Evening star., 1935-01-06
BY OWEN L. SCOTT.

Japan calmly scuttled the Wash
ington treaty limiting naval building,
and almost Immediately warlike
sparks began to fly.
Admiral Reeves, commander in
chief of the American Battle Fleet,
announced plans for far-fiung naval
maneuvers in the Pacific. Budget es-
Inmates called for large expenditures
on new warships, accompanied by the
addition of thousands of men to the
Navys enlisted personnel. The Sec
retary of the Navy prepared to ask
for several hundred more naval Off
GERS. Larger expenditures were
planned for the Army. Talk revived
of fortifying the Aleutian Islands that
lie east of Alaska and offer a new
American naval outpost.
These developments came in the
face of the fact that this Government
desired to do nothing that would ag-
gravate a rather tense international
situation
Are the related happenings just a
coincidence, or is a race in armament
getting under way between Japan
and the United States? If there Is
to be a race, what is the stake? Just
why should the United States be more
concerned about the troubles of
China and the remainder of Asia
| than England or France or other
powers? Might 1t be that Uncle Sam
is being maneuvered into pulling
other peoples chestnuts out Of the
| fire?
L. - " ~
Time alone can give the answer to
some of the questions now being
asked. Two years must elapse before
the Washington treaty actually ter
inmates. and this country has much
building to do before its Navy reaches
the limit allowed by present inter
national agreements. Plenty of time
remains for minds to be changed.
Yet there is little room for doubt
that the Japanese had the American
Navy in mind when renouncing the
Washington treaty and asserting a
determination to have the right to
possess naval force as large as any
in the world.
Why was the American Navy
thought Of and not the British? The
English have much larger stakes IN
Asia than have Americans. The rea-
son is that the United States long
has regarded the Pacific as its back
yard. There are the Philippines to
think of, next door to Asia. There
are the Hawaiian Islands to protect
as a defensive outpost. But most of
all, in its foreign policy, the United
States has been concerned about the
open door" in China. That means
we insist on equal trading rights for
all nations in Chinese markets.
At the same time Japan has her
eyes on China. She is ambitious to
dominate the Asiatic region. Already
Manchuria has become Manchoukuo
| puppet state, dominated by the Jap
| anese The United States still re-
fuses to recognize this new state That
partially thwarts Japanese ambition to
become undisputed overload in part
of the world in which America has
had a special interest. BY its Far
Eastern policy. particularly as regards
China, this country seems to cross
Japan.
Just what lies back of American
policy? Is the possible trade with
| China worth a naval base, or even
tually a war?
A look at the figures gives the an
swer. Exports from the United States
to China during the first nine months
Of 1884 amounted to about SOS ,000,-
900 out Of total in exports to all
nations of $500, 900, 900. Imports into
| the United States from China in the
same period amounted to $38, ,000, 600
against total of 1,036, ,000, 900 from
all nations.
On that basis, the total Chinese
trade scarcely would pay more than
a fraction Of the cost Of battleships
now being built. One capital ship, of
the kind that would be built after the
washington treaty expires, costs about
$80,000,000. In fact, the cost of naval
maneuvers in the Pacific during MAY
and June will mount to figure that
would not seem insignificant In COM
parison with present trade with China
If the Chinese market Is scarcely
worth q battle. what Of the Philip.
pines? Don't we have to watch Out
for them?
AS a matter Of fact, naval plans
| are understood to call for no sus-
tanned defense of the Philippines ir
the event of war. They are too ex-
posed, too difi1cult to defend. But
more than that, Congress has de.
cided that this country would like
to grant independence to the Philip
pine Islands. American farmers dc
not like competition from Philippine
sugar and oils. In addition, the
islands are expensive to maintain and
afford q relatively minor market for
American products. If the policy o1
this country is to pull out Of its i'm
perialistic venture into the Far East
there can hardly be ground for a
naval race on that score.
Then with the Philippines elm.
mated as q major source of trouble
what Of trade with Japan herself?
Is there unusual rivalry between
American and Japanese traders?
| Again Ahcts and figures tell the