Evening star., 1942-01-13
Australia as Our Bose

American reinforcementsa are COM
ing" to safeguard Australia and other
points in the Far East. This official
statement by the Australian Navy
Minister, Norman Maxim, emphasizes
the Importance Of the great British
Commonwealth, down under" in
the war against Japan. More and
more it becomes evident that Aus
tralia is the natural base for the
tremendous counteroffenSive which
ultimately must be made, largely by
American arms, in order to recon-
quer the Philippines and expel the
Japanese from the South Seas.
There is no use blinking the fact
that the tide of japanese aggression
sweeps rapidly onward and that it
presumably will 60 farther before it
is stopped decisively. The Philip
pines are virtually lost, Singapore is
threatened, and the entire outer line
of the Dutch Indies is under in
tenSive attack. While the Dutch
may hold out some time in Java, the
seat of their colonial empire, their
"outer possessions" stretching from
Borneo to New Guinea, are thinly
held and cannot long be defended
against strong Japanese expedition
ary forces. Unless large-scale aid
quickly comes, the japanese soon
may master those outer regions. in
cluding the island of Timor, which
lies less than 500 miles from Port
Darwin, the key base of Northern
Australia. Port Darwin is thus a
vital strategic position that must be
held at all costs. And it soon must
be held largely by American aid,
since Australian spokesmen frankly
admit that If the Dutch Indies fall,
communications not only with Sing
apore but with India and Britain
itself will be cut and Australia iso-
lated except from America.
The splendid showing of Aus
tralian troops on many battlef1elds
from Malaga to North Africa and
Greece should not blind US to the
fact that the Commonwealth re-
sources are limited and that its de-
tense problems are serious. This
antipodean continent, large as the
United States, has population only
as large as that Of New York City-a
trifle over 100000. Furthermore,
most OF its people are concentrated
in its southeastern corner, some 1000
miles away from its tropical north
guarded by Port Darwin. In be-
tween lie vast deserts, while the
northern coast is almost uninhab-
tied. This means that, il the Japa-
nese should attain local sea and air
supremacy, they could land at will
anywhere along those empty coasts,
establish bases, and possibly attack
Port Darwin overland.
Port Darwin is an ideal base. It
has superb harbor and fine air
facilities. Within the past few years
it has been fortified heavily on the
seaward side. Also, motor highway
has been built across the 500 miles
of desert which formerly separated
the southern railhead at Alice
Springs, in the dry heart of Australia,
from the local railway line which
runs inland from Port Darwin 200
miles to Birdum, at the central
deserts northern edge. This makes
it possible for troops and supplies to
reach port Darwin overland instead
of by the very long sea voyage
around Queensland and through
narrow, dangerous waters between
the tip of Australia and its depend
ency of New Guinea.
From the defense aspect, it is a
handicap that so many of Australias S
best troops are far away in Malaga
and in North Africa. The Common
wealth has instituted general mill
tary training for home service, so
large percentage of Australias man
power is now under arms, and the
intensive development of Australian
war industry during the past two
years makes it possible to equip
those troops mainly from home
armament plants But with a popu-
lation Of only 100000 to draw on,
the size of the Army obviously is
limited, and it must be spread pretty
thin if even minimum protection is
to be given vital areas.
hustralia's danger is self-evident.
Unless Japan is stopped in the Dutch
Indies, it soon will become acute.
And American troops, as we'll as ships
and planes, seemingly are needed to
redress the balance.