German Colonies

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXII, 7 November 1938, Page 11

German Colonies

Notes on the News

Concerning the agitation for the return of her colonies, Germany claims they were taken from her under false pretences.

The position of the German colonies has been clearly stated by the lit. Hon. L. G. Amery. He says:—

“The loss of the African colonies meant to Germany no sacrifice of a large population of colonists, nor even of an appreciably substantial market or source of raw materials. It meant the loss only of possibilities.

“President Wilson, however, decreed that there were to be no ’annexations.' In Europe that was met by disregarding all annexations that could be justified on the basis of ‘self-determination,’ that is, of linguistic nationalism, with a good margin for the victor in cases of doubt.

“Outside Europe another formula was required, and this was provided by the ingenuity and Roman Law training of General Smuts. His suggestion was that the more solid connotation of annexation as involving exploitation of the transferred peoples, or disregard of their natural aspirations to self-government, where feasible, could be avoided by a solemn undertaking on the part of their new rulers* to govern them under ‘mandate,’ that is, under a responsibility to civilisation for the standard of government to be maintained. The League of Nations was the obvious authority whose approval should he sought for the terms of this pledge and for its fulfilment in practice.

“There is a widespread notion that the ultimate ownership of the Mandated Territories is in some sense vested in the League of Nations, and that the governing powers are tenants whose tenancy may be forfeited by a failure to fulfil the terms of their mandate. There is an even more fantastic idea that Germany still retains some sort of dormant claim to her lost colonies which the League may one day recognise by restoring them.

"The plain facts are that Germany surrendered her colonies, and surrendered them irrevocably, not to the League, but to the victorious Allies, who proceeded to divide them. The obligations which they subsequently undertook to the League in no way affected the surrender and partition of these territories. They are in no sense conditions of tenure.

“Is Germany then to he forever denied a colonial empire? The question is best answered by another: Ar» Poland, Czechoslovakia. Austria, Yugoslavia, arid all other European members of the League, to be denied a colonial empire? Their theoretical claim is just as good as Those who want such an empire must win it for themselves.”

Russia And The League It is slated that there will be no chance of Germany, Italy (and probably Japan) rejoining the League of Nations until it has been re-formed and Russia is forced out of membership. On May 29. 1934, the Disarmament Conference met at Geneva. Sir John Simon (Great Britain) r.nd M. Barthou (France) made speeches which openly divided the conference into opposing camps—those who wished for disarmament first and were ready to make concessions in order to secure the cooperation of Germany; and those who wished the Powers who ieared Germany to make an agreement for their common security before discussing the question of disarmament.

Great Britain was supported by America, the Scandinavian States, Switzerland and Spain; France by Kusisa, Turkey, the Little Entente anJ the Balkan bloc.

Until 1933 the common hostility to France had led the Germans and Russians to regard ejich other with friendly feelings. The fall of the Weimar Republic (set up in Germany after tlie downfall of the monarchy) and tlie rise to power of a Government openly hostile to the Communist regime, was forcing Russia into the arms of France. Her eastern frontiers were openly menaced by the Japanese army, which had seized and was holding Manchuria in defiance of the League.

On May 18, 1934, Litvinoff and (hou met at Geneva and framed pro-* posals for an "Eastern Locarno” by which Russia, Poland, the Baltic States, Czechoslovakia, Germany and France should all agree to resist any attempt to violate frontiers ea'U of Germany. Russia was to enter the League. Italy approved these proposals. which were warmly greeted by both parties in the English. Parliament. On July 13, 15)34. the Soviet Government informed Berlin of its readiness to accept them.

Y*et. only a fortnight before, the executive committee of the Comintern in Moscow had issued a manifesto declaring its intention to destroy the Nazi regime and establish in its place a “German "Soviet Republic under Communist leadership fraternally allied to the U.S.S.R.” Little wonder that the “Eastern Locarno” 0:1 me to nothing.

On September 18, 1934, ‘«e S 0 7ict Government was admitted to the League with a permanent seat on the Council. Germany’s increasing strength and Russian and French fears drew the two last-mentioned countries together into a defensive alliance. It is one of Germany's aims to break this alliance. •

Hankow Han'.uw, which the Japanese have invested, has been a treaty port of China since 1861. In the province of Hupeh, it is situated at the junction of the llaukiang and the Yangtsekiang Rivers. The Tayeh iron (Japanese-control-led) deposits near Hankow are among the richest in the world. The city, which was walled round in 1863, is the chief emporium of Central China. The railway between Hankow and Peking, 755 miles, was completed in 1905, and a line to Canton has been surveyed, the first 286 miles being completed as long ago as 3926. There is a good daily steamer service between Hankow and Shanghai and :t weekly one between Hankow and Icliang.

Floods caused the submergence of the fit v in 1 906, 1809, and 1870, but strut* lures to prevent the rise of the river have been built along the river frontage of the British settlement.

Ever snee thejoutbreak of the revolution in China, Hankow has been often the scene of disturbances and crop* have been frequently ruined by fighting soldiers.

With Hanyang across the lluu River, and Wuchang 011 the south hank of the Yangtse, Hankow has reached an im-

portance in trade second only to Shanghai. Although 600 miles up from the mouth of the Yangtse, ocean-going steamers can reach Hankow in the summer. The population is over 1.500.000,