The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-03-05

RS1 Y Scene of various groups of the I<u I
 
 forth and captured from the Germans l several groups of islands in the Pacific 1 There was an understanding that these l islands should be turned over to an Aus | tralian expeditionary force, and such a | force actually went to them to take pos | session. But the Japanese governIDent 1 had changed it's mind, and the AuStral- | ians dejectedly turned around and went 1 back home. There was actually an of- | ficial statement of the proposed transfer, I the personnel of the Australian force was 1 even published and things went so far l that postage stamps were printed for the 1 northwest Pacific islands by the Austral- | ian government. No explanation has | ever officially been made. The original | official statement of the transfer has never been denied. Within the last fort l night I have read in one of London S l dailies discussion of the situation in l the Pacific in which the writer, whose | knowledge is as extensive as that of the l ordinary person in England, calmly told l that these groups of islands had in No vember, 1914, been turned over to the Aus l tralians l I have been officially told that an ar rangement was made for division of all the German islands captured, for the du 1 ration of the war only. The dividing linel 1 was to be the equator. This would give 1 to Japan the Marshall, Caroline and l Ladrone groups, while Australia would | take the rest. That Japan has those three | groups in her possession now know, and1 | it may be that there are others. The importance to the United States of Japan not retaining those islands is ob- vious. The islands are not of enormous commercial importance, but they are of q f6AI t,. f11 l American. island, where there is an 1 American naval station, d strategical point which American naval experts con- I sider~ of prime importance, is one of thel ! Ladrone group. It is now surrounded by 1 bits of land which are occupied by Jap | anese soldiers, and there is danger of per manent Japanese occupation The other, i groups, Marshall and Caroline, which with the Ladrones Germany acquired l from Spain after the Spanish-American war, lie further from the Philippines and not dangerously near Hawaii. Good har- bors are few, but the islands constitute i hiding places for ships of war, coaling stations and perhaps submarine bases. | The German ships that escaped from Tsingtao found them useful. They would
 be most valuable for a fleet whose ob- ! ject would be cutting off communication between the United States and Hawaii I an Guam and the Philippines.
 1 The logical thing to believe is that Ja- pan has insisted on retaining what she has captured until the end of the war, so as to have ill hand at that time material for making bargain with the rest of the Iworld-Japan to say that she will clear out of the Pacific if she is permitted to 1 remain in Tsingtao and to have other concessions in China. Until recently that seemed most. reasonable deduction.
 EXPANSION IN PACIFIC
 1 a
 is developing an idea of expansion in the
 Pacific. For the last few weeks there
 las been in London the head of one of
 Australia's greatest shipping companies.
 This mans vessels ply to the islands of Oceanica, which the Japanese now hold.
 He came all the way from Australia to
 protest to the British government against
 the activity of the Japanese in those parts, to complain of their methods and /, to procure encouragement. From what can be learned of the charges he brought | with him the situation is very much like | that in Manchuria, where, since the Jap anese obtained control, the trade of other 1 foreigners has suffered. But more inn portant is the indication that the Japa- nese are administering the islands as if they owned them, While the official un- derstanding is that their position there is only a stewardship, that they are keep ing the islands only until the end of the war. 1 Again, there is an uncomfortable report abroad that the Japanese government has actually gone so far as to make proposal to her allies. England, France Russia and Italy, providing for Japa- l nese expansion in the, Pacific, the grant
 ing there of a Japanese sphere of influ- ence which would make Japan a great
 maritime nation What Japan offers in return is not clear, but probably if is a l a q ha nnA iv,( Japan's expansionists have looked toward | China, but there has always been a strong feeling in Japan that as an island empire, Japans true destiny led to expansion
 southward until finally Japan would take 1 in all the islands in the western Pacific. 1 the Philippines included of course.
 Japans ambitions in China are well
 known. The Japanese government de- sires the establishment of an Asiatic Monroe doctrine. differing. however, from Americas s doctrine to the extent that Japanese ownership and complete polti- cal domination are prime features of the policy. Japan has shown since the com l mencement of the war that she intends to l leave no stone unturned in firmly en- trepching herself in China. Previous un- derstandings as to spheres of influencer 1 are being puverized by the Japanese No longer do they recognize England's s | predominant rights" in the Yanetze val |, ley and the special interests of England l in that rich region are being violated. la ] pan is reaching. and probably has already | reacherd, definite understanding with | Russia as to the future of China. Although these two great nations fought a bitter war only a decade ago on this very point of paramounce in l China they are now working hand in l glove, evidently having come to tho | conclusion that there is enough of the 1 melon for both. In this the interests | of these old-time foes are identical- both wish for the partition of China. | As long ago as 1912 Russia and Japan l |reRched an agreement. on. a division Of | territory. in MRnchuria and Mongolia The agreement has never been pulp lt1hed. hut q definite line running