The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-25
Little Island Figures in Ca
BILE Controversy Between
Nations
AMERICA PROTESTS
AGAINST JAPAN
Does Not Want Van Herself, but Pre-
fers to See Island Internationalized
SO That Ne Country WIN Have
Monopoly of Pacific Communication.
By DAVID LAWRENCE.

cable communication across the PACING
to the Far East and insists that the inn
portant way station on the small island
of zap shall not be given TO Japan by the
league of nations The American govern
mert in its latest note, the exact text of
which has not yet been made public, does
not ask that Zap be given to the United
States but that the island be information
.alized so that it viii always be under the
joint control of the great powers, Great
Britain, the United States, France and
Japan.
The United States contends, moreover,
that Japan never had any right under
international law to seize the trans-Pa-
cific cable at zap and that the status
which existed before the war shall be re
stored. Back of the entire question of
cable communication through the island
of Yop is a greater and even more in
vOlved controversy over the cutting OF
the German cables in the Atlantic. The
American companies contend that both
England and France have seized these
Atlantic cables unlawfully, and are to-
day depriving the people of the United
States of direct cable communication
which is so important to commercial in
tercourse with Germany and Central Eu-
rope.
In other words, England and France
have a reason to be sympathetic with the
Japanese viewpoint, rather than the
American so far as the legality OF the
! seizures of cables is concerned, but Eng
| land and France on the other hand have
| communication with their own interests
to decide whether they. too, viii maintain
| in the Far East only by having most of
/ their messages pass through Japanese ter
rltOry. The situation IN the racine when
| has precipitated the American note to
IL. l,aaN
! described by Clarence ii. Mackay, presl-
! dent Of the Commercial Gable and Postal
! Telegraph Co. which owns the Pacific
cables that are at the bottom of the con-
/ troversy.
| largely supported by Dutch capital and
subsidized by the German and Dutch
governments owned cables running from
Guam (owned by the United States) to
| zap there diyerGing, one line going south
to the Dutch Indies and the other going
north to Shanghai.
! We operated the Guam end of that
cable under a contract with the German
Dutch company. All messages for the
| Dutch Indies were sent via zap under
| normal conditions and during Interrupt
tons Of our cable between Guam and Ma
Mia which cut off all communication with
| the Philippines aud China by our route,
we diverted traffic via zap to Shanghai
over this German-Dutch system. Hence
| these cables were very important in main
! tanning uninterrupted communication
with China and the Philippines and the
seizure of zap by the japanese and the
diversion of the cable into one of the Jap
aneSe islands depriycS us of this alterna-
| tive route. There was only one other
alternative route to China and that was
via Japan.
| IF japanese continue to retain the
| Yap-Shanghai cable it will mean that all
/ traffic destined to China and the Philip
pines during Interruptions of our Guam
| Manila cable will have to pass through
Japan. and the volume of traffic to the
1 Philippines would not justify the laying
| O: such a cable which would be practically
| idle most of the time.
The same arguments as to the inter
| ference with American cable cOmmunica-
| ton applies here as to the seizure of the
| German-Atlantic cables. No part of these
cables in the. Pacific touched Japan soil,
but one end touched American territory
| (Guam) and yet the Japanese have seized
| this German-Pacific cable system to the
detriment of American trade with China
and the Philippines and the advantage
/ to their own. | strongly submit that the
I United States in consideration of its CO
j operation in the war should not be af-
fected by being deprived of an important
! alternative means of communication with
! China and its far eastern possessions. the
/ philippine island, which it enjoyed be
4 fore the war"
The island of zap is really worthless
4 except as a place for a cable landing. be
4 cause the distances in the Pacific are sc
4 great that to reach the Far East, the
cables are landed first at Honolulu, then
4 the island of Midway, then Guam and
| finally Zap where the northward cable
/ goes to Shanghai and the southwark cable
n goes to the Dutch East Indies by way OF
the Philippines. Should Japan get con
i troll of the island of zap. it would be
free to refuse permission for a landing
OF any cable except one owned by japan
interests and could thus practically com
pei the sale Of the north end of the pres
ent cable to the japanese. .
Whoever gets possession of the islant
of zap gets the key to the trans-PacifiC
cable communication. The United States
is not anxious for that control herself
but merely wants to have zap information
allied so that no nation can have al
undue advantage. Indeed, the stock oi
the Commercial Pacific Gable Co. is owned
partly by the Mackay companies, partly
by Danish and British interests, although
according to Mr.. Mackay'S own state
ment, the company stands in respect &c
4 the United States government and public
as purely American in its operations as il
every dollar of its stock were provided
by American capital"
The decision of the assembly of tht
league of nations to approve the mandate
giving the island of zap to Japan is. oil
Ecourse, not binding upon the United
States as mandates must also be ap
proved by the council of the league. I'm
fortunately. for this incident. the United
States, while q member of the council
under the treaty of Versailles has not
taken her place in the council so the ques
ton is vet to be determined whether
unanimous action can be taken Will
America absent. Meanwhile the depart
II ment of state has sent it's note merely Il
4 conserve American rights and give Secre
tary of State Hughes free hand afte
March 4 to deal with the situation as hi
deems wise.