CONCESSION SOUGHT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19372, 9 July 1937, Page 14

CONCESSION SOUGHT

OIL IN NEW GUINEA JAPAN & RAW MATERIALS LONDON, June 30. Japan is hopeful of obtaining from Holland a concession for the exploitation of oil fields in Dutch New Guinea, Viscount Tadashiro Inouye, a Japanese peer, told members of the Japan Society. The keynote of the speech was Japan's vital need of free access to raw materials, without which a nation could lay but a nominal claim to independence, and must be for ever in an inferior position. "Owing to climatic and other reasons," Viscount Inouye said, "vast potential areas of supply at present remain untapped—for example, the oil deposits in New Guinea. "The land where these deposits occur is entirely devoid of civilisation. Under present conditions, it is hardlv possible that civilising influences" will be brought to bear there for many years.

"In just the same wav as they have achieved such eminently satisfactory results in developing the iron mines of Malaya, Japanese capital and labour are prepared to open and develop the New Guinea oilfields. 'lt is in such regions, hitherto uninhabited, and hardly considered worth while, by early exploiters, that Japan seeks her salvation in establishing free access to raw materials. The means she employs are essentially peaceful. She does not wish 10 win an unfair advantage over others. "In New Guinea, the climate offering such insuperable obstacles to European development, a Japanese company recently acquired rights for the planting of cotton.

"Thus does Japan carry out the policy of making herself self-suffi-cient.

"To accomplish such results, Japan must be recognised as a controlling influence in the East. To her must be allowed the responsibility of maintaining peace among her neighbours."