NAVAL BASES IN THE PACIFIC.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 274, 18 November 1936, Page 6

NAVAL BASES IN THE PACIFIC.

Britain, United States and Japan. All Alert —Expiration of Washington Treaty.

AT THE END of this year two treaties limiting naval armaments will expire, and with them will die, unless extended in the meantime, Article XIX. of the Washington Treaty of 1922, which for fourteen years has prevented the strengthening, and has maintained the status quo, of the fortifications bases of the United States, Great Britain and Japan- over a vast area of the Pacific.

Hence (writes Hanson W. Baldwin in the "New York Times") within a few months, unless the diplomats of the three principal sea Powers can find a preventive, the nations may commence linking their Pacific inteiests with chains of steel. The process, in fact, lias

already begun, had begun even at the time of the signing of the Washington Treaty, for Article XIX. specifically exempted froip the status quo prohibitions the Hawaiian Islands, any American Continental and coastal points (except the Aleutian Islands, which are included in the prohibited area), any British possessions west of 110 degrees east longitude (meaning Singapore) and any British bases along, or adjacent to, the coasts of Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Japan was specifically prohibited from further fortifying or improving, in a naval way, "the Kurile Islands, the Bonin Islands, Amami-Oshima, the Loochoo Islands, Formosa and the Pescadores, and anv insular territories or possessions in the Pacific Ocean which Japan may hereafter acquire." The prohibition, however, did not extend to the Japanese Islands proper.

Strength of Singapore. Before the ink was dry on the Washington Treaty Singapore was growing into what it is to-day—the most formidable British hase of all time, heavily fortified, complete with garrisons, landing fields, coast and air dcfeiices, coastal patrol vessels, anti-aircraft guns, plans for minefields, fuelling facilities, one of the world's largest floating drydocks and docking and repair equipment for every type of commercial and naval vessel. Japan strengthened her home naval bases and despite the treaty "developed," in particular, Formosa, and the Caroline, Marshall and Marianne Islands, mandated to her by the League of Nations and lying—a "milky way of atolls and islets—directly across our trade routes to the Philippines. Japan was charged at Geneva with fortifying these islands, but denied the charges. Japan admits, however, and travellers attest, that she has made thorough surveys of the islands, that so-called commercial wharfage has been built, that channels and harbours have been dredged, and other work which does not violate the letter of Article XTX. has been accomplished. Formosa and Pescadores. About Formosa and the Pescadores less is known, but there Ims been, particularly since 1930, much Japanese naval activity in this region; there are bases or stations at Bako and Taiwan; an aeroplane base, or landing field, has been laid out within easy flying range of the northernmost islands of ' the Philippine Archipelago, and probably considerable harbour improvements have been made. It was probably to the activity in this region and the lesser activity in the mandated islands that the Secretary to the United States Navy, Mr. Swanson, referred when he said that "fortifications must be met with fortifications —menace with menace." In any case, Formosa closes the northern mouth of the China Sea. and checkmates —if it does not render untenable —the nearby British base at Hongkong, which was one of the specifically prohibited areas under the terms of Article NIX.

The United States, for Its part, lias not been idle. Sifice 192*2 our naval facilities along the West Coast have been greatly expanded

and strengthened, until now all impoitant Pacific ports—Seattle, San Francisco, Los A life les and Sail Diego—arc naval bases or stations, and army or navy air fields and coast defences stretch from the Mexican border to Canada. Far to the south, the Panama Canal has been ringed in with a bristling wall ot steel —-sixteen-inch guns, twelve-inch 711 or tain, air fields, etc., and a further programme ot canal defence at a cost of 25,000,000 dollars lias been planned. Out in mid-Pacific the Hawaiian island of Oahu, long the keystone of our Pacific defence structure, is being developed into an American Singapore. For some years past particularly since 19:30—Pearl Harbour, near Honolulu, has grown in world importance as a "aval base until to-day in strength and facilities it Jfi probably the peer of Singapore, and is even more important strategically.

Prohibited by Article XIX. from fortifying or developing the Aleutians, curving southwestward from Alaska toward the Japanese Ivurils, the Americans have nevertheless made most careful surveys of the group; 'planes liave been flown over these rocky, fog-bound islands; warships have manoeuvred in these waters, and weather stations have been established in this bleak region where storms are born.

Atolls Become Important. Further to the south —also, within the prohibited area —-the United States Xavy has recently taken jurisdiction over a number of the little atolls stretching north-westward from the Hawaiian group —notably over Kure or Ocean Island, Midway and others. PanAmerican Airways 'planes and naval 'planes have skipped from stepping stone to stepping stone, from Hawaii to Wake to Guam (both of the latter two under naval jurisdiction), and surveys have been made of and colonies maintained 011 (to establish our'sovereignty), such tiny pinheads in that vast arena as Johnston Island. Howland and Baker Islands— almost on the equator —Kingman Eeef, Palmyra and Jarvis Islands. The Philippines, with the somewhat antiquated base at Cavite, have not escaped this preliminary activity. Xo actual increases in fortifications or in naval facilities have been made there, but the army has sprinkled air bases from one end of the archipelago to the other, the northernmost -being close to Formosa. And Douglas Mac Arthur has begun to effectuate plans for a lai'iie Philippine standing army, an impressive air force and a fleet of small gnat-like coastal torpedo boats. The Present Situation. Such is the situation in the troubled Pacific to-day. Outside the prohibited area — that odd-shaped section defined by Article XIX. —the nations are already strongly armed. Singapore, Hawaii, Panama and the Japanese island bases are probably more adequately serviced and heavily defended than any other bases in the world. Within the prohibited area, American Onvite and Guam, British Hongkong and Japanese Formosa. Amami Oshima and the Bonins are armed, though some of them indifferently. Possible bases in the Aleutians, the Japanese mandated islands, and in the American string of atolls fanning out from Hawaii have been explored and are known. If the British proposal to extend the life of Article XIX. is not consummated, the "lid will be off." Britain, it seems apparent from the latest concept of her Far Eastern strategy, has withdrawn her real outpost of empire to mighty Singapore, and Hongkon-r and her Chinese concessions are not likely to play important roles in the fortifications race. But unless Article XTX. lives in some form or another, within a few months Japan may be busy locking her empire within a cordon of bases and forts with which to make her domination of the Western Pacific secure, while the United States may be linking its Pacific possessions with naval and air bases—links which, if forged, would sooner or later penetrate the Japanese cordon.