WORLD AFFAIRS.

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 282, 28 November 1929, Page 6

WORLD AFFAIRS.

A WEEKLY REVIEW. (By BYSTANDER.) Clemenceau has died as lie always lived — courageous, resolute, and self-assertive to the last. In a smaller man his concentrated egoism might have seemed weakness or vanity. But he was built on a large scale, and his,sublime confidence in himself and his own opinions was not the least impressive of his many fine qualities. The man's most strongly-marked characteristics —his "cocksureness" and his positive inability to accept other people's standpoints or to adopt their views— made it almost impossible for other politicians ®to work with him, and left him for the greater part of his 6tormy life "playing a lone hand" in the defeat of governments and the overthrow of opposing parties. But those very qualities marked him out as the one man able to save France and the cause for which she fought in the darkest days of the Great War. He towered high above the waverers and compromisers and "defeatists' around him. Stern and unbending in adversity, buoyant and optimistic when other men despaired, holding always to his faith in his beloved France and her destiny, Clemenceau more than any other mafl stemmed the rising tide of German victory; and the simple words, "He saved France," would be his best and most fitting epitaph.

An Awkward Problem. Now that Clemenceau has gone, and Poiricare is no longer in office, it will be interesting to see how the French Government handles the problem of the Saar, which is to be submitted to them once more in a new form. By the Versailles Treaty the Saar mines were handed over to France by way of recompense for the deliberate destruction of the coal mines in Northern France by the Germans. But it is maintained in Germany that France has already taken from the Saar considerably more coal than she lost in the northern fields, and at the same time she has drawn much additional revenue by including the Saar district in her own Customs system. The Germans therefore demand that the whole situation be reconsidered, and a conference has been arranged between French and German delegates for this question. It is important to remember that in 1935 the present arrangement comes to an end, but the people in the district will be then allowed to decide by a popular vote to which country they wish to belong. As the inhabitants of the Saar are mostly Germans, the vote is not likely to favour France, and for this reason the French are anxio.us to come to terms with the Germans before they lose the mines for ever. There are many ways in which the economic rights and requirements of the two countries could be adjusted. t ßut there is no way in which the Saar could be converted into French territory; at least, it would be the wildest folly to attempt by any forcible means to transform these Prussians and Bavarians into citizens of France. Even more than the rest of Europe, France ought to realise the strength of racial ties and national spirit, and she must have too much wisdom to create a German Alsace-Lorraine to trouble the world's peace in years to come.

Chaos in China. After a cessation of hostilities extending over some weeks the Russian forces have again attacked Manchuria, at either end of the Eastern Railway. The Chinese seem to have lost heavily, and the Soviet threat to occupy Harbin, the capital of Northern Manchuria, within a month, seems likely to be carried into effect. The Chinese are said to be losing heart, their Manchurian levies are retreating rapidly, and already there are rumours of an attempt to negotiate with Moscow. What makes this report credible is the terrible state of confusion in which the rest of China is now weltering. Though it was rumoured some time ago that the "Christian" General Feng had been captured, his army is still fighting strongly on a long front. Chiang Kai-shek has gone to the scene of hostilities, and for some '.days past Kuominchun and Kuomintang forces have been locked in a deadly grapple. After a bewildering series of marches and counter-marches both armies are attacking their opponents' rearguards, and the Nationalists appear to be giving way before the rebels. If Hankow falls, the Nationalist Government must retire to Nanking, and in that case most of the centre and south will probably cast in its lot with Feng. The end is not yet, but under the circumstances one can hardly blame the Nationalists, faced as they are with irremediable disaster, for attempting to come to terms with Russia about Manchuria.

A Hard-worked Argument, The new Labour Government of the Commonwealth has decided to fitop immigration for the time, so as to prevent the increase of unemployment in Australia, and Mr. Scullin has notified the Imperial authorities to that effect. Naturally the British Government feels a little resentful at being "let down" over its £34,000,000 emigration loan agreement with Australia, and a member of the British Labour party has adopted a highly ingenious line of criticism at the Commonwealth's expense. Australia, he says in effect, wants Britain to spend money on the Singapore base on the ground that the Empire must be strengthened and defended. Well, Britain wants to send out her surplus millions to people the waste places of the Dominions for the eame object—to strengthen and consolidate the Empire and maintain its integrity. If Australia insists on this policy in regard to Singapore, how can ehe repudiate the immigration agreement that she has pledged herself to carry out? I must own that I cannot see any close analogy between strengthening a naval base —which might in time of storm and stress not only protect Australia against invasion but save Britain's naval power from destruction—and flooding a continent with surplus unemployed. After all, it only comes to this, that a good many people at Home do not believe in the Singapore base, and do believe in emigration.

A Gloomy Horizon. In 'spite of the enthusiasm displayed by all classes and sections of the people at Home over Mr. Snowden's victory at The Hague and Mr. Mac Donald's camping expedition with Mr. Hoover, the clouds are already darkening on Labour's political horizon. The industrial depression and the trouble in the cotton, woollen and coal mining trades are quite enough to keep the Government's hands full in Britain; and as regards foreign affairs, Mr. Mac Donald and Mr. Henderson may expect unlimited criticism regarding Egypt, India, Iraq, and Russia. One section of the general public is complaining of the enormous expenditure contemplated on social legislation— £8,000,000 extra this year and over £19,000,000 more next year and at the same moment the Labour extremists are deriding Mr. Snowden for what they term his "niggardliness" over the unemployment dole. And it is from this quarter that Mr. Mac Donald has most to fear. The other day Mr. David Kirkwood said at Glasgow that "the Socialist Government has done nothing for the working classes," and he ended an impassioned harangue by declaring that Mr. Mac Donald is no more use to him than Mr. Baldwin unless he will "deliver the goods." So if Mr. Mac Donald does not conciliate the 'left wingers," they will revolt, and if he does conciliate them, the Liberals will join hands with the Conservatives to eject him from office. Mr. Lloyd George has already warned the Labour Cabinet what will happen if Ministers "go Socialist," and under the circumstances he may be expected to keep his word.