AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue 7388, 14 February 1902, Page 2

AUSTRALIAN NEWS.

Received February 14, 9.52 a.m.

Sydney, February 14. The Japanese treaty is generally viewed with approval in political and commercial circles.

Mr Barton considers there is not the slightest reason for unrest amongst the people of Australia over tbe "open door " policy. He maintained that the treaty was largely a commercial one, and anything that advanced the trading interest of Britain was for the good of tbe trading interest of Australia, and placed tbe Empire in a much stronger position, both from naval and military standpoints, and does not inorease the risk of attack upon Australia. Mr Reid says it ia one oi the most momentous steps Britain has takenjn the last quarcer of a century ftaugot with the gravest issues. If, as ha surmises, America is behind Britain and Japan, then we .can welcome another great advance towards the ultimate fusion of the Anglo-Saxon race. The Queensland Premier considers it will have the result of making the Commonwealth Parliament more cir« oumspect in dealing with Japanese. News has been received that the Governor of Tahiti, at the request of the Queen's sons and headmen, has annexed the Island of Rimatara and its dependencies, over which France sometime exercised a protectorate.