NO REPUBLIC

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 10 January 1936, Page 7

NO REPUBLIC

AMERICAN PREDICTION CAMPAIGN TO PRESERVE LINKS WITH U.S. MANILA, 10th December. Mr Roy W. Howard, chairman of the board of the Scripps-Howard newspapers, said to-day there was evidence in plenty that the Philippine. Republic would never materialise. He predicted that Congress would be asked to make the present Commonwealth form of government permanent “on *a territorial basis.” If a campaign to that end failed, he said, business leaders planned to* demand that the islands seek territorial status under the British flag. Mr Howard based his comment oil a concensus of opinion gathered during the last month from scores of leaders in business, finance, education, journalism, and politics. Japan’s arms, stretching out ever more menacingly, and apparently intent oj\ embracing the entire Orient,” he said in a statement, “are to-day easting a dark shadow across the Philippines. A political metamorphosis is resulting. The security of liberties already achieved, rather than national independence, has become the major political objective. “This security, to which new value suddenly has been added, will first he vigorously sought under the American (lag. Filipinos want none of Japan’s ‘Asia for the Aasiatics,’ which-, like the Chinese, they interpret as ‘Asia for the Japanese.’ ” Mr Howard said a campaign was being designed to reveal to American business men, financiers, and politicians the tremendous commercial potentialities of the islands and what they will certainly yield, once their political future is assured, with free trade extension and reciprocal advantages guaranteed. The removal of American labour’s present ant.i-Philippine attitude would he attempted, lie added, by rigid restriction of immigration. Under a law enacted at Washington a Commonwealth Government was recently set up. Certain links between the United States and the islands are preserved, but the law provides complete independence 10 years hence. Since he arrived in Manila a month ago Mr Howard has been close to Senoi Manuel Quezon, President of the Commonwealth. The two made a boat tour of the southern islands last week.