IF JAPAN FOUGHT.

Taranaki Daily News, 12 November 1921, Page 5

IF JAPAN FOUGHT.

DIFFICULTIES FOR HER NAVY. SPEECH BY SIR LAN HAMILTON. By Telegraph-—Press Assn —Copyright. Received Nov. 11, 5.5 p.m. London, Nov. 10. General Sir Tan Hamilton, speaking at the Press Club, said the Japanese were a sensible people, who realised that apart from their magnificent navy and army they were economically worse equipped than other Powers, but they knew that if they wanted to become bellicose thej r could easily capture Hongkong or the Philippines, from which it would take anyone five years to expel them. The Japanese were not pugnaciously inclined, but it was impossible to frighten, brow-beat and birily them. The Japs knew exactly the capacity, of the Siberian railway and they realised that if warships crossed the Pacific to attack her they could not return, owing to the absence of naval bases. The British Empire’s Press and public ought to be aware of these things before entering the conference at Washington, which was like a smoking concert in a powder magazine. It would be better to allow Japan to have the whole of China than face another war. Most of the other nations had received mandates, but the Japanese had not. If it was proposed to block Japan’s safety valve we had better don our gas masks. —Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.