ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, JANUARY:,6, 1916. THE FUTURE OF THE GERMAN COLONIES.

Marlborough Express, Volume L, Issue 4, 6 January 1916, Page 4

ESTABLISHED 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. THURSDAY, JANUARY:,6, 1916. THE FUTURE OF THE GERMAN COLONIES.

While the Kaiser continues to indulge in "high-ialutin" speeches about German victories, the impression is steadily growing, in the United States and other neutral countries, that Germany-is rapidly 'approaching the' exhaustion, of her resources,- not only in ■ inan-pdwei; but financially and economically. The war has ;been one great gamble for Germany, and the losers- will have to pay, That the Allies will'ever succeed in screwing a big indemnity out of Germany may weli be doubted." This question was dealt with at some length in a recent iissue of The Expbess, and there is no need'to. iliscuss it again to-day. But iff a bankrupt Germany is unable to pa.;.- aver any very substantial monetary indemnity to the Allies, •save to Belgium—and the Belgians •simply mtjst be indemnified, even if t'lie imperial gold plate at Potsdamhas to be seized and melted down— tlieae is, at least, one way in which the Allies, more particularly Great Britain and France, will be able to extract some recompense by Germany for all the misery and expense the H:ms Jiave caused.the- two Western Allies ,of the" Entente. Such recompense wil| take the form of a permaneni- annexation of such! colonies, as Germany possessed before i she embarked upon her mad and ' wicked enterprise of attempting a ' leu ton domination of Europe and the i rum of Great Britain tind France. I U lth regard to this question of the \ future, disposal of lUie German :■ colonies, the well-known British !■ African explorer and administrator ■' Sii' Harry Johnston, G.C.M.G.. has been interviewed in behalf of T.P 's Weekly by Mr Percy Alden. M.P. I Sir Harry Johnston ivas practically' the 1 founder of the British Central

African Protectorate, and as Special Commissioner for the Uganda Protectorate did splendid service as an administrator. Sir-Harry holds the view—which certain "Little England-: ers" of the ultraVßadical, Ramsay MacDpnald typo have recently been denouncing—that "the Allies * should restore, no colony, in Africa or elsewhere, \to Germany., bt>t' should keep them 'all oh the understanding that we Maintain free trade, and eventually 'allow the Germans -the same commercial opportunities as other people.' No one appreciates more than .loes Sir Harry Johnston the irood qualities of tlie German emigrants to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Africa, and ''theoretically,"- he Bays, "he admits that such a people, of fine physique and strong mentality, ought not to be excluded from peopling the waste places of the earth." But this point conceded, Sir Harry proceeds to tontend that- "their (the Germans') methods of conducting , this war— their very inception, of the war-— show them to be a-nation run mad." He says:. ~• ■ r:': : -■■?;:■ •-. ■■■■•■ ■ ■ My appreciation of German • qualities m assisting to frame' our vast Empire does not; prevent me to-day from ■ realising that Germany - has gone mad. ha 3 placed herself , out of court by her invasion of Belgium nnd her : countless crimes against International Law and com-mon-humanity, i:'•■."•■ Theoretically I would throw open the whole Empire —subject to the! due reservation of native rights—to.-. Germany and Austria/ when the war is over. Practically, I* should have to admit that Germany has so ■ acted—witness' this murder of Nurse Cavell—that we may have to boycott her for the • space of a generation or two. It would be fatuous ,to expect the Allies to forgive and forget what v.ormany .has dome and proposes yet to do. ' ■. ... .\ sked i^aaf-feJank by his interviewer whether Germany should be punished toy -"absolutely finishing ■caroer as an Umpire with foreign possessions and colonies uader her ?.£ n-.%?," Bir Harry replied in the affirmative. He then proceeded to point. -: out.tha;t. j the so-called German co to me.; are not lands in Africa and Asm populated by Germans, but vast tracts .of thii, tropics with negro or Asiatic populations pf. their own. We • should not,, he says, be wronging anyone- with local interests if we took away ;from^ Germany the whole of the German Colonial ,E,mpire. Great Britain, he says, "never entered upon this war with a rievv. to Imperial expansion, btit with the .very direct intention' pf -defending Belgium and t ranee, _ and oT. preventing Russia frojii being.. bottloa Hip, .la:the. Black £*!& and the Baltic ;and becoming a mere Appanage of: German trading houses." asan inevi£ able p:-tcomev6f'v|ctQry by the Allies, Germany m.i<st lose?her colonies. The Cameroons vvill i>ifbbalily; he thinks, be, divided between France' and tteigiunvand muck>of Togpland will be required' by France as an enlargement of ner. IXahomeyan possession. As i.to German Sputh-West. Africa, <Sir Harry says.-:— "v'1/"- ■■■"'-. ' \'<-Whichever way the war ends" yon' oO?Vi '7? • tlie of the f^outh Airican Union willing to surrender South-West Africa to Germany. The South African Government is not likely to run any more risks in this direction. They have had enough trouble with the rebellion fomented by German g6ld and intrigue. There is still a small irreconcilable Boer element which might become a great danger, and therefore the;on]y .safe policy is to. annex the ooqtyi#r«d territory. German JseV Guinea, the" whole of Kaiser Wilhelmsland and the islands adjoining cannot possibly, he, thinks, be handed back to Germany, "bemuse neither Australia nor New- Zealand would consent." The same argument applies with regard to Samoa. Australia and New Zealand could never tolerate Gei;ma»y making these islands a 'naval base threatening Australasia, "which .would certainty be her object." » After discussing in detail the probable future of the German oversea possessions in Africa, of which the enemy has been bespoiled and which; ho thinks, will permanently pass out of his hands, and expressing the opinion that "whoever occupies them after the war. will find in them a source of great wealth," he contends that "Great Britain and her Allies must have some compensation | for their heavy losses in men and money,' and he "does not see where Pise, outside the German colonies, wo are to get anything, since" a dented Germany will be bankrupt." ?° consKferafcion of material., gain should t>e regarded as secondary to the essential point that "we should strike at Jjhe* root of all these German intrigues against us which have been going.on in the past under the shelter of the German flag, «nd which would continue in the future if we were fatuous1 enough to restore her footholds in Africa and Asia." • On • the question of preferential tariffs Sir Harry is not, however, so explicit as he might be. He points put that if we attempt, after the war, to make a selfish, use of newly acquired territories by shutting out the commerce" and industry of other nations not. British in flap:, we should run the risk of great alliances being tormedf against, us, of incurring on a large scale the fate of Spain and Portugal when they attempted to shut the rest .of Europe out of the: New World and the newly \ .discovered ' regions of ' Asia .-and Africa;.", On the other hand, it : is; clear. :that he thinks there is flitujh to be said; in favor of a special being Established1 against Ger-. .mrviiy lalone, for what T>pHod he does not, however, say. "Whether,"', he says, "we should, and the other Allies ! should,.;di^crim'inalte against the German Empire is simply a matter of hpw we intend.to punish Germany for her crimes (to deter her from sinning again) and what the extent of her punishment should be." Being himself, as he says v "of very imperfect clay." he admits that he is "out forp^unishment," $, sentiment which is, we think, held by "the great majority of ]>eopl^ throughout the British Empire. For if ever a nation deserved punishment, drastically severe punishment, it is surely that nation to which we owe this horrible war, and which has everlastingly disgraced itself; by deliberately-planned villainies hitherto unparalleled in history. No mercy should or can be shown such a merciless and treacherous foe, and by seizing and permanently holding her colonies we shall be punishing^ the miemv as he never dreamed it possible that he could be punished.

