The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1918. "HANDS OFF THE PACIFIC."

Taranaki Daily News, 17 January 1918, Page 4

The Daily News. THURSDAY, JANUARY 17, 1918. "HANDS OFF THE PACIFIC."

The forthcoming Imperial Conference will in all probability be the most mo- j mentous gathering of representatives of the British Empire that is ever likely to taike place, so that it is not surprising to find the Dominion's Premier has, in the light of recent developments of Imperial policy as outlined by Mr. Lloyd George, reconsidered the question of foeling present at the Conference, and may find it advisable to take part in the proceedings in order to voice New Zealand's views regarding the retention by the Empire of the German colonies which have been acquired during the war. There may be no necessity for any active advocacy of this nature, but the self determination policy so fully outlined by the British Premier may be of such an elastic nature that it will lend itself to German intrigue. Germany has set her heart on the restoration of her colonies, and will certainly strain every resource at her command in order to attain her object, not because she needs these territories for her surplus population, but they can be utilised as so many bases for future operations, unless Prussian militarism receives its death blow before the war is ended. If we regard the war position as it exists at present, there can be no question that the Hohenzollerns fully recognise they cannot win the war. They are already laying their plans for the next struggle wherein the lost German colonies in the Pacific will play a prominent part by being made bases of exceptional strength and immense equipment on a scale that would practically give Germany the mastery of the world. The Dominions are naturally anxious not to have such neighbors which all the international policing of the seas could not prevent developing into an even greater menace than formerly. The more the matter is considered the clearer becomes the conviction that to permit the enemy to repossess these "jumping off" bases would be suicidal policy of an unthinkable nature. This question is not one that concerns the Dominions only, for it is essentially an Imperial affair, and it is pleasing to note that the British Workers' League has established a "German Lost Colonies Committee" for the purpose of opposing the restoration of any of those colonies to Germany. This Imperialistic attitude is in marked contrast to the Independent Labor Party's peace at any price policy. Never has the peril to the Dominions been so strongly emphasised aa during this war. In the elaborate plans made by Germany before the signal was given to fire the first shot in thia titanic struggle, she had failed to calculate on British intervention and the arauag of the manhood of the Dominion*. This was an oversight that lias port her very dearly, thwarted her aims, decimated her armies, and reduced iier people to the verge of starvation, instead 1 of enriching them with loot and war indamaitiea. Knowing what we do of Gorman methods, it is not difficult to arrive at a fairly accurate conception of what would have happened had Germany foresee* the uprising of a United British Umpire against her attompted domination taetice. Every German colony would have bam a naval and military base, fully wfaipped with armaments, cruisers raiden, submarines and aircraft on a scale ol vaatneas that would have overcome all obstacles to the attainment oi her ends. Bfca aees her error and is keen t« reetify i» in the future. The Dominion* recogniße this, hence the immen** importance of obtaining a definite tad inrvwaUr d*4uskm by the Im-

stances can the colonics be returned to Germany. The South African Union lias hail quite enough of the German menace and having got rid of the noxious pestilence has no intention of allowing it to become once more established within its borders. The workers throughout Urn Umpire would do well to follow the excellent example of the British Workers' League and oppose all idea of a restoration of the German colonies, for no secret is made a3 to the Teutonic intentions as to the uses to which" these colonies are to be put in the future The Empire is waging war against war, and if facilities are given to the Prussian militarists to prepare for another war on a greater scale than ever, it is the masses who will suffer, so that it is to their interest particularly that every precaution he taken to prevent the enemy being a menace to civilisation and progress in the: future. The Imperial Conference should set this question at rest once and for all time. In the meantime public opinion throughout the Empire should assert definitely 'and .unwaveringly that so far as Germany is concerned it must bo "Hands off the Pacific." Such a pronouncement could not be regarded as an expression of defiance or hostility, for its real meaning is that it is imperative for the peace of the world that Germany's belligerent activities should be restricted in such a way as to make war impossible, and one of the measures to that end is to deprive her of those outlying (bases, her possession of which would always be a menace and an incentive for vengeance.