JAPAN TO mm OVER PACIFIC ISLANDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15770, 19 November 1914, Page 7

JAPAN TO mm OVER PACIFIC ISLANDS.

OCCUPATION By AUSTRALIAN' FORCE. TO CONTINUE UNTIL THE END OF THE WAR. (Received November 18. 11 30 p.m.) '■'• Melbourne, November 18. The Commonwealth Minister for Defence, Mr. G. A. Pearce, has announced that the Japanese Government has intimated to the British Government that it is ready to hand over the islands recently held by the Germans in the Par fie and seized by the Japanese, to an Australian force The Britiso Government had been informed that it was the intention of the Australian Government to act accordingly, and the British Government i ad so nformed the Japanese Government. To this end an Australian free. wll be Hatched and would remain in occupation of the island- till t e end of the war, when the matter of their ultimate disposal v .mid b ■ a question for consideration by the allied Powers. The Commonwealth w,ll ha- the responsibility, not only for the military occupation, hir for trade matters and other commercial arrangements. Colonel "'ethebridge, Secretary of the Defence Department, will accompany tic fore as the officer in charge, and will be appointed Australian < 'omrui,< -.'oner in the North-west Pacific, with authority to make sui able ■•■ necessary arrangements with other Powers. Judge Murray, Lieutenar. Governor of Papua, has been appointed administrator of late Germ n New Guinea and adjacent islands. A special infantry force, ■• ,ich it was stated would be despatched to some destination in the trop.es,'wa? laised in Sydney. Its strength, composition, and sphere of operations were n< disclosed. Only specially-qualified men, who had seen previous active servici . and were of mature age, were selected for this force. The age lin-it was '•'. The islands in ..he Pa:.-, formerly in German possession, which have been reported to have 1 een oc-. .- ;ied by the Japanese, are the Caroline and Marshall Groups, to the -th-east -■:' New Guinea. The area of '.he Mar. .til Islands is estimated at 160 square miles, and they have a population of 15/3.0 inhabitants, all but about 250 being natives. The administrator of the lshi .is was the Governor of German New Guinea, but a number of officials resH.-d en the islands. There was no military force, the natives being of a peac il disposition. The chief island and the seat of government is Jaluit, and the .nosi, populous island is Majeru, which has 1600 inhabitants. The cl mate i. ;noi>,t and hot, and there is no difference between the seasons. Vegetation, ',11 the whole, is very poor, and there are few animals. Cattle do not Jirive an, even poultry is scarce. The chief exports are copra., tortoise-shell, and mot' ; of-pearl. The Carol ne Isla , a fire a widely scattered archipelago, west of the Marshall Islands. ley fill into three main groups, the western, central and eastern Carolires, Yap hang in the first-named group. In 1875 Spain laid claim to the islands, and ir In .some attempt to assert her rights. These were contested by Germany, v *e flag was hoisted on Yap, and the matter was referred to the arbitration of ? ,pe Leo XIII. in 1885. He decided in favour of Spain, but gave Get many ti on;; rights, but in 1899 Germany took over the administration of tbi islands f: >m Spain, paying her 25.000,000 pesetas, equal to about £1,000,000.