The sun., 1919-07-06


sidered in The Problem Of the Pacific, by
Mr.. Charles Brunsdon Fletcher, a promi-
nent Australian journalist, who vigorously
advocated the federation of the Australian
colonies, as editor of the Brisbane CoH-
rier in Queensland. and who has been
associate editor of the Sydney Morning
Herald since 1903. As NIGH; be expected,
the author discusses the problem from an
Australian point of view, but his book is
none tha les interesting on that account,
rs it reveals no trace of provincialism,
but rather the carefully thought out con-
clusions of a scholarly student of world
politics, enlightened by a varied expe-
rience of life and extensive travel.
There is a preface by Sir William Mac
Grcgor, vino, without any disparagement
of the author. may be described as a
more remarkable man. 1t is often said
that a British boy in modern times, IN
less favored by birth or influence, has no
such chance of advancement in life as is
enjoyed by the poorest American youth;
but this notion is contradicted by Sir
William MacGregor's career. Born in
Scotland, of plain people, he studied med
icine and began TO earn his living as a
medical practitioner at Glasgow, where
he became resident physician and surgeon
at the Royal Infirmary. His first Gov
eminent appointment was in the line of
his profession, being the position of med
zeal officer in the Seychelles, a group of
islands in the Indian Ocean belonging to
Great Britain, remarkable as the only
granite islands in the tropics. Thence he
was transferred to Mauritius as surgeon
of the Civil Hospital at Port Louis, and
from Mauritius he went TO the FIJI Isl
ands in 1873, as chief medical officer under
the colonial government.
By this time his administrative abilities
had become so manifest that his services
were demanded in a diff rent field, and
he relinquished medicine for politics. His
first political Office was that Of High Com
missioner of the Western Pacific. There
after his public life was a series of sue
cessive promotions, as follows: Admins
TRAITOR of British New Guinea and subse-
quently Lieutenant Governor of that
colony: Governor of Lagos, in West At
riea; Governor of Newfoundland, and
finally Governor of the Australian colony
of Queensland, which office he held until
his retirement from the public service.
Meantime. he had been made a Privy
Councillor of Great Britain, a Grand Com
mander of the Order of St Michael and
St. George and had received honorary de-
grees from the universities of Cambridge,
Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
This is doing pretty well for modest
Aberdeen medical student. His eXpe-
rience in the Pacific islands and New
Guinea qualify him exceptionally to judge
of the merits of Mr.. Fletcher's book.
Australia is so largely dependent upon
the trade of the Pacific that Australians
may justly claim a paramount right
amorg citizens Of the British Empire TO
be heard in reference TO the future distrl-
button of power over the Pacific posses
sions of Germany. They present what
seems TO us conclusive argument against
their restoration to German rule.
All possibility of this is doubtless now
past; though some doubt may still have
existed when Mr.. Fletcher was writing
his book. The only way TO make the
Pacific safe" says SiI William Mae
Gregor in his preface, will be to keep
political Germany out of it." He con-
cedes that under the British flag, (which
outside lie fatherland he prefers TO his
own" tho German, taken as an individ7
ual, has been a good colonist in the Pa
ciiic; the German merchant is described as
4 well educated and pleasant man who
ean be thoroughly trusted in business, and
of the German scientist it is said that he
has contributed his fair share TO our stock
of knowledge of the Pacific; but in one
characteristic they are declared to be all
alike: They are all ready for a mill
L..