THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 85, 3 January 1918, Page 4

THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

QUESTION OF FUTURE CONTROL ATTITUDE OF NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT "Speaking for myself I am confident that with the operation of the, Panama Canal the islands of the Pacific will become increasingly important," said ft the Prime Minister (Right Hon. AV. J<\ Massey) yesterday, "and tho British people in the 'Pacific cannot bo too careful to see that mistakes such as thoso which occurred in tho past are not repeated." For some time past the New Zealand Government has been making representations to tho Imperial Government not only in regard to the strong feeling which exists here as to any proposal to hand back to Germany the islands in the Pacific now hold by British forces, but also as to tho probablo difficulties of successful competit : on after tho war with a leading German firm which has been doing business in these islands—the Deutsche Handels and Plantagon Gesselschaft Company. Australia has also taken active measures in the same direction. Recently it was announced tlfat the policy of tho Commonwealth was to increase control of tlie Australian and British copra and other trades in the South Pacific which were previously in German hands. This, it was asserted, could be equally achieved whether the trade came to tho Commonwealth or to any other part of the Empire. New Zealand initiated certain inquiries in tho copra trade in the Tongan group, and it was arranged between the Governments concerned that the Commonwealth should enjoy the co-operation of both the New Zealand Government and the H'fih Commissioner for the Western Pacific. Tho Now Zealand Government some time ago took steps to deal with Gorman trade in Samoa,'and made certain recommendations in respect to German trade' in tho Tongan Islands which liavo been accepted. "Tho Government was very anxious that the whole of the business of tho Deutsche Handels and Platagen Gesselschaft Company should be taken over by New Zealanders," said Mr. Massev yesterday, "and we were exceeding .v disappointed-that only a. comparatively small nart of it came to the. Common. The difficulty on the part of New Zealanders has been, of course, the uncertaintv with regard to the future 6f the islands—whether they will become British territory in the ordinary seiwe of the term, or whether -after the wai though they are now in the P ns^ sl °" of British troops—tho islands will go back to Germany.