a policy of expansion in tho Pacific. This is one plia.se of 'her ambitious dreams of a colonial Empire. To establish this Kmpire Germany for ,iiisiny years has spent two millions annually. And, as the revenue from her colonies in Africa and the Pacili;: only amounts to about half a million, ibe annual loss is roughly £I,»OO,UOU. German colonisation in the Pacific is a thing of recent growth. Prior to 1870 German interests were practically confined to the Fatherland. In 1S7!) a big firm of German merchants failed, and their interests in the Pacific were about to taken over by Baring Bros., of London. Put Bismarck saw that this would inevitably mean that England would secure the German interests in Samoa and other islands So a Gorman Commercial and Plantation 'Association of the Southern Seas was formed, and the Iron Chancellor bc.eame the champion of colonial expansion. Huge s'ices of territory were acquired in Africa, and many islands in the Pacific. Millions were spent by the German people, hut so far they have notreaped a pecuniary reward commensurate with the outlay.

A glance at the map of the Pacific, excluding the East Indies, shows that Great Britain—in spite of her apathy in Tecent years —still lias a big share of the islands. But there is noi gainsaying the advances which Germany has made. Stalling from the Ladrones, or Marianne Islands, with the exception of Guam, which is American, Germany controls- a tremendous area of Melanesia and Polynesia. The whole of the colonics are under the flag of the FathcrjJand; those 'farther south are New Britain, New Ireland, and hundreds of smaller inlands round these two groups, land known as the (Bismarck ArchiThen there is the north-east [.portion of New Guinea; farther east :. are tie Solomon Islands, the southern I portion of which belongs to Great Bri- | tain, but the two northern islands, I Bugainville and Buka, with some of the | adjacent islets, beong to Germany. | North-east again are the Marshall ; Islands, which belong entirely to Ger- ' many, and a few isolated islands like Nauru (Pleasant Island). South-east I again is Samoa, which is mainly German, I though America owna Tutula (Pago •Page). To Australians the chief point of interest in the German possessions is New Britain, for here the great naval base of I Simpson-hafen was recently' established iot a eost of thousands of pounds. I Quietly under the disguise of mercantile expansion, Germany expeditiously and 'Miccessfully, a few years ago, 'built up thii naval base, right within striking I distance of Torres Straits, whero all lines betVjji-eii Australia and the East I converge. Simpson-hafen is on a peninsula of Blanche Bay. at Maltipi. It is I eomniamb-d by highlands of volcanic I origin, and is an ideal site for a naval [ base. The wharf is 1000 ft. long, with i spacious warehouses costing £-M),0!H). [ The wharf u larger than any in Australia, and is equal to the needs of a city of pcon'e. But there is no trade and few iieotde at Sinrpson-hafen. The port of Ilerbertshohe is only 10 miles a Wily. When operations first commenced the, island traders were puzzled at the schema. Thev wondered whore the huge shipments of timber and storeswere going.