TUESDAY, MAY 25, 1915. IRON AS A NATIONAL ASSET.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXIX, Issue LXIX, 25 May 1915, Page 4

TUESDAY, MAY 25, 1915. IRON AS A NATIONAL ASSET.

Not casually merely, nor for the mere sake of gain, should the people of Taranaki—indeed, of New Zealaad^-find satisfaction in the prospective utilisation of the extensive deposits of iron ore in their country. For iron means not only industrially and commercially, wealth beyond the dreams of avarice, but in international strife, victory to the side that possesses it in the greatest store in the form of munitions, especially if there be also a goodly supply in the blood of the possessors. It is -the recognition of this as a fundamental i fact that has long been causing Japan to work towards a dominating influence in China; in fact, Dr. Ingram Bryan, who is an authority in Japanese policy, expressly says that the secret of Japan's present attitude towards China is her desire to secure control of the valuable iron mines of that country. Japan lias long cherished the ambition to assjume the hegemony of East Asia, fbr A 'legs .than for her own security-as the grea£* est empire of the East. This ambition lias become more acute since, from her study of modern history, Japan has been convinced that no nation can gain and .maintain leadership without adequate resources in iron. She believes that in future the nation with the most iron is the nation with the best pros-

r>eict of power.; and incidentally this

has been illustrated by England's own experience in the present war. , Anyway, while people talk of the iron, age, to Japan the real iron age has only just commenced. She is assured that supremacy cannot be attained and held v.ithout war, and war is impossible without command of vast supplies of iron. In fact, Japan looks at Germany and England, and she sees that their strength is largely, if not wholly due to their facility in iron. It is the steel and iron producing capacity of C4ermany that has enabled the German T-]mperor to inaugurate his inordinate simbition for world conquest. Superior 'tio France and England in the production of iron and steel, he believes* that He is superior, in every other way as Tfell. Through the crucibles of the great'

Krupp works at Essen, the molten

power pours over Europe to-day, desolating vast, stretches of property and population. Of the more than 60 million Germans over 20 millions make a

living directly or indirectly from iron. Germany, says a leading Japanese thinker, is now bent upon securing control of the iron mines of France and Belgium. At the present rate of consumption her own resources will be exhausted in about 30 years. Without iron Germany would at once sink, to the position of a third-rate Power.. This conviction makes Germany desperate in the present .war; and, indeed, the only failure Germany dreads is inability to control the iron resources of the world. Spam and Sweden, growing suspicious cf her, have been hesitating to allow Germany any connection with their, iron mines. She attempted to gain a footing iii Morocco for this purpose, but was prevented by England and France, whom she has never forgiven. It was wHth a view to this that Germany established a footing in China; for the iron mines of China are among the richest in the world. It is, therefore. in the face of ■ these circumstances, that Japan considers her own condition. She has no iron mines to speak of. Japan is dependent for her -supply of iron ore on China. That she should be soj dependent on aliens at all is re-gs-rded by her statesmen as a fatal weakness. The present war has taught he[r new and valuable lessons in this respect. • At present all her shipyards arb fully occupied Should emergency call for the sudden laying down of a nejw battleship, Japan would be helpless. She has not sufficient constructiqn material on hand, and would have to import it from some alien power. The iron and steel works of the Allies could afford her no help, and those of enemies and neutrab would be out of j the question. This utter dependence on foreigners in the matter of so essential

an element as iron leaves Japan at the

mercy of others. She can never tolerate this condition. The only way out of it

is to secure in China the valuable mining concession foimerly held by Germany, and even more also. This is the secret of Japan's present attitude towards China; indeed, as Dr. Ingram Bryan points out, the situation demands that Japan shall make her. bid for the iron mines of China now or never. Of the mere 190,000 tons of steel plate produced by Japan last year, 150,000 tons came from the mines of China. Of the more than 60 million yen worth of iron used by Japan last year only 17 million yen worth was produced in Japan. As Japan must of necessity look to the iron mines of

China as a means of ensuring her inde-

pendence, it is clear that she must obtain as many mining concessions as possible in China. She refuses longer to be dependent on alien resources. Such a

situation would place the Empire constantly at ihe mercy of circumstances. As ti prominent Japanese politician has saidft, if one of the results of the war in Suvope be ihe opening of China's iron

resources to Japan, the latter can. well afford to regard the great war as having been sent by Heaven; and, with less rhetoric, and on a much more mod-

1 est scale. New Zealand, too, may have occasion to feel grateful if the awful tragedy of the war should resuli in the evolution of a comprehensive, progressive, and truly national policy with respect to the development of her resources in iron ore, ; with large Imperial ends fixedly in view.