The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-02-01
HUN COLONIES
CAUSE FRICTION
Peace Conference Must Adjust
Many Conflicting Claims
to Keep Peace.
BRITISH WOULD HOLD
WHAT THEY TOOK
One Fact Seems Settled-That
Colonies Will Not Be Return
ed to Germans.

Paris, Jan % (By5 the Associated
Press. .)-German colonies occupied
the entire attention of. two extended
executive sessions Of the supreme
council of the great powers today.
and. the disposition of this small en-
pire. scattered over the African main
! land, in Asia and throughout the Pa
cifc, is presenting a territorial ques-
ton of the first magnitude.
The hearings given today covered
the entire range of these German col
onies as the delegates Of Australia,
New Zealand and Japan presented
the respective interests in the "a
cific groups of islands, Japan and Chi-
ma their interest in Kiau Chou ana
the German concessions at many
treaty ports, and the French minister
of colonies, NJ. Simon. took up. the
African colonies, embracing Togo
lard, the Kamerun, and German East
and Southwest Africa.
Gen. Jan. Christian Smuts, the
South African leader. and Gen. LOUIS
Botha. the South African premier,
already have been heard on the ques-
ton of German East Africa, and now
if only remains to obtain the view
point of the Belgians who are about
to present their ideas OF their inter-
ests on the colonies adjacent to the
Belgian Congo. It appears to. be the
generally. accepted view among those
having interests in the matter that
Germanv's colonies should not be re-
turned to her. 50.
This in turn has developed another
crucial, question, namely whether
German sovereignty;! over these col
oilies should pass to- the powers who
may receive them OF whether they
should be entrusted. to: a, league OF na-
tons. which exercise international
control while giving mandate TO such
powers and administer the particular
colonies. -. -. - :.
This larger question, affecting the
general administration OF Me colo
Mes, was considered BY the council
today as we'll as the particular. inter
ests involved and the discussion Will
be- continued tomorrow morning.
), German East Africa is t..e most iiil-
portant territorial possession lnvolv-
ed as it has upward Of 100000 IN
habitants. Besides being adjacent TO
the British South African common
wealth, is q necessary link connecting
the British in the south and in the
north. thus completing the British
territorial chain between Cairo and
Cape Colony.
German Southwest Africa is re-
garded as less important though the
harbor in Walsh Bay has some ad-
vantages.
Belgian interests are believed to be
related to Southwest Africa While
the French interests are toward the
Kameruns and Togoland. which ad-
ioin French Dahomey and; the
French Congo.
China's interest in the colonies ia
in Citing back Kaiu Chou after it
passes from Germany to Japan and
also in the/ termination of German
concessions at Tien-Tsin, Shanghai
and other points. Japan's interests
are both in Kiau Chou and the Pa
cif1c Islands. The islands are being
considered in two main groups, first
New Guinea. Bismarck, and the Sa-
rnoa group, in which Australia and
New Zealand are presenting their IN
terests. and second the Marshall Car
oline and Marianne groups, lying east
of the Philippines and south OF Ja-
pan.
The first group of islands is fertile
and productive: the second consists OF
coral islets, Chiefly valuable rs stra-
tegic bases. It is this whole range
Of colonies, once constituting Ger
lnany's hope of world extension, that
are now under consideration in the
session of the supreme council Of the
great powers.