The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-10-24
Japan Rates Her Help to
Quadruple Entente High

place Japanese Treasury bonds in Lon
don, although with the interest and
discount the rate amounted to as much
ar 12h per cent.
Great Britain. as every one II aware
has since the beginning Of the wal
een financing Russia. Belgium and
Serbia. n will be obliged, moreover,
to furnish monetary aid on an extern
sive scale Il both Greece and Ru-
mania II they eventually decide. very
ATE IN the day, to throw In their lot
with the cause OF the Quadruple En-
tente. She therefore would prefer
that whatever return Ia made to Japan
for aid rendered by her armies al one
or another Of the seats Of war in Eu-
rope should take the form of terrific
rial concessions.
Japan Ia suffering from land hunger.
owing to the fact that the size and
the phenomenal growth OF her popu-
lation are altogether out of proportion
to the area OF her empire. She seeks
an outlet for her surplus population.
and with this object in view her news
papers and her politicians have al
ready given very vigorous expression
to their designs upon the Dutch East
Indies and upon French Indo-China.
They would undoubtedly prefer the
Dutch East Indies. which are enor
mously rich. and have FIR the last
hundred years been the chief source
OF h wealth and OF the commercial
Importance OF the Netherlands. With
out them. Holland would sink into
economic and political insignifcance.
Queen Wilhelmina and her Ministers
know this. and they are likewise
aware that IL they had shown the
slightest disposition to side with Ger
many against Great Britain and her
allies. Japan would nave taken imme-
diate advantage thereof to seize Java.
Sumatra. Dutch Borneo and that art
OF New Guinea which belongs to the
crown of the Netherlands. Holland,
which has experienced great difficulty
In keeping the native population OF
her East Indian colonies under proper
subsection owing to the fact Of theil
being almost continuously In a state
or more or less open revolt. would
find 1t quite impossible TO hold them
for a single month. II indeed as hong.
against an invasion by the Japanese.
That this invasion has not yet taken
place II due to the fact that Hollands
neutrality in the present war has been
OF n distinctly friendly character to
the cause of the Quadruple Entente.
The Netherlands, indeed. owe the
preservation of their overseas possess
sions In the Orient to their friendship
with Great Britain. who IL the ally of
Japan. Az long as that friendship
laSts-and there are no signs Of any
disposition on the part Of Holland to
depart therefrom-her East Indies
are secure from seizure by Japan. who
must look elsewhere for territorial
compensation.
Now this elsewhere. from a Japa-
nese point Of view. Is to be found in
the so-called Indo-China dependencies
Of France. upon which Dai Nippon
has long cast a very Covetous eye.
In fact Indo-China offers far greater
attractions to the lieges OF the Mi
kado than the Philippines.
With an area OF over SOC, 900 square
miles and n population of some u.s.
900. 900. II is possessed of great actual
and potential wealth. Iron, copper.
zinc, gold and coal mines abound. the
soil is extraordinarily fertile, produce
ing cotton. sugar. tobacco. coffee, and
particularly rice. OF which vast guam
titles are exported. There is a con-
stantly growing railroad system and
the country is traversed in every di-
rection by telegraph lines. In fact.
Indo-China is the only colonial de-
tendency OF France that constitutes
a source Of revenue AZ present and a
promise Of great wealth in the future.
Much OF the trade OF Indo-China
II with Japan, especially the export
OF rice. and Japanese merchants. pro-
fessional men. such as engineers,
mining experts. sugar and cotton
planters. and laborers abound through
out the country and are increasing
in numbers all the time. Indeed il
In no ~eNaggeration tn assert that GER
tain branches OF industry and trade
in Indo-China are wholly In the hands
of the japanese. who as c~oreligionists
and as fellow Orientals are able to
understand and TO get along with
the natives far better than the French.
So sure indeed are the Japanese OF
eventually obtaining entire economic
control Of French Indo-China that one
Of their ablest statesmen when dis
GUESSING last winter the problems CON
fronting his Government In connection
with the disposal Of the surplus popu.
lation Of Dai Nippon indicated that II
would never become necessary 10 use
any force 10 secure possession of lndo-
China, since that great French de-
tendency was destined in the naturai
and inevitable course of events to drop
OF its own accord into the lap OF
Japan within the next two or three
decades
II IL reported that the price which
the Toxic Government in now de-
handing from Great Britain and of
her allies for the despatch of an army
Of SOC, 900 men from the Island En-
pire to one or another OF the seats
OF war in Europe. preferably to the
Balkans. is the surrender by france
OF Indo-China to the Mikado. The
proposal IL not a new n II Is
alleged TO have been made rs far back
as twelve months ago, when II formed
a subject of discussion among French
statesmen and politicians as well AZ
in the principal organs OF the press,
NJ I'D A \