"HANDS OFF PACIFIC."

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16980, 14 October 1918, Page 4

"HANDS OFF PACIFIC."

THE GERMAN COLONIES.

NEED FOR BRITISH CONTROL.

The question of the retention of Samoa and the other German colonies in the Pacific nag mentioned to the Prime Minister by an interviewer yesterday.

I "My impression," remarked Mr. Masi Bey, " is that if there is a difficulty, it will • make its appearance at the Peace Conferi ence. New Zealand and Australia, how- : ever, will be able to show that in fighting | for the retention of these islands under j British control we are fighting in j the best interests of the native races, | as well as for the safety and security of the Anglo-Saxons who have already made homes in the South Pacific, and the still very much larger number who will make I homes there in the future. Our causa is [ a good and just one, and I believe will I be acknowledged and agreed to accordingly." Discussing the future of the .Pacific Islands, Sir, Joseph Ward stated on Saturday that in his opinion the progress made by the Allies since the offensive started in Julv made it more certain than ever that these important outposts would not pass tack to the control of the Germans. This meant that the people of the Southern Seas would be free from the menace of great strategic posts being again in the possession of a country which had shown from the commencement of the war a barbario and unscrupulous desire to dominate the world and place it under tho heel of Prussian militarism. Sir Joseph added that ho was satisfied the British authorities are as anxious as the people in New Zealand were that the islands shall n ot be allowed to go back to the Germans. " 1 have spoken on this question so often for many years that it is almost unnecessary to state that it is of the greatest importance to the future of the British Empire that the highway of the Pacific should be freed from enemy occupation, and that these islands should have no other flag than that of Great Britain flying over them," concluded the Minister.