PEACE QUEST

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19455, 14 October 1937, Page 5

PEACE QUEST

FUTURE OF. THE WORLD ROOSEVELT REPEATS CALL POSITIVE ACTION NEEDED DANGERS IN ISOLATION (Elec. Tel. Copyright—United Press Assn.) NEW YORK, Oct. 13. President Roosevelt broadcast a “fireside chat” throughout the nation this evening. “The purpose ol the Nine-Power Conference will be to seek by agreement a solution of the present situation in China,” said Mr. Roosevelt. “It is our purpose to co-operate with the other signatories, including China and Japan. “We cannot view with indifference the destruction of civilised values throughout the world. We seek peace, not only for our generation, but also for the generation of our children. “I want our great’ democracy' to be wise enough to realise that aloofness from war is not promoted by unawareness of war. Peace must, in a world of mutual suspicion, be affirmatively reached, for it cannot just be wished or waited for.” Effort to Demoralise Chinese The New York Times publishes the following: “The bombings from the air have distracted the attention of the world from the deliberate attempt on the part of Japan to demoralise the Chinese by means of drugs. The Japanese-controlled regions in Manchukuo, which are the chief source cf heroin, morphine and opium, have attained this unsavoury prominence, with the knowledge and, often, the protection of the Japanese authorities.

“The inadequate penalties applied by Japan to Japanese nationals in China have paralysed the efforts of the Chinese to repress this illicit traffic. “As the manufacture of drugs on a large scale requires an expanding market, with the impoverishment of the victims, the Japanese are already looking outside China. The United States and Egypt are aware of the gravity of the situation.”

PROMPT DENIAL GIVEN BERLIN AND ROME RECALL OF INSTRUCTORS (Reed. Oct. 14, 10 a.m.) BERLIN, Oct. 13. The Japanese reports that Germans who have been acting as instructors to the Chinese armies have been recalled from China is officially denied. A message from Rome describes as untrue the Tokio report that Signor Mussolini has ordered Italian aviation instructors to discontinue service with the Chinese Government. *

RED CROSS APPEAL DOCTORS AND EQUIPMENT URGENT NEED IN CHINA (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. An urgent appeal has reached the New Zealand Red Cross from the International Red Cross Committee asking that as quickly as possible surgeons and surgical instruments and accessories from New Zealand be sent to Nanking. The Red Cross there is in desperate need of surgical help. Mrs. T. H. Lowry, Dominion president of the New Zealand Red Cross Society, said to-day that the heads of the society were in consultation regarding the action to be taken, and a statement would be issued shortly.

MOT SEEKING CONQUEST TALK OF BOYCOTT JAP. JOURNALIST’S VIEWS (Special to the Herald.) AUCKLAND, this day. "It tickles me when they talk like that. It is nonsense,” said Mr. B. Suzuki, a prominent Japanese journalist, on his arrival at Auckland by the Wanganella, in commenting on views expressed in Australia that Japan could not do without Australian wool. Discussing this and other questions which have arisen from the conflict between Japan and China, Mr. Suzuki was emphatic that a better understanding of Japan’s position and of developments in China was essential to restore international relations. “If Australia boycotts Japanese goods Japan will immediately boycott Australian goods,” he said, “and Australia will lose most because Japan purchases four times as much as she sells in her trade with Australia. All wool bought from Australia is for home consumption in Japan, and ii the Japanese people are unable to obtain wool they will cease to wear woollen clothes. That is quite possible, for the majority of Japanese have never worn woollen clothing, but cotton and silk. Australia and New Zealand must not expect that if they declare a boycott against Japan they will continue to sell their products to Japan. They would terminate trade and Japan would gain because the overflow of currency to Australia would come to an end at a time when it is most necessary for Japar to have all the money she can.” Declaring that Japan had no designs of conquest in China, Mr Suzuki said that no country could conquer China. The territory was too vast and the population of 500,000,000 could never be subdued by an outside Power. An army of occu pation of 1,000,000 would be necessary and no Government could provide it. At the same time, Japan was deter mined, he said, to let the Chinese know there was a limit to antiJapanese activities and propaganda. It was also possible that in North

China, when fighting was over, Japan would wish to exercise some influence on Chinese policy. Safeguards against a repetition of the activities which had led up to the conflict would be necessary and Japan might wish to establish industrial, activities, both in primary and secondary production. “This may be regarded as selfish,” he continued, “but you must take into consideration that Japan is a little country, not much larger than New Zealand, and has a population of 80,000,000, which is increasing by 1,000,000 every year. It is quite natural that a country like Japan, which is confined in a small area, should try to expand her activities on the nearby continent of Asia. No nation should condemn her as selfish. All nations are selfish. The policy of a ‘White Australia’ is a selfish policy, and it is selfish for New Zealand, America and many other coum tries to shut out Japanese.”