WORLD POWERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 173, 23 July 1936, Page 16

WORLD POWERS.

NEED FOR EXPANSION.

LECTURER'S SOLUTION. "SURRENDER" OF SAMOA. Continuing the series of lectures on "Peace and Change," organised >by the departments of history and economics at the Auckland University College, Mr. L. W. Ifolt, lecturer in accountancy, gave a forceful address last night on "The Demands for Expansion of the Unsatiated Powers." The keen interest taken in the lecture was shown by the number of people desiring to question Mr. Holt at its conclusion.

Defining tlie unsatiated Powers as those which were advancing the claim that territorial markets were essential to allow for the reasonable needs of their population, Mr. Holt said that his arguments would be confined, mostly to the Great Powers whose claims were being advanced most consistently and whose attitude was of vital concern to the world, namely, Germany, Italy and Japan. He then set out the grounds on which the different countries based their demands for colonies and examined each one in turn, making a careful analysis of the cases of the three countries named before. The claims for the most part were advanced on the grounds that colonies were wanted as outlets for surplus population; fields for investment of capital; sources of supply of raw 'materials; markets for manufactures; and as something essential for national prestige. It would appear that the claims of surplus population were the strongest.

The speaker then proceeded to outline the cases of several nations, pointing out that in the case of Germany 110 official claim for expansion had yet been made, although it was practically certain that some claim would shortly come for the return of her former colonies as a matter of national prestige. Japan had made remarkable progress in the establishment of industry and although a small country, relatively poor in natural resources, had a teeming population. Foreign trade was for her a necessity, owing to her deficiency in raw materials. She was complaining that a large part of the world market was closed against her manufacturers and that she was meeting with little response to her demands for freedom of world trade. It was not surprising that she is seeking a position on the continent of Asia, which will enable her to obtain raw materials in return for manufactured goods, said the lecturer. Italy's case was based mainly on the necessity for emigration, supply of raw materials and markets, her position being probably the most serious of the three Powers. Perhaps the strongest claim advanced by unsatisfied Powers to-day was that the Colonies offered markets for the production of the home country.

Mr. Holt believed that in the interests of peace and justice, all those territories not under self government should be administered by direct mandate from the League and not by individual Powers as at the present time. The difficulties at the present -time were great, but not insuperable. He suggested that New Zealand could render no greater service to, the world than to champion the general principle of colonial administration, and to show her sincerity she should make an unconditional surrender of the Samoan mandate for administration by the League. By this means filie could make a "substantial contribution to justice and peace.