ON THE SEA.

Taranaki Daily News, 8 January 1918, Page 5

ON THE SEA.

CONVOY SYSTEM EFFECTIVE ! ' f ■ p LOSSES GREATLY REDUCED. '• i ,i f *■; _ London, J*il t. Sir Choixza Money, in an interview, with the Pall Mall Ualette, said tfri ■ convoy system was proving a aagidbient success in circumventing autonarinw, v : Of 180 homeward-bound convuyg, ~aoißi prising -2-130 ships, with 17} million toft. ' of cargo, tlie losses were .only 1J am, cent. •

- JAPAN. : f • } SEPARATE PEACE (ONTHINKWaEK 5 ; i Mexico "i r i Baron Otiro, the Japanese ( ' dor, in a speech, said tbatdf ■ | proposes a separate peace, Japan ■wiffly." : ject it. Japan is allies to the fullest extent. ' EMBARGO ON SHffiPEJO. Washington,- Jaaufl, •' Advices from Tokio states (Government Qias noti&d the that Japan temporarily prtttibjtenfljfa aml charters of Japanese vessels todb* eignerg, because of tibewseaoify •\ ■< • JAPAN'S HELP, t | i I , -- 1 ' WILL SHE SEN© T&MfS tO * norn . Under date Tokio, Novejaber.l2, <Dfc«£' • Ingram Bryan writes to the - Morning Herald:— '{

• question as to, whetter Jfljiao.ttifi! yet decide to throw her military tiwii into the Europea&ibattle line is ing the increasing attention of tion. Since the conclusion of the an agreement with America tlhe subject) at Japan's assistance to Russia has bees assuming a more prominent aspect. Thsn far the prevailing opinion in Japoai feat been against the dispatch of an anajr t€ Europe; but some of the more r«j ing of the national leaders aro begfau&imt I to opine that possibly the sending ol" troops to Europe may be the logical r« suit of Japan's position as an ally. Thi duty of hastening the conclusion ci 1 the war for the sake of hunuuiity,aa4 economy must needs impress itself moif" ■. [ and more on the mind of a generoar people like the Japanese. ' Up to the present time the gtesX argu* i mcnt against the proposal inw Wn ' 1 ox ? e . n ? e the lack; of trartapoftafßot >'■ facilities. The lofta enthusiastic and most * narrow-souled, however, have Ixmb mg that as an ally Japan has dame that can he reasonably and fairly expect-" ! ed of her, and is certainly not bounds send troops outside of Asia. These awei' that distance and strange environment" would place the Japanese soldier at i great disadvantage as compared w2U the European soldier. This argument however, can hardly be taken seriously for n 0 one can imagine « Japanese <4O cer believing that surroundings maJcefflff' men any the less soldiers, u a, , " who was likely to be defeated ira«eati mental considerations of mvßrmma oouhl hardly be called a soldier. the Allies fought in China at the gfeg of the Boxer uprising, British ' can troops fought as bravoly ai 1(3 home, and so did: the Japanese. Nor are the other objections -nigtf' - any more well taken. If it ww & , sible to transport more than ft qapflfci of a million men from AiiaijaUk W i&>. , rope, and have them face the foe <n" strange soil with unexampled heiiant,) it iB not impossible to cany hall a lion Japanese to Europe trad bars"6Mb ' display equal valor. It Wild, in fljft, be a much easier proposition to. oraKkeJ since Japanese troops could be conveyed " by railway through ftuwia wHhoo* enemy menace. A« to expense, th« jgh ! lies would see to that, as they am-data*' toward all other necessary outlay, ]££ undoubtedly anomalous that on* of fbi Allies, with one of the most armies in tho world, shooM have thai army look on inactively wMle the oQm Allies are life-ond-daatitlwltie.. There is another aspect of tiw tion that cannot be ignored. Awmmßm ' to the terms of the Anglo-Japanese'' if Jiance Britain would be bound to send soldiers for the defence of Japan she be seriously threatened, and nougu- ' ment on tho score of sentimentality or.economy would cause her to hesitated '■ necessity demanded aid. Even for tin ■ little war in Taingtao Britain senb tei quota of troops to participate. W<M« tfiot say that Japan is herniating (u»uiunl troops to Europe; bnt thafeoflbw Allies should not hesitate to aociqrf be] offer of sueh assistance. If half- n. -mil. / Hon or more of Japan's veterans 'wpri now thrown into the fighting Iroiit, as ■ achievement that oould <be in two or three months, the - only be stimulating to the Allies as'wlfll as the reverse to the enemy. ■ One cannot believe that this is a*tim« ' i when Japan would afford to he guided by selfish pessimism, or that they bkmbsent Japan who keep on asking wfaatnepii is to get out of the war. should shesMj troops to Europe. Every nation' paqftW pating in this war for freedom will at its due. In any case, tho best friawfi not he who asks h»w imirfr he can m •but how mnchohe can ripe. If tiieaßaiaw iai portion of Japan is but one aaswer the Silic®- wonfcflfiie. ceive were-'they to suggest Smrappesfl, ance among the military forees in Slnr- ' , ope. Already the Imperial Noqp at Japan has> done well both-on and in the Mediterranean, Jtui ' vgjpt Japan is undertaking the Pacific while American ships ■aamanMU, on the Atlantic. Let us be boCE fo say that it is only want of Unapt ' on the part of someone ' the Allied cause of Japan's Htafnftn* hero army, whose force could NoHMflto hasten tho day of victory.