The New York herald., 1921-10-06
Continued from First Pogc.

operations and can be thoroughly forth
Ned at comT aratively small cost.
The strategic value of the Island o.
Yap is fully appreciated by japan and
the impression exists here at Toxic
that she intends to assert her right
Under the authority of the Versailles
treaty, despite the hostile attitude OF
the United States. which, on two oc-
casions, has emphasized its objection
to japanese control over the vitally
important cable station located on that
island. Japanese officials believe the
objections presented by Secretaries
Colby and Hughes to the award Of the
cable from Yap to Shanghai will be
withdrawn or ignored by the League
of Nations. 1t is admitted that there
Is no justification for this belief but
is quite certain that Japan will offer
every resistance in her power If a
move is made to deprive her of what
she considers her legal international
rights In the matter. For the time
being Toxic is disposed to set the mat
ter aside In accordance with her tra-
ditional formula in treating protests
of the sort that the United States has
presented in the zap controversy. 1t
is not at all probable that she will
overlook any opportunity to fasten
her grip on not only the cable COM
munications centring on the little nerve
centre in the Pacific, but on the po-
tential value Of zap as prospective
naval base.
yam nm Inviting Prize.
While Yap Is important only be-
cause 1t hooks up the submarine tele-
graphs between Shanghai. Toxic, San
Francisco, Borneo, Australia and the
Straits Settlements its desirability is
ever in the minds Of the diplomats
and statesmen Of half the countries of
the world. When first discovered by a
Spanish navigator in the sixteenth
century the island was called "Guap."
For two centuries 1t remained under
the control Of the Spanish, though the
population was largely made up Of
Malays. bearing a close resemblance
to some Of the. types In the lesser
Philippines.
Germanx was the first Of the larger
nations to appreciate the geographical
not thought worth looking after. In
1884 a German gunboat raised the
flag of the Kaiser on the island. The
Spanish Government voiced vigorous
protest. and the Pope, who acted as
arbitrator, decided in favor of the
Spanish. After the Spanish-American
war the Spanish Government sold the
Carolines, together with the Pelew and
Ladrone Islands. to Germany for
about $4000,000. and took over Yap,
which was then part of the Caroline
group. Germany and the United States
both realized the Importance Of Yap
and Guam, $50 miles away, as cable
bases.
An American cable runs from San
Francisco to Honolulu Guam, Manila
and Shanghai, while from Guam there
is another cable. the southern part of
which is American and the northern
part Japanese, which goes to Yoko-
hama. The German Government,
through the agency Of the German
Netherlands Company, laid cables di-
rect to Shanghai from zap to Minado,
in the Dutch East Indies. and from
Yap to Guam.
The Yap- Guam cable was Of great
service to Americans before the great
world war; as 1t gave them an outlet
by direct route to China. On the out
break of the war with Germany the
Japanese naval forces seized the La
drone, Peiew and Caroline Islands, in
Guiding zap. The Paris peace con-
ference subsequently awarded the
control of the Yap cable station to
Japan.
Yap has an additional value in the
eyes of the Japanese. because Of its
proximity to the Carolines, the Mari
ana and the Parry Islands. which have