| Local buyers have been notified.by the-wholesale, houses that the price, of benzine has been increased by nin-e----pehce per case. The advance is due to. the rise'jn.-freights from America. A very useful map of tile Balkan Peninsula, which is figuring .so largely in, the war news just now, has been received from the' publisher," Mr H. E. C. Kobinspri, of Sydney.. ~ A patriotic,.tea-will--bejieid-in Seymour Square on-Saturday afternoon. Contributions of cakos, flowers, fruit, etc,, vill be .gracefully received by the committee at the gardens from 9 a..m.-

For drunkenness, John Walsh, who was arrested in Grove Road Vasterday, 'vas this morning fined 5s and ordered to pay Is as police expenses. Mr H. Howard, J.P., occupied the Bench. An affiliation case was adjourned *or hearing by the Magistrate. • Atcheque for £8 0s 4d was recently sent forward from The Express office to <th& ham., aeei-etary of the Belgian Refugee Food ll\incl at Mastorton, and an: acknowledgement of its receipt has noAv come to hand; There is still the sum of 18s to be remitted, this amount having been received after the closing of tlie list. A ''cold 1" quite unusual to January, was'experienced locally last night, ■ the temperature being of* a decidedly wiritiy order Tlie indications a/c a, Kite hour were for "a comparatively severo frost, and gardeners took the precaution of covering their most pri'/^d plants. Fortunately, however, a breeze sprang up before daylight, and the danger was averted. The appearance of Queen Street would be much improved if two paddock's ci: weeds were cut. The plot of fa then in one section is rapidly ripening, -'-and will sooii be distributed broadcast unless dealt witlii. The .Californian thistle in the plot behind the Town, Hall has long since gone to seed, while other wesds are still flowering luxuriantly.

