TROUBLE FOR JAPAN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 81, 5 April 1941, Page 9

TROUBLE FOR JAPAN.

Britain, Netherlands And United States' Plans. United Press Association.—Copyright. (Reed, noon.) MANILA, April 4: It is revealed that the talks between Air Marshal Sir H. R, BrookePopham,British Commander-in-Chief in the Far East, and United States army and navy officials, dealt with public welfare, food supply, transportation, fuel, electricity, communications, medical facilities, the organisation of volunteer guards and airraid shelters. There is np doubt that the democracies are consolidating their position in this part of the world.

The special representative of the Associated Press of the United States, Mr. Percival, states that he is reliably informed that the Philippines recently received new deliveries of bombers and fighters. There is no large concentration of the United States Fleet in the Philippines, but two strong squadrons are in adjacent waters.

There ie an impression here that the recently-concluded peace treaty between Thailand and Indo-China contained unpublished clauses destined to assist Japan in any southward thrust, providing for the use of air and naval bases adjacent to Malaya, British and Dutch Borneo. Line of Strong Points. However, if Japan moves, she will be faced with trouble from several quarters —Malaya, which is now a huge armed camp capable of forays, the Philippines, Guam and outlying islands of the Dutch East Indies, which th» Netherlands East Indies Government has officially stated are now fortified and defended by strong infantry forces. Mr. Percival, who in the past eight months has made an air survey of the Far East defences, save the islands to the north «of Australia have become armed camps, defended with reinforced fortification?, bombers operating from secret aerodromes, and forces of infantry, while the narrow straits between them are mined to an extraordinary degree. The Dutch officials permitted Mr. Pereival to examine the defences of Timor, Soemba. Soembiiwa, Flores, Lombok, Bali and Sumatra—a 1000-mile group of islands stretching from Darwin to Singapore—also those of Celebes. Haimahera, Ambon and other islands running at right-angles from Ja-va over the Equator toward the Carolines. Guarding Oil Centres: "During the past few days I visited Borneo, the oil centres at Ba'.ik Papan and Tarakan. as well as the refineries at Palembang." he said. "I learned at Borneo that the plants are electrically wired for immediate destruction, preventing output for at least two years. The defences are now «o efficient, however, that their destruction would be only a last resort. "The Dutch air reconnaissance patrols are an outstanding feature. Their operations are co-ordinated with those of cruisers, destroyers and submarines so successfully that not one Dutch merchantman has been lost in the waters around the East Indies, resulting in a constant stream of war materials and supplies being maintained to Great Britain."