The Dominion. WELLINGTON, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1933. A NEW WAR CLOUD

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 186, 4 May 1933, Page 8

The Dominion. WELLINGTON, THURSDAY, MAY 4, 1933. A NEW WAR CLOUD

Several statements of Chinese origin in the news to-day present an alarmist view of the relations between Japan and Russia in Man As U s«gge S ted in these columns a few days ago, Russia’s dispute with the puppet State of Manchukuo over the ownership of certain rolling stock on the Chinese Eastern Railway is really a dispute w t would be ridiculous to suppose that Manchukuo would seek trouble with a strong military Power like Russia _ unless assured o. Japanese support. Manchukuo is merely a pawn in the game which Japan is playing in the Far East. . ... . That the present dispute will develop into actual hostilities s improbable. Of course both Japan and Russia are signatories to the Kellogg Pact. Neither of those countries,_ however, would be likely to be deterred from going to war by that circumstance. Russia is said to have no real faith in the peace pacts of capitalistic nations. Whatever faith she may have had must have been seriously shaken by Japan’s disregard of treaty obligations in pursuing her policyin Manchuria. ~ , . , ... The Soviet Government’s policy is to avoid being dragged into a conflict until the process of social and economic reconstruction has been completed. To safeguard her position in that respect Russia has, in addition to associating herself with the Kellogg Pact, entered into various pacts of non-aggression with neighbouring countries. _ At the present time there is under consideration by the Soviet and Japanese Governments a proposal for a similar treaty. Japanese opinion as represented by Press writers does not favour the idea. In view of the menace of Red propaganda, they contend, Japan should not tie her hands. > Russia’s military policy for the present is professedly defensive. Her preparations, however, resemble m.uch more the organisation of a military power for aggressive action. Her.army, it is stated, has become one of the most powerful of modern war machines. Her citizen training scheme has an annual recruitment of 900,000. The standing army, which is the nucleus of a vast mobilisation, consists of 600,000 highly-trained effectives. The Budget for 1933 raises the annual cost of the Soviet war machine to over £lBO million. Nevertheless, it is extremely doubtful whether the Soviet would risk a war, especially in the Far East. Such a war would conflict with Russia’s immediate policy, and her armies would be heavily handicapped by single-track rail communications with their main base.