The Pacific Mandates.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 19, 6 January 1920, Page 5

The Pacific Mandates.

JAPANESE DEMANDS. FOR RACIAL EQUALITY. DETERMINED REPRESENTATION. (By Cable.—Press Association.—Copyright.] (Received 6, 9.25.) Paris, Jan. 5. The Japanese reservation in respect to the Pacific mandates is regarded as a further effort to secure racial recognition. It is anticipated that when the full conference resumes, the Japanese will seek to secure recognition of equality in the mandates, and will probably take the view that the league of Nations should not discriminate between nationalities included in the League on the question of immigration to mandatory territories, and that legislation by any particular nation holding a mandate should not be allowed to inflict disabilities on other parties to the League in territories for which the League merely delegates its trusteeship. It is not considered likely that the British will accede to any departure from the methods adopted at the conference when a highly placed member of the British delegation expressed the. opinion that the laws of the country holding the mandate should be applicable to the territory. The Japanese if unsuccessful now will carry their demand to the first assembly of the League of Nations. [Mr. Matsui (Japanese Ambassador to Great Britain, and a Japanese delegate to the Peace Conference), on behalf of Japan, strongly objected to an Australian regime for the islands south of the equator, on the grounds that it bats Japanese immigration, placing the ’ Japanese in a worse position than under German occupation.]

PHILIPPINE PROBLEM. JAPANESE ACQUIRING LAND. Vancouver, Dec. 27. It is reported from Washington that members of the Philippine Legislature are worried over the land problem, particularly with reference to Japanese acquisition of agricultural tracts. The Japanese control the richest part of the Davao province, the greatest hemp district in the islands. A great stir was recently caused by the Japanese purchase of a large sugar estate close by Manila. Two bills have been introduced by the Legislature compelling owners to give preference to near-by residents when making sales.