THE GREY RIVER ARGUS SATURDAY, April 18 1925. THE DANGER TN THE PACIFIC.

Grey River Argus, 18 April 1925, Page 4

THE GREY RIVER ARGUS SATURDAY, April 18 1925. THE DANGER TN THE PACIFIC.

'i’hc movement by Australian Labourites just reported in a press cable for johit action by the 'workers in all countries horderi the Pacific to avoid war is timely. The. .militarists , of neither Britain nor America now : make no bones over broadcasting prop- ‘ aganda for a war in the Pacific in i the near future. The principal factor making for such a calamity is the trade rivalry in relation to China. Four or five European Powers only recently have refused to aid in putting- down the opium evil because of their trading covetousness, and the Imperialistic Powers are all prepared to go further than that.. They arc now setting ! the stage for a new Armageddon in j this hemisphere. At the moment that ; the American Government is talking 'of a fresh 1 ‘disarmament ’ 1 conference, IJt has a record naval concentration of 1 126 -warships in the centre of the ( Pacific rehearsing what in actuality ' can be only a terrible tragedy. The | next act is for a large detachment of | these warship to cross the Pacific, | ‘ ‘ nominally for a flag-showing tour of ■ simple friendliness,” according to a ’ spokesman of British nnvalism. Sir I Herbert Russell, just quoted in a press cable, but “ really for an un mistakefl bl? political demonstration.” The same spokesman, referring to Japan’s new cruisers, accuses her of <f an unostentatious preparation for war in the Pacific,” and he goes on to let the oat out of the bag by admitting at , last that Singapore is designed also for such eventuality. Seeing that BriI fish statesmen a. long time ago declared the Singapore, naval project has been long' in contemplation, it is a \-ery questionable argument now to I say ihc Jananese cruisers planned or i under construction are the raison d’etre for the scheme at Singapore. Russell, however, does admit that I China is the disturbing factor, and, as a. support for his warlike outlook, he implies that the motive power behind the allegedly warlike Japanese policy is a fear that she will be prevented from disposing there of her surplus population, and that American foreign policy becomes “real” where trade is concerned —as distinct, wc daresay, from the case where the consideration is (i disarmament! ” Be the things making for war what they may, it is evi-> dent, despite all the disarmament ta I k. that -the Tnifpcrialiotie Towers interested in the Pacific arc working less by far for peace than fjr war. This now has come to be more, candidly acknowledged than formerly. The hig

capitalists in each instance arc the men behind the scrcccn. .It is not they, but tin l working classes who Will provide the cannon fodder. Therefore, as becomes a Labour movement with so splendid a record as that of Australia, it is fitting that the warning note should there be sounded for the proletariat in every other land bordering the vast ocean that united action by them is urgent if this ocean’s fame is to accord as well with its name in the future as it has done in the past. Henceforth propaganda will unceasingly be broadcasted with the object of working up a war spirit among all the people around the Pacific kvith the object of that great growth in armaments that is proved by history ot be the sure and certain prelude to war. We do not got Japan’s side of the case,, of course,k but wc know that she is pinning her defence largely to submarines, which she regards as noii-offensive in an ocean like the Pacific, and this despite the fact that she holds islands as far apart as tropical Formosa and the Arctic Kurile Islands. If the truth wore fully known, indeed, it would turn out that the key to this problem has very little to do 'with defence, but is to be summed up almost wholly in the capit alistic designs of rival imperialisms upon the helpless but potentially rich Empire of China. To avoid their own exploitation, therefore, in another vast trade war, the workers in all the a footed countries must become vigilantly on their guard.