RUSSIANS UNEASY

Southland Times, Issue 25314, 18 June 1935, Page 7

RUSSIANS UNEASY

JAPAN’S ACTIVITIES IN CHINA.

(United Press Assn.—Telegraph Copyright.) (Rec. 7.30 p.m.) London, June 17. The Moscow correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says that Japan’s activities in China are causing considerable uneasiness. It is feared that Japan intends to annex not only Inner Mongolia, but enough of Northern China to make the lines of communication absolutely safe when she eventually attacks ‘the Soviet’s buffer republic, Outer Mongolia. PERPLEXING SITUATION JAPAN’S PLANS IN CHINA. REASONS FOR AGGRESSION. “We are doing research work on the most controversial problem of our time,” said Mr Edward C. Carter, sec-retary-general of the Institute of Pacific Relations, who was a through passenger by the Mariposa at Auckland last week. He was accompanied by his wife and two secretaries. Mr Carter will return to New Zealand from Australia, his total stay being two months. It is his first visit to. these two of the ten member-countries of the institute. He has recently spent some time in the Far East, and was able to throw some light on the present sensational developments in North China. “The Chinese have been fearing the recent move for over a year,” said Mr Carter, “and the community has. been divided into those who thought' that the Japanese would never be foolish enough to penetrate into North China and those who felt certain that it must come to pass. Everyone in the Far East is speculating as to the extent to which Japan will eventually go. Hoping to avoid any aggression, the Chinese have for some time followed the policy of toning down their Press articles and of forbidding demonstrations, but in spite of this a situation has apparently arisen that is very perplexing to students of the East.” Probably one of the reasons underlying the present move, stated Mr Carter, was the desire to acquire the cotton fields of North China, thus making Japan independent of Texas and India. Japan also looked for increased supplies of wheat and tobacco. The Chinese feared that Japan’s policy was the creation of “one-crop” farmers, who would be dependent for all their other necessities on Japan, and woiild be forced to buy Japanese goods. Actually, Japan might find it more profitable to maintain a policy of domination without military occupation. In this connection they had the experience gained in Manchuria, where some say there would probably be no return on the enormous capital outlay for at least 20 years. “The outstanding thing in the Far East,” said Mr Carter, “is the amazing success of Japan in industrial and commercial fields. This has not, as so many people think, been due to coolie wages, but to concentration of capital, efficiency of management and machinery, and of buying and selling, and to close integration between textile and shipping interests and the co-operation of Government with business organizations. All these factors, together with keeping the yen low in relation to other world currencies, have made for the success of Japanese industry. Above all, the spirit of patriotism, and loyalty that is a strong Japanese characteristic has created a nation of ideal employees. “The work of reconstruction in China has also been a remarkable accomplishment, and one that has passed telmost unnoticed by the rest of the world. It can be seen in every phase of the national life, in health research, education, communications and military organization. Tire new China is emerging from the old, with Western ideas being brought back by keen students who have worked in other countries and have returned fired with ambition. Progress has been given a great stimulus by reasons of economic necessity and the constant thought of Japanese aggression. “There has also been thought of a ‘promised land,’ stimulated by Soviet ideology, and the Chinese Government knows that its very existence depends on its success in giving people a status to which they think they are entitled. During the next ten years the world will watch the destiny of these two Oriental peoples with so much in common and so many causes for antipathy emerging from their mediaeval civilization, Japan has got a good start, but China is now definitely on the path of modernism."