JAPAN AND AMERICA.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13484, 26 July 1907, Page 6

JAPAN AND AMERICA.

WILL THERE BE WAX ? A CHAT WITH HON. OLIVER SAMUEL. The lion. Mr Samuel and Mrs Samuel arrived at New Plymouth on Wednesday. In a chat with a Herald representative on Thursday, Mr Samuel stated that, while lie was in Japan, great indignation was expressed- by the. Japanese at the treatment of their fellow-country-men in Cali Torn hi. All the Japan^e with whom he conversed spoke a.s if animated by a strong war spirit, and seemed to have no fear of a conflict with the United States. "Whilst not proiV.vsing to rpoak with the authority of oiio who has specially studied the subject.," Mr Samuel remarked, "T havr- no doubt that if war were proclaimed (which I think very unlikely) tlie Japa-icse people nould be delighted and go i it«> it wuh the some spirit, en«rgy. and self-sacrifice as th y displayed in the case of the war agairst Russia. But I have groat faith In the wisdom of tin? Knux'vor of Japan and his Ministers, and am sure Lhat they will do their best in avert war. 1 hey must recognise thai, howrrer p^pulir ir would be with their countrymen, and however lvuch they may he co'ivinc'l by their past i;ucces.-^.-s that thoir nation would emerge successfully from i struggle with the United States, th« ultimate results must b» ruinous. Jai>nn has not recovered, and J do net thiu,\ can for years recover, from tho effet t*-, of the sacrifices made by hey people during the recent war wiHi Russia, and. notwithtanding her large and mapii-j ficontly armed fled' »nd iin«y, and'the comparatively small <-o-:3 of maintaining both, one can scarcrfly imagine Uw country in stick a condition financially as to declnro war unless io do so be.comes unavoidable. If, however, tho! rashness and folly of soum law W- Aine-| I ricans shoi'.ld result in open hostilities! between the two notions, there seems to! me little doubt that the. jms.-os.«!ous of America in tho Pacific will bo, for Ihe first few months at any rate, at the mercy of Japan. Tho' United Sti'to: has not a sufficient number of war vessels now available to offer any effective resistance to the Japanese tloot or protect the Philippine and Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Coast; vhilsi I have been told that the land defences would offer no sufficient resistance to a bombardment by the extraordinarily effective guns with which the Japanese battleships are armed. As ro.sp«vts t3io Hawaiian Islands. I understand tht>i the Japanese already there— numbering about 60,000—could probably annex them themselves with little or no ortside aid. Doubtless America would bring into ,the Pacific waters a sufficiently strong floet to -y.evt the Japan ese war voxels with at nny rute son:o chance of success, hut this must takesome time and be beset v. ith some of the difficulties which Russia encountered in the case of the Baltic Fleet. »ml the practical annihilation of tho latter at the battle of Tsushima will doubtless encourage the Japanese to Lop* for a similar victory. Should there be » struggle between tho two countries, niu} no other nation intervene, I think that it will be a very fierce one, and a protracted one, and that the result h doubtful. Both nations hive clenionts of strength and elements of w<>;4;ross and it does not at all follow becuise Iho Japanese hnr 0 so far' proved themselves the host. soiJiers hi tjio world, skilful fighters both on land and sea. and, above all, eager to hy down thoir Jive:; for thoir helovo'l country and their E'nprror, that they are going to bo able to maintain successfully a war w iih siu-h a great nation as America. I earnestly I hope that there will be no war, and. I repeat, 1 have evei;y confidence that tho wisdom of the rulers of boih nations will prevent such a calamity." Mr Samuel speak,; vorv highly of the Japanese, and states that bo and Mrs Samuel met nothing but l-->mHoss. courtesy, and hospitality during their stay in Japan.