Evening star., 1943-11-01
Press Urges Curtin
To Plead Australia S
Territorial Claims
BY GEORGE WELLER.

perlal conferences preceding the end
of the First World War. accordine
to the conservative Australian press.
Curtin is needed in London. say
headlines in the Sydney Morning
Herald, AuStralia's oldest newspaper.
based on 4 dispatch from the paper
London correspondent.
observers believe that behind the
scenes the state OF the postwar world
Is already being determined and that
unless Curtin comes to London soon
1t may be too late for Australia to
play part in shaping that world,
says the dispatch.
I. 5. Not Represented.
1t is recalled here that the imperial
conference summoned by Britain-at
which the United States was not
observation-disclosures German and
Turkish territories in June. 1918.
This conference was held six
months before the last war was
concluded and before Ludendorff
launched Germany's final lunce At
that time, though Allied victory was
not vet certain Britain's dominions
the African and Pacific possessions
Of the conquered Germans.
Australias Premier. William M
Hughes-one of the few World War
figures still active in the political
scene - demanded that Australia
should receive Northern New Guinea
where American troops are now
fighting side by side with Aussies
At this imperial conference Mr.
Hughes also asked that Austraha's
interests be recognized in the Ger
man tranS-Pacific islands. including
the Marshall, Caroline, Pelew and
Marianne groups. Australia also put
IN It's bid for the possession of Nauru,
the rich phosphate-bea island
winch American bOmberS and war
shlpS have attacked in this war
Other claims also were made bv
New zealands S Premier, William F.
Massey for Savali and Upolu two
o1 the largest islands making up
the Samoan group. America already
possessed third. Tutuila Island.
South African Prime Minister Jan
Chrlstlaan Smuts asked for and
obtained German West Africa.
Solomons Divided.
Britain also agreed to divide the
SoiomonS between itself and Aus
tralla, giving Australia the TWO
islands of Buka and Bouealnvillc.
Britain itself took back from Ger
many the Solomon Islands. Choiseul.
Santa Isabel and the Shorthand
group-the firing line of todav's
Solomons battle-which 1t had ex-
changed several years earlier with
Germany for the principal two
Samoan Islands
Today United States forces have
recovered nearly all the British
SolomOnS except ChoiSeul and
Shorthand, but the two former Ger
msn-Aus'ralian mandated islands,
Buka and Bouealnvllle. remain un-
taken
All claims for territory. plus those
by Belgium and Sundry Balkan
powers, later we're consolidated
under the League of Nations man
oates, but never recognized bv the
United States.
since Japan wanted the Marshall,
caroline, PeleW and Marianne-
groups IN order to cut the American
lifeline to the Philippines. japanese
nplomatS agreed to support Aus
tralla's claim for New Guinea if Mr..
Hughes would support the japanese
clam for what is today their most
formidable network of island bases
Japan's naval pressure forced
President Wilson to modify his
plehlSclte system into giving c man
Gates over German territory tn
japan, Australia and New Zealand
in tho Pacific. c mandates
amounted to all control short of
actual territorial possession. Thus
the territorial aims determined six
months before the war ended were
carried out.
AItnoueh Americans are now fight
lng 10 recover colonies which Aus
fralla took under mandate from Ger
many IN New Guinea and the
SolomrnS, the United States Con-
sfeSs never has recognized legal title
10 these areas. It was conferred
only by the League of Nations fol-
lowing the wartime imperial con-
ference where American views were
not voiced. America never entered
inc League and never approved its
territorial dispositions.
Australia Watches L. :.
curtin can speak in Whitehall
lor Australia as no other Australian
mas spoken since Hughes" saws
the Sydney Herald Decisions to be
mace are on such high level thai
only dominion Prime Minister hos
me necessary authority to help make
them, Matters have risen to and
VIII continue al a level requiring the
presence OF the dominions' highest
Spokesmen. Why else is Gen. Smut>
in London today?"
lnaSmuCh as Secretary of the NAVY
Knox, who frequently acts as spokes-
man for the administra ton has
stated that the United States re-
oulres permanent Pacific air and
naval bases, Australia is watching
with almost equal interest to see
whether the United States presents
IN London its Pacific and Africs,
aims or allows them to 60 by default
as occurred at the correspondiry
wartime conference when the Ger
mans were beginning to crack Under
t1e flrst onset of the AEF in the
First World War.
lhere is no lack of emphaSs here
IN presentation of the Australian
case. while American Pracific inter
ests. dating from the other war. are
still unformulated and Secretary
knoXs expression Of American aims
remains unimplemented.
BY contrast, AuStralia'S demands
have broadencd greatly beyond
those successfully pressed by Mr..
Hughes at the June, 1918. confer
enCe.
The Bulletin, a weekly magazine
OF political comment. quoting an
expression Of Minister for External
Affairs H. V. .Evatt-"EXtended Aus