PACIFIC COUNCIL.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 August 1921, Page 5

PACIFIC COUNCIL.

far east problems. SOURCE OF DIFFICULTY. A NATION’S AMBITIONS. By Tolegraph.—Press Asan.—Copyrl£bL Received August 28, 11.5 p.m. Washington, August 27. The State Department has announced that as host at the Armament Conference the United States will provide ! the machinery of the sessions and bear the expense of the Secretariat-General and the corps jf translators, and also the official printing. It is reported that Count Okuma had issued, the following statement at To kio: Tn proposing the Peeific Conference, the United States undoubtedly wants to' bring to a settlement what the League of Nations failed to solve. The five great Powers are quite justified in taking part in the conference, because of the vital contest of the questions of the Far East and disarmament. It is not quite comprehensible, however, why the United States should extend an invitation to China, when the latter is still in so disorderly a condition and is not competent to represent the Republic. Most probably the fact is, that having failed to put as much restriction upon the Japanese position of activity in the Far East as it desired at the Versailles Conference, the United States sought a different opportunity in the form of a Pacific Conference. “The future centre of the world’s markets and wealth lies in China and Siberia, and therefore it is only natural that the United States should want to restrict the activity of the Japanese, who po3‘ sess intimate relations and oeeupy superior positions there. A conference in this sense is a convention to which greater importance attaches in the Japanese estimation than to the Paris Conference. The Japanese must be prepared to reject whatever problems are raised at the conference in disregard of the rights and interest of the peoples of the Orient, and if Japan’s protests and claims a,re ignored she should quit the conference. It is clear America will assist China in the cancellation of twen-ty-one demands, and thus fetter Japanese activity in the Far East. Indeed, the fate of the Japanese Empire must be regarded as depending entirely upon the results of this conference.”—Aus.N.Z. Cable Assn.