An unusual accident ,happened at Island Bay (Wellington) on Saturday afternoon, a young lady named McGregor being severely injured by a heavy stone falling from -the cliff. She was badly crushed about the hips and seemed to have sustained some internal injury. She was conveyed to tile hospital, and, hopes iare bjitertained of her recovery.' . ■..■:. :, Our Havelock correvspondent writes: .Tiie. steamer Blenheim was a full ship ■when-she left the Havelock w"harf last Friday,and-'.her cargo was a valuable one. Tlie principal- items were: 361 I crates of cheese, comprising 200 from the Rai Valley, 106 from Canvastown,, and 55 from Havelock; 5 tons of scheelite. from the Yvakamarina ; and 140 bales of wool. . The mail' Normair-Edward Keals, who is undergoing a life sentence at the.i Mount Eden gaol for murdering at Onewhero about a year • ago his brother's wife, Mrs Emma Keats, and her infant child, succeeded on Sundiay eveiting in breaking a medicine bottfe in his dell and in mutilating himself with the jagged gla"Ss. He Was removed to the hospital, wheye an operation was performed., . :

1 The monthly meeting of the Lower Wturjlii River Board, held last night, .was■attended by Messrs A. McCallum Ychairman), .Frank Adams,- E. S. Parker, and jW.Oarr. The Board signed a lease to Mrs N. Gray of the riparian Jan.d /ujquire'd/frbm. her: for the development of the Omaka waterway. A- certain concession, irt respect to tlie rent pf>Bun 111, leased i& Mi*. I\>. Ham. was agreed to in consideration of' .the Board's postponement of tha fencing work; Accounts were ,passed iov payment. ,■,.;.•.;' ! Ah -^ aclive moyement ' has been orgahfspd among the. subscribers to /thiV lo'jjil telephone ■exchange;' with'the vobje*ct of soenriqg'an improvement- in :th« present servjee pending tlie establisHment of- the"; fiuton^atic' 'system. Yesterday a round-robin signed by forty business people 'was presented to the. Chief Postmaster by a representative deputation. „ It set forth in Emphatic tei-ms that general < dissatisfaction existed on account of the delays; and inconveniences to which the .users jf the telephoy-we're subjected, ancl asked'that 'the service be.placed on. « better; basis as soon as possible. Mr €, Whelan; the Chief Postmaster, ,pi!ornised to coiivey the repreßentatipiis to the head authorites.

"The Charge of the Light Brigade at tialaclaya fades into, insignificance when compared with the charge at Gaba Tepe," said the Rev; W. E Gil-' lam, speaking at St. Matthew's Church, Auckland. "The men in the charge were jnir boys," he' added. ..1 hey were New Zeaknders, who in a mighty crisis upheld the glorious traditions of our race." There was, of course the tragic side of the picture. He had listened time after time to the stories of the. lack of hos- i pital ships and the terrible suffering ot the men in the transports which were conveying them to the hospitals. While the hospital ship Maheno was going at high speed in the Indian Ocean on her return to New Zealand, a Maori soldier caused a, sensation by jumping ove-rboard. He was recovering' from fever, and the medical staff had.directed that lie should be kept under guardianship. While the man on watch had his bnek turned however, the patient took a flying leap at the -railings,- and jumped into the sea. An alarm was raised,'with' the result that the vessel commenced circling round. A lifebelt was thrown out.' The Maori was swimming, but it is probable that he would not have i-ct to the lifebelt had not a signaller' in the British section attached to the hospital, ship dived to his assistance. Ihe Maori ..was rescued.:

. The rainfall 'registered at Avondalo throughout last year was 24.50 inches, distributed over 94 days. During 1914 'rain fell on 72 days, aggregating 17.38 indies. The annual average fdr the 16 years preceding 1914: was 31 inches. The totalizator figures for the Greymouth 'Jockey Club's meeting showed «. decrea.se of £10,400; compared with the corresponding mooting la,st year. The- smallness of the fields accounted for the decrease, for .out of sixteen events a second dividend was paid only in one race during the two days. { Owing to the very large shortage of men in connection with the cheese- ... making industry, women are being . largely employed in the factories ,in ; the Manawatu district. The salaries I paid to the women so employed are 1 practically on a par with those paid ; to men. ' I It is announced in the 'Church' | Chronicle that the Bishop of Wellington desires that no marrage be celebrated in private houses, except in cases where both parties are living az least six miles from a church or ehurchroom, and that it is the desire of the Bishops of the province that no clergyman be married within three years of his ordination to the diaconate. Noumea, which is associated in the minds of New Zealanders with the early stages of the great world war, ■inasmuch as the Dominion's first military expedition called at its chief port on the voyage to Samoa, has itself contributed its share towards the fighting forces. As loyal colonists of a, French dependency, the inhabitants of New Caledonia are liableVto service in the armies of the Republid^ and since the outbreak of the war they have sent something like 1000 soldiers to the front. A - Wanganui drapery, firm got a surprise last week when they received a small parcel containing several pounds' worth oS: valuable lace. In the parcel, was apiece of paper bearing the words: "Taken from Wellington branch years ago. Conscience returned." The person returning the lace was evidently afraid of her handwriting being, identified, for the last two words were printed on.scraps' cut froni a. newspaper and, pasted on the paper to make a sentence. This is said, to Be the third case of conscience refund the firm has had within the past twelve months. \

