WHAT GERMANY WANTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14933, 5 March 1912, Page 8

WHAT GERMANY WANTS.

SOME PORTUGUESETERRITORY

A LARGE SLICE OF ■ AFRICA.

[FROM OVB.- OWN" CORRESPONDENT.]

Loxdon*, January 26. With France controlling North Africa, and " England South Africa, Germany is putting forward a; claim for Central Africa. This involves the partition of Portugal's colonies in those regions. It. was suggested somo time ago that tho time had coin© for Germany and England to divide this territory, Tho suggestion was coldly received in London, and warmly denounced in Lisbon, but this has not discouraged \tho Germans, who continue to press for tho partition of Angola, which lies north of Gorman Southwest Africa, and also borders on Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo. It would bo an extremely valuable addition to Germany's colonial empire. Portugal is povertystricken, and the idea prevails that she would bo disposed to sell. 'I ho well-informed Saturday Review, in an article headed "An Anglo-German Deal" states: "lt has also been recognised, though not publicly, that should -Portugal desire to part with her West African possessions, Germany is to have as to them a right of pre-emption similar to -that wo possess as to Dclogoa Bay. Tho time is now rapidly approaching when Portugal, urgently in need of cash, will offer Angola to Gorman enterprise for & valuable consideration. 'There may be some haggling, but Germany will bo prepared to pay heavily, for the territory in question in very rich and extensive. Angola, with nearly 1000 miles' of roa-st line, has an area of about half a. million square miles.. Under tho present wretched regime every kind of corruption and misgovcrnment flourishes; slavery is openly practised; «nd, so far as the Island of S. Thorn 3 is concerned, this has been proved in an English court of law. Tho rich and 'abounding resources of tho country -both mineral and vegetableare merely tapped, in no.sense developed. We may assume that with Angola will pass tho islands of S. Thorn© and Principe, though they now form a separato province. Tho hideous conditions under which cocoa is now produced there would cease, and no ono should be more pleased than th© eminent Radicals who thrive in this country on its manufacture. ."•'*'"

" When the break-up of the Portuguese Empire begins, it -will go on. We ought at onco to make sure of Delagoa Bay. The prico demanded by Portugal is £10,000,000, but any purchase made in Portuguese East Africa must include Beira as a future, if not immediate, asset. For two reasons it would be much better to acquire Delagoa Bay, when Germany acquires Angola. It would stop the Teutophobca here complaining that wo received nothing, and it would prevent future difficulties should Portugal, for somo reason or other in the future, decline to sell when purchase was urgent for us."