South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-08-28

Is poor, and at this season of the year,
gales may render it unsafe.
The relation to these American out
posts Of the German possessions in the
Pacific is somewhat intricate. They
are the Marshall Islands. the Caro-
lines, the LadroneS. the New Guinea
colony, including the Bismark archi-
pelago, and Buka and Bougainville.
the most northerly of the Solomon ISL
ands. and IN the south German Sa-
moa. New Guinea and Samoa alone
possess economic value; not enough 10
attract avarice.
Marshall Islands i'm Two Chains.
The Marshall Islands, in two chains
known as Radak and Ralik, lie mid
way between Hawaii and Guam. but
somewhat south of the most direct
line of travel. They are lagoon ISL
ands the navigation is dangerous. and
the only point which might serve as
bare rendezvous Of a fleet is the la
COON of Jaluit.
The Ladrone Islands extend north
ward from Guam in the direction of
been in japanese ownership. From
Salpan, the most southerly OF the
German Ladrones, Guam is visible.
The Caroline Islands extend from
the vicinity of the Marshalls in a long
chain of unimportant islands destitute
of ha~bors, and in their prolongation,
through the equally unimportant Pa
lau group, came close to the coast of
Mindanao of the Philippines. The
important point in the Carolines is the
island OF V2p. The harbor there is
tortuous and beset with coral reefs
II is in no sense available for naval
purposes. But from Guam a second
airy line of cable extends southwest
This establishes Vap as German
station at the beginning OF a cable
line which reaches Berlin through the
Java seas and Asia. Vap Is equipped
as a radio station Of such power as to
form the receiving center Of aerograph
communication through battleship re-
lays, independent of any control by
laws Of neutrality ashore.
Near Australian Colony.
III New Guinea Kaiser Wilhelm's
land borders the possession OF Papua
which is administered by the common
wealth of Australia Together these
two colonies. as yet most imperfectly
developed. occupy all of New Guinea
east of the Dutch border at the me-
ridian OF 144 degrees east. At Her
bertshoehe. in the Bismark achipel-
ago. is a small center of German COM
merce, a station secondary to the Sa-
moan headquarters OF the Deutsche
Handles und Plantagen- Gesellsch
OF Hamburg, the successor TO the old
Firma Godeffroy, which introduced a
colonial policy TO Bismarks German
empire. In the Marshall and the
Caroline Islands, commerce is almost
wholly in the hands Of the Jaluit Ge-
sellschaft.
Should Japan and Germany not
compose their difficulties which have
lee TO the ultimatum by Toxic, all
these islands would lie open 10 attack
and possible seizure by Japan. This
would establish an alienation OF
American and Japanese interests
athwart the Pacific. Counting west
] ward from Hawaii, the first wedge
would be Japanese Marshalls between
American Hawaii and American
! Guam. At Guam would be japanese
| Iadrones across a narrow channel.
| Between American Guam and Ameri-
| can Philippines would be INTERCEPTED
| another wedge in Japanese Carolines
Such d condition Of alienation of
, spheres CT influence would be singu-
larly distlsteful 10 a considerable ele-
ment OF the Americans. The occupa-
| ton by Japanese OF the German pos
sessions in New Guinea. the Bismark
archipelago. the SolomOns and Sa-
moa would be equally distasteful 10 a
very large element OF the British pop
ulation OF Australasia.