At St. Matthew's Cliurcli,; Auckland, on Sunday, Chaplain-Colonel W. E. Gillam said that from the first day of sanding'-at Anzac, with the exception of the one day's armistice; fighting had been continuous; "I have often, when at : Anzac," he said, "tried to .count ten seconds between the sounds of rifle-fire during day and night, and 1 have not succeeded." He .also, mentioned that it was, thought that the M alien n would be employed .solely for the succor of New Zealanders, but the idea was impracticable. They had naturally to take any cases wriich came alongside, wkether the men wore New Zv il < riders or not. He ■had seen many l.c-h. with wounds which he felt men could not survive, but many had done so. The ship \fas so fidl at times tha,t one had to step over wounded nx-n King on the decks in order to «rot to one's cabin. Col. Gillant paid a tribute to the excellent work done by the doctors and nurses.

'J'he -voli-known surgeon Dr. Acl.ind, *of Christchurch, <?who so nearly-lo*t hi,f> liic in <the Mai'quefcte disaster, writing to a. friend in the "ciiv^says that flannelette.pyjamas are required in any quantity, .adding-: "Everyone p-ays flannelette is the best material and most appreciated by the men " Lady Rogers, wife of Sir John Rogers, nead of Die Red Cross in Ky«pt, ahp says: "Flannelette in preference'to anything." Bed jackets iD'o also wanted, made like large .pyjaina coats. Wide length's of linen or calico an; wanted,for binders for ebost :md abdominal wounds. Many tail bandages arc not much used. No flannel binders or cholera belts are wanted, but slippers, tooth and hair brushes, crutches, , walking-sticks' flannel shirts, large colored handkerchiefs, thick waistcoats, mufflers, and bed socks are required. ,

■'The: Board of "Agriculture -has: written to the New Zealand Council, ol Agriculture conveying the results of the board's deliberations upon the resolutions passed by ithe Agricultural Conference held in. July ,last. Am.ong the resolutions* mentioned was the following ■■:—"Realising that the provision of'an adequate supply, of timber for the future requirements ;of this : Dominion is necessary, and inasmuch as it is estimated that at least 5001----000 to. 700,000 acres should be under a commercial forest,, to allow <a sufficient area to be cut annually, this conference would urge the Government to set aside a /suitable area ol poor land and to malce it an inalienable reserve for tlie purpose of "growing timber." The.'board states that it fully realises the vital, importance of this matter , -and has forwarded the resolution to the Hon. Minister for Lands'with a strong reconimendatioli that it be given effect to as early as possible.

Dr Martin in his book, "A Surge©** in Khaki/ pays a high tribute to tb/eGerman soldier—as a soldier: "The*German, in spite of what is often saidj to the contrary, >s a brave and deter-, mined ?nan with- the bayonet. ThefGermun discipline is undoubted. ' It* is a part of the people. It is th'eifibre of the nation Discipline, stib-t jection to .'tuthority, has not to be»~ taught to this people; it is absorbed into their very being. The discipline- • of mind and body as we underotandl it is not the" discipline of the German., for his is an obedience . to, authority] only—a 'go' when ordered to 'go,'l a ' come' when ordered to ' come.'1 But it is also a ' die ' when ordered t»face certain dearth. Men with whomi, this discipline is a message may not?--make saints or pleasant companions,, but do make sturdy foes and stubbornj fighters."

Speaking at St. Matthew's Church* Auckland, on Sunday, Colonel W, hi.\ Gillam, who arrived by the Maheno* on which he was senior chaplain, saia that when the hospital ship anchored for the fir^t time in Anzao the staff! on board received the shock of their? lives. They had all supposed that* * after months'of lighting, the British! • troops would have made their way aJ considerable distance inland. Instead, those on board found that shrapnel wus bursting and shots falling on* the* very spots where the gallant Australians and New- Zealanders firsti landed. "On one hallowed spot quite*near, where the honored dead had! been buried, the ground was being; ploughed. up by shrapnel and. highi explosives. "When I thought of the-" noble dead who \rere' lying there,"' said Colonel Gillam, '.'and of theK thousands who were lying hurled ' ivi the gullies and'untamed, on the hill* tops, I was determined that when JO entered this pulpit my iii'st worda. would he to. pay. a tribute to thel gallant men who made the supreme^' sacrifico there. We must never letjthen- glory fade)"