Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-09-23
PACIFIC ISLES LOOM
BIG IN WORLDS EYES
United States, Great Britain
and Japan Most Interested
in DipIompatic Battles.

If the Pa 1ific We're merely a great
ocean devoid of islands or with as few
bits of land as those In the North At
lantic. probably there would be no
Pacific problem. says bulletin of
the National Geographic Society in
connection with the approaching con-
ference called by President Harding
Ter the discussion of the limitation of
prmaments and Far Eastern questions.
In other words. each island might be
visualized, not inappropriately, as the
dot under a vast, hazy question mark.
To split hairs, i. is not so much the
problem OF the Pacific" that is bother
ing the world, as the problem Of its
islands.
"If modern fleets had to be operat-
ed 5000 miles from home without
fuel bases. or il cables had to span
such distances under water without
relay stations, offensive naval warfare
and telegraphic communication over
wires would be practically impossible.
The great powers of the world woke
Go this fact in earnest about a genera
tion ago and began taking over is
land bases and stations in the Pacific
that had previously seemed of little
more significance than stages for
exotic dances and cannibal feasts. Be
fore this. islands and the lands bor-
dering the worlds greatest ocean had
been acquired chiefly with the idea of
exploiting their products. and only the
larger areas We're considered impor
tant. With the realization of the valu-
able parts that naval bases and relay
stations might play in the future
there developed a keen interest in even
the tiniest rocks and coral rings.
"As landlords of the domains that
bound the vast bowl of the Pacific now
sit three great vitality interested
rowers--the United States, Great Bri-
tain and Japan. In addition there are
four nations hardly less interested
China. Russia, Holland and France.
Among those countries whose inter-
csts are by no means negligible are
Mexico. Chile and the other west
coast Latin American States. Spain
and Germany, once Interested at least
90 the extent that France is now in
torcsted. have passed from the Pacific !:
hut i'm passing each has accentuated
the problems Of the United States.
What may be called the stakes of
the various countries whose lands hem
in the Pacific vary greatly on basis
Of their coast lines. Leaving mino"
convolutions of the coasts out of con-
sideration in every case. the United
States leads in miles of frontage or
the Pacific with more than 1000 miles
counting both the sweep of the Aleu-
tian Islands and the part of Alaska
above them. The Philippines add a
Nf OH
more on the other side of the great
ocean.
"Asiafic Russia is second with ap-
proximately $500 miles from Behrine
STRAIT TO Chosen C<orea). counting
the coast line Of the sea of Oskhotsk
comparable in size to our own Gulf OF
Mexico.
ACROSS the southwestern corners OF
the Pacific. British territory stretches
from Dutch New Guinea to New Zea-
land. a distance Of about $500 miles
but with a break of over 1000 miles
between Australia and entirely 8
Pacific land, giving Great Britain by
far the greatest coast line. The con-
tlnent has for protection a coast line
of approximately 5000 miles, easily
reached by fleets from the Pacific
and Il matters little from naval poin
of view that half the water tina
hathes this long shore line is Gale,
the Indian Ocean. Canada adds ap
proximately 500 miles to the British
Pacific coast lines.
THE islands that constitute Japal
stretch along Asia from near the II
OF kamchatka TO the southern poin
oi Taiwan (Formosa), and thus have
frontage on the Pacific of about 2,70
miles. The coast line OF Japan is muc
greater. however, due to the wester
frontage on the Sea of Okhotsk, tn
Sea of Japan, and the Yellow an
Eastern Seas.
Screened by the Philippines and tn
British possessions in northern Boz
neo. the Dutch possessions have
direct frontage on the Pacific of onl
about 1000 miles; but their total coas
line. counting that on the India
Ocean. is many times that figur,