BRITAIN AND JAPAN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17753, 12 April 1921, Page 4

BRITAIN AND JAPAN.

In his speeches and writings in London Sir John Findlay seems to have been singularly unhappy. Ha has chosen to discuss the AngleJapanese Treaty, and had he spoken for himself the matter might hare been passed over as a personal opinion to be valued according to the judgment of the readers. But in at least one article—an extract from which is published to-day—Sir John Findlay spoke not merely as a New Zealander but for New Zealand and for Australia. Among other things he said, " New Zealand J and Australia object emphatically to the renewal of the Anglo-Japanese Treaty." This is a sweeping statement, which cannot be justified by anything that has transpired publicly in New Zealand. Sir John Findlay has evidently made up his mind definitely against the renewal of the treaty, but it is safe to say j that a good many New Zealanders— i probably a large majority of them—«| are waiting for further mformation, particularly information upon what Japan wants, before coming to a final conclusion. In any case it happens that the Prime Ministers of both New Zealand and Australia disagree with Sir John Findlay. Mr. Massey said recently " his own opinion was that so long as British States were allowed to choose their own citizens the Empire had a great deal to gain and nothing to lose by the renewal of the AngloJapanese Treaty." Mr. Hughes, speaking last week, said :—" In the interests of Australia it was important that the Anglo-Japanese Treaty should be renewed in some modified form acceptable to Britain, the" United States and Japan." It is evident from this that if Sir John Findlay expresses the conviction of Australia and New Zealand, Mr. Hughes and Mr. Massey are alarmingly out of touch with public opinion. There is not the slightest reason to suppose that they are, and it is fortunate that they have ex- ■ pressed themselves so clearly, otherwise Sir John Findlay's indiscreet utterances might have been given more weight than they are worth.