THE WEEK.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue 9435, 6 September 1907, Page 4

THE WEEK.

The trouble between til© United States and Japan has not been removed, and zt would appear that the. anxiety of the Americans is widespread, at any rate- oveir the states which Lorder the Pacific. It *'s said that, the people of British Columbia aare. in a state of panic arising from the fear that the. Japanese aare organising a pts(aoefu'l invasion with, a view to making tho Pacific coast "ycilow." At tho same time the American arrangements for the transference, of the fleet from the Atlantic are pushed forward, aad the latest suggestion is that' Proswient Bjbosevelt has arranged with the Kaiser to guarantee the integrity of the Atlantic seaboard during ihe absence of thei fleet." Despite all the suave diplomacy, the American people re. fuse, to bdiev© that tbie. costly voyage of the armada is meirety the- outcome of a desire for a Jbattieshrp cruise-. Looking back ic{>rer thie events of tihe- past few months, it stems clear that tha San Franciscan school Tuptume. was iittle more- than an expression of dieep-rooted hostility. A> a matter of fact there wi^e -only ninetyttoee- Japanese, scholars am/ongst the 28,736 school children in San Francisco, and of these- th# flotail number of Japs over the age of fifteen yeais — and it wa,* age that was objected to — atfcsnding tho primary" s-ohoclß was exactly slix! It would have been an cxti-aorduiaoy illustration of great Testuits from small c-amses if the fact that these- six youths were prevented from bitting .on the forms of tibo primary schools had plunged thie- two nations into war.

Sinct that expnefciifton of discontent there, have been serious attacks on th* Japanese, and tho subsequent blunt refusal of Japan to consider a proposal for a treaty based on the. etxdlusiion of Jtapanosei laliorera from the. United States. The objection, to this proposal to close the door is veay bitter, because tho necessity for popsu latiou outikts is so great. Japan is only a small country, comprising 190,534 square miles (New Zealand has 103.568 square miles), and haa to support a. population of 50 000,000. And Japan is by no means so prolific as New Zeahnd Jt is not rich in fertile soil; ntarly one-half of its area being made up of stretches iof volcanic rock almost -wholly unavailable for oultivation Consequently Japan wants new fields. She covets the Philippines, shewants Korea across wMoh to overflow, and certainly desires freedom for her ■workers to cross the Pacific to the broad lan is of -America. Perhaps whan the American" fleet finds itself established in tihe Pacific, the exclusion laws so urgently demanded by the people- of tihe western

states will be passed without a. "by yoaT leave' to Japan.

Students of t<he cable news will perhaps puzzle themselves occasionally in an endexvor to define tho cause of the Indian spditicffi. That nystery, however, not only puzzles but to a certain extent dismay* the most experienced Anglo-Indians. Tho London Spectator observes that "the cau&i> is absolutely 'invisible. The Gcvernmont has done notliing good or bad that should Touse tho potple to resistance. There have, perhaps, boon blunders in the collection of the land tax in the Punjab; Imt tho movement is not- confirmed to tho Punjab, and Bengal is under tlio Perpetual Settlement. Neither the masses, nor the ssoldieiy care one straw whether the alvuTiiii of the Colleges ci-e provided for by tho State or arc* left to find income's by their own exeitions. Indeed, one most remarkable, feature of the whole movement is the absence. cA any definite grievanoo the removal of which wteuld at once conciliate, opinion. That India shaved in the mental shock produced throughout Asia by the victories of thl© Japanese is acknowledged by e^ery experienced offioiajl; but the Japanese* are bound to ths British Government by tho strongest of *1! ties—a necessity for assistance if they ar* attacked by ica in their itcme wateas, and by a combination of Powers. The discontent has, in fact, manifested itself like a subterranean f orce which suddenly shatters cities yet leaves th© citizens powerless to explain, or even understand, the comI motion."

Rightly or wrongly a. suspicion lives perpetually in the minds of the British people that German diplomacy is everlasfc- J ingly directed against British, interest*. ! For a long time a similar feeling, and it was cordially mutual, existed' between Britain and Russia. During late years,' however, th© .relationship has been much more friendly, and now we have, the announcement that a convention has been I signed whereby the outstanding differences between the two peoples are to be compromised. The arrest of Russian) development in Eastern Asia by the Japanese no doubt made Britain's diplomatic task easier. There must/ have been eerious obstacles in. .the .way of an adjustment of 'the conflicting riaims in Central and Western Asia, and in delimiting the sepaate spheres of influence in PeTsia. It is understood! that in Afghanistan, and Thibet the status quo is to be maintained, and in the Far Ea6t the lines of the Anglo-Japanese treaty are. to be generally followed. Perhaps the greatest difficulty centred' about the Pension Gulf, but Russia, it is authoritatively stated, withdrew her claim for a port there, while England, on the other hand, maintained her determination to hold the rail-head of any Tailway finding its outlet at the Gulf. For many years Turkey has been an arena, for controversy and mistrust, and if it is td*ue that Russia and) England have agreed to "maintain the integrity of the Turkish Empire," it may unhappily mean a continuance of the frightful condition of things which have for so long prevailed in Macedonia.

Incitement to crime, continues in Ireland, and agrarian outrages are of frequent occurrence. "A strong menacing movement, to show that the people axe not to' be trifled with," is thie' policy recommended, by Mr Redmond. As showing how bitterly disturbed the country is it has been found necessary to proclaim Counties Claire, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Roscommon and Kings County as requiring additional police.

Raisuli has been inactive during the week, and the centre of interest in Alorocco has shifted to the Sultan, and. hLs brother, Mulai Hand, whose respective followers aie preparing to cut each otners' throats. The Pretender's cause is winning approval, and therefore the Sultan is advised to make war upon him forthwith.- It looks as if the Moors will be so much occupied with each .other during the next few weeks itfhat they Vvifl be unable to pay any attention to the Infidels.

In New Zealand the amending Arbitration Act and the taociff question) have aroused widespread attention. The business of 'Paaiiament proceeds from day bo day, but tihe work ahead is important enough to keep members together until Christmas — and after. Climatically, in this district, a snap of winter has offset the promise of an early apiring. The grass, however, is coining away nicely. Latest cables with !regaird' s to market prospects aTe very encouraging, and there is a distinct improvement upon an already bright outlook.