THE NICARAGUA SHIP CANAL DISPUTE AND NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11619, 5 April 1901, Page 3

THE NICARAGUA SHIP CANAL DISPUTE AND NEW ZEALAND.

'■„.■• __ THE EDITOR. Sir,— columns quite recently contamed a cablegram pregnant with importance to New Zealand, saying that Great Britain declined to ~ abrogate the Clayton-Bulwer .treaty, as desired by tho United States of ; America. Since then tho diplomatic controversy between those two great; Powers has increased m interest owing to the determination of a section in the United States to demand that the said treaty shall be declared null and void. . The Nicaragua Canal is the gate of the Austral-Pacific Qcoan. It would bring New Zealand into;a direct line with England of only 11,150 nautical miles.; If that gate ;bo opened and closed at the' will of only tho United States, and Britain and the Slates should ever unfortunately <ret to war with each other, the United States vessels of war '■'' could slip through the canal in about 28 ' hours, getting from the Atlantic into the Austral-Pacific, and then , have a clear run of only about 6400 nautical miles to New Zealand, while British men-o%war in tho Atlantio desirous of following, or of joining the Australian fleet, would have to come round Capo Horn or the Cape of Good Hope. Meanwhile the enemy, and especially cruisers of the Alabama type, miirht play havoo with our shipping and some of our ports. ; ,• Hence Britain says: /'lf,' that ; gate be " :; opened, it should,bo for all mankind." Tho Clayton-Bulwer Treaty therefore means a, good deal to New Zoalanders, and we ought to be grateful to our dear old Mother Country for so diligently watching over the in-', terests of us, her children; while wo are too helpless to do it ourselves, and too uninformed to even realise what she. is doing, or why she is doing it. , l ~' t But some will say: "Ah! but there is no fear of Britain and the States, ever getting to war." .Let us pray 'to. heaven that they . never may. Lot us ■ see that wo: do nothing either to hurry or disconcert \ our statesmen, or to indispose Americans to consider us as . brethren.

Nevertheless, do not let us shut our eyes - to facts. There is a section in the "United; States that ' would ■■; embroil : the two , Powers in war i to-morrow sif they could arid the people of the y United .-■ States ■; are so hetero- - geneous, being nationalities from all parts of the world,-;; somo of them boastfully hostile to England, that war might be forced on i.'i spite of the good .feeling .ana 'judgment of; the better class. In politics it ib the unexpected that ' happens.; Demos acts and: thinks afterwards.

I do not, of course, say that so far aB we can see.' at present a rupture is likely to happen over the Nicaragua dispute, because it would, indeed, be " the crime of the century," if it were not settled with r the pen;, but let us bear in mind that as a little straw shows which way the wind blows, so little events in the United States show that statesmen will require wisdom, and the neoplo patience to tido over this difficulty. i Nearly all wars originate in small beginnings. :-■■:..■ _ At a time when the heart of the United > 5

States beats in sympathetic unison, with Britain over the Queen's, death, there .were'significant : exceptions.;,:'.'; The; Mayor, of . New York would not float the flag Half-mast-hitch, over' the City Hall out of respect :to , the. Queen's memory, or to, Britain's sorrow. Tho Municipal Council of '■■ Chicago '■• refused to pass a resolution of sympathy with the British, and the significant thing is that the majority of reputable citizens is powerless to prevent" such doinjrs. .That is where the danger lies over this Nicaragua business. If high officials are not: amenable ;to locdl public opinion and , control, i who knows but that the " reputable citizens" of the States may be overborne into a course from/which their humanity, best judgment, and instincts shrink?

One thing is certain, it is an important question for New Zealand, and our Motherland is not likely to sacrifice- her Australasian children's interests if she can belt) it. Can she? " """ " '"" *" : '

His Majesty. the late- Napoleon 111. attached great importance to its geographical position.—l am, etc., '; F. G. EwiNGTOV