THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1938 PACIFIC CROSS-CURRENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23109, 6 August 1938, Page 14

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1938 PACIFIC CROSS-CURRENTS

To an Empire Summer School held this week in England, Professor Condliffe has spoken words of warning about risks in the Pacific. He knows his subject; few know it, in its broader aspects, so well. Some parts of this ocean's web of varied national interests he has been able to study at close quarters, both on the rim and- in some island centres; his work as research secretary of the Institute of Pacific Relations and as a technical observer attached to the League of Nations gave him welcome opportunities of tracing many of the main trends of rival policies, He has seen the forest as well as the trees. His judgment now, after all this preparation for giving it, is that the Pacific is bound to be the scene of great economic conflicts. Such a conclusion may neither please nor convince those enamoured of easy solutions for contemporary problems, especially those allowing their very laudable eagerness for peace to blind their eyes to sinister signs of the times. These signs cannot be safely neglected. Some of them, including the most obvious, are painfully disturbing. One of these, thrusting itself upon attention, is the undeniable resolve of Japan to possess a larger . place in this ocean. What is new in this purpose is not its fostering of emigration. That began long ago. In the days when the United States needed an accession of man-power to rachieve economic advance the door was invitingly opened to the Japanese. Their large-scale occupation of California was a result, and it created unexpected problems which the United States strove to solve by drastic means, one of them a refusal to honour promises of equitable land tenure. Another extensive outcome of Japan's emigration policy was a rapid and considerable flow to Hawaii. Less known, but not less significant, were the equally peaceful Japanese invasions of German New Guinea and French New Caledonia, of Java and the Philippines. None of these Japanese movements in earlier days occasioned political friction at the time. In some instances this came later as a direct consequence. Now, however, it is a concomitant of every considerable effort to place Japanese migrants oversea. Less is usually heard to-day of the facts than of the rights and wrongs of political policy iu connection with such movements, perhaps because of the indefinite nature of statistical data. However, of the Japanese movements a good deal is authoritatively known. In Hawaii, for instance, Japanese compose at least 150,000 of the total population of about 380,000; in the Pacific islands south of China, including the Philippines, they number more than 155,000; in what may be called the Pacific Islands proper, exclusive of Hawaii, there are more than 135,000. This exodus is the more remarkable because of the Japanese peasants' traditional dislike of colonising projects. When other Asiatic emigrations are noted itfMs impossible to forget the entry of Indians to Fiji, where they number almost as many as do the Fijians. Chinese are numerous in Tahiti and Samoa, and Annamites in the French groups. All told, the figures indicate a tendency of conspicuous importance. It is particularly noteworthy in the case of the Japanese, for it proves that continental Asia is not so predominantly favoured as an outlet as is sometimes carelessly said. Except for Korea, the mainland has received comparatively few; little effort has been made to place others than officials in Manchukuo : the aim has been rather the acquisition of sources of raw-material and food supplies and the securing of markets. The steady industrialisation of Japan makes the continued exodus to the Pacific. even more striking. So far as the north-equatorial islands held by Japan under mandate are concerned, the increasing emigration thither should be heeded as a special feature of recent developments. The changed attitude of the United States, culminating in severe restriction of Japanese entry to settle, has had its expected effect in Hawaii in reducing the arrivals there, but even in 1920 as many as 109,274 went there to stay.

Discussing the migration trends, Professor Condliffe has said that it would be unwise to open Empire areas to indiscriminate and uncontrolled movements of people from Asia, and he has based this judgment upon the setback that would be given to the Polynesian peoples and the conflict that would arise in relation to Dominion policies. As to the first fear, experience in Fiji is itself sufficient to give pause to loose ideas about an Asiatic influx. Whatever can be justly said about any economic advantage that has accrued or in commendation of the Indians themselves does not dispose of the undoubtedly injurious effects of this alien impact. Wherever allowed to any great extent, it increases the difficulties of enabling the native inhabitants to stand upon their own feet. In New Zealand any great volume of such immigration would hamper every wise programme for the betterment of the Maori. When, in addition, cross-currents of national policy are considered, the risks inherent in the nascent rivalries of even white peoples are too great to be ignored. No longer is the Pacific an area remote from Western contests for power. Once "the backyard of the world," it has been drawn by the rapid perfecting of means of communication into the vortex of general competition, for territorial and economic advantage. To solve the international problems created by this change will tax the resources of statesmanship and make heavy demands upon human goodwill.