GRAPHIC NOTINGS

Otago Witness, Issue 3833, 30 August 1927, Page 5

GRAPHIC NOTINGS

By

LENS.

(Specially Written for the Otago Witness.)

XL.—THE CONFERENCE.

Now that the Naval Conference has failed some curiosity may be evinced as to why it was called. It will be remembered that President Coolidge’s “ invitation ” was fairly general, and the fact that it was deemed sufficient with only two acceptances would suggest that those two were just the ones wanted. Unfortunately that Orientalism of expression, which was cultivated by all people of culture in the good old days, survives in official circles to this hour, so that when it comes to getting at the truth with what is published it is sometimes as necessary to read between the lines as along them. “ A Man from Mars ” might have interpreted the ‘ invitation ” as a request on the part of the esteemed country issuing it to know how her friends would take, things if, with the question of extended oversea markets rendered more acute, it were thought expedient to look around. Those at all informed in such matters will not overlook the commercial side.

Situated as she is as regards the power to produce the goods the United States is far from being satisfied with the domestic market, especially when it has become so impaired by the credit system as to be suffering from a kind of r 'notion in wages, with bad threatening to become worse. There it is at once—she ray not esteem it good business to have any faith in a great oversea demand unless she is able to guarantee it. The desire being to be entirely fair we again refer to that fatal habit of the cloaking word. When all is said, who is deceived by it? We take “equali.y”— Great Britain equal to the United States, and the United States to Great Britain, and so, in Euclidean terms, each side to the other, but there is no equality between the British Empire made up as it is of a Mother Country, several fully autonomous filial lauds and a large estate otherwise, all sea divided and even sometimes split, and what e shall have to call the United States “ Empire,” made up as it is of one great master country with a far-northern adjunct, a certain canal sphere, and a few Pacific islands all, as it were, “in the same street.” Taking the map it is absurd to say that equality would be achieved by having the navies equal, for, if that were to result, the United States would become the “ Mistress of the Seas," and Great Britain would be simply nowhere. The conference had to fail when, with equ; lity raised, it was found that there was only one comfortable “dis-arm-chair” in the room —the one occupied by that delectable gentleman known to the world as “ Uncle Sam.” And now—what next?

Persuaded that the track is the right one let us pick up such threads as happen to be at hand. Rather recently a certain M. Fay, writing in the Paris

Figaro, presented this picture of the United States as a country so phenomenally prosperous that it no longer finds it easy to sell cheap goods, and yet with all asking how long it is going to last. Because of this—with such an immense amount of equipment the domestic demand has become something more than insufficient through the time-payment system, for, carried to the extreme, this becomes as bad as a reduction in wages. M. Fay apprehended a crisis, and this may be a leading reason why all concerned in keeping the demand up are out aud about for markets abroad.

Mr Robert Dollar, head of the great trans-Pacific shipping line of the name, may be mentioned in support of this view. Seen the other day, after he had received a letter from President Coolidge, he said that as regards China there mus. be no interference. And as having some bearing it may be mentioned that in June some hundreds of persons representing the mixed elements demonstrated in front of the British Consulate in New’ York, and that the press in reporting it said that the leaders were acting under the auspices of the “ Hands-off China Committee.”

The American press is not to be regarded lightly in matters of national concern. M. Fay declared that it was under orders to maintain a healthy optimism in trade affairs generally, and if this is so some, perhaps, would incline to the belief that it is being directed to encourage the people to approve a much larger navy. Colour is given by noting what happened with the conference only two weeks off, and with only two acceptances in hand. Addressing 400 American editors and reviewers on the lawn of the Summer White House, President Coolidge said what he expected, aud immediately afterwards a despatch was broadcasted containing this for the main paragraph : “ His appeal for a satisfactory outcome of the naval parley between the United States. Great Britain, and Japan, at which he hopes that a ratio will be fixed for submarines, destroyers, and fast cruisers, was clothed in diplomatic language, but his meaning was plain.” So wo have it once more—the word to “ clothe,” which only fails. We turn to the Hearst Press as the most influential publicity organisation in America to see how this “meaning” can be given in the nude. Always remembering how it has occasionally referred to the British Navy and how it has often pictured Japan in the air, war-bent and bound for America, we have it in a cable declaring that it is now President Coolidge's intention to ask Congress to build such a fleet as will be able to deny Great Britain’s supremacy on the sea, and an aerial adjunct of corresponding value. If the present attitude is maintained then the time will come when the British

Etnpire may have to ask itself just who it is, what it is, and where it is. We may bo quite sure that no solution will be found in singing songs. When Thompson wrote:

All shall be subject to the Main, he wrote sense, but when he added : |

And ev’i;y shore it. circles thine, he nodded, the one apology for him being that he died IS years before the United States was cradled. Were he alive today he would have to be reminded that the President of 120,000.000 more or less opulent people calling for markets does not subscribe either to the refrain ■ r to the governing line in the chorus: Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the waves! Something may be made of the fact that the United States exercises some sort of spell over thousands in no way under any allegiance to her, and if to give this point we refer to that distinguished British statesman, who led the Empire politically in the terrible days of 1914-18, it is because of his extraordinary utterance in England with the conference a palpable failure. For he indicated that he was unable to regard a much-increased American Navy with any misgivings, and all for the reason that the United States -arne to the Allies’ help in the period just mentioned. It is only out of respect for what is correct that it is said that she did that in 1917, when, incidentally, the Allies had become her debtors to the extent of many hundreds of millions of pounds. And it is only to show how the world changes that it is remarked that while the Hearst Press was taboo in the British Empire in those stressful times it now accounts that distinguished British statesman one of its most valued contributors, as it publishes an article under his name every week.

We can conceive of .r> more disastrous development in international affairs than a naval contest between Great Britain and the United States, but duty is duty, and with things as they stand at this writing it behoves the British Empire to “get down to figures.” The United States has nothing to fear at the hands of Great Britain, and the belief is that every statesman and public man otherwise over there knows it. Then what other conclusion is possible than that the United States, as now led. is desirous of assuming Great Britain's place as supreme arbiter on the sea? The fact that a conference, called for a general attendance like tl o one at M ashington some years ago. became, almost at once, a duel, resulting in an irresistible force having to be met with an immovable object has left an impression the seriousness of which it would be hard to exaggerate. Which induces the usual pious hope that wiser counsels will prevail.