The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1905. THE NEW TREATY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12796, 30 September 1905, Page 2

The Timaru Herald SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1905. THE NEW TREATY.

The new Treaty between Britain and Japan in its new stipulations covers more ground than the former one, and does so in a more specific manner. The first Treaty contained some stipulations regarding mutual help, of a veiy general chaiacter. The new one is particularly interesting for its special refaiences to the defence of British interests in India. Article 2. read together with the preamble or statement of reasons for entering into the Treaty, seems to definitely bind Japan to assist in ibe defence of India against Russian aggression. The article r<ads : " If, by reason tf an unprovoked attack or any aggressive action, wherever arising, on the part of any other Power or Powers, either contracting party should be involved in a war in defence of its territorial rights and interests as mentioned in the preamble, the other shall immediately come to tha assistance of its ally and conduct the war in common, and make peace in mutual agreement with it."

"As mentioned in the preamble." The reference here is clearly to the words: " The consolidation ■ and maintenance of general peace in the regions of Eastern Asia and India." The contracting parties, of course, bag each its own peculiar in- \ terest in this part of the bargain, but for the British public there is r.o doubt that the specific mention of India is the 1 most interesting point about the document,' so far as qu-estions of peace and war are concerned. If, under the provisions above ■juoted. Britain were called upon to render assistance to Japan, Britishers would look upon the operations, whether military oi naval, very much as mere spectators. If, on the other hand, "by reason of an unprovoked attack or any aggressive action " b.V any Power, Britain were involved in war for the defence of India, Biitish subjects all over the world would need no instruction about the supreme importance of the conflict or the value of the alliance. At present there is only one Power which can he reasonably imagined as a possible cause of this clause of the Treaty being brought into active operation, so far as India is concerned, and British interest in the regions of Eastern Asia ate not likely to be attacked or threatened in such a'manner as to cause a war; the Article therefore is manifestly directed, so far as Britain is concerned, against the Power alluded to. The idea must be that should Russia venture to make any aggressive action against British interests in India, Japan shall create a diversion by operations on Russian territory in the Far East. The fears or suspicions which have long been entertained that Russia has designs upon India, may or may not be well founded. The fact that by this Treaty the British defence of India is to be supplemented by Japanese attack upon Eastern Siberia will certainly tend to allay such fears and banish such suspicions. The "Pall Mall Gazette" recognises this so completely as to suggest that the Treaty has made the noith-westem frontier of India so secure that Britain need no longer stand in the way of Russia obtaining a road to the sea in the Persian Gulf. Quite distinct from questions of mutual aid in certain contingencies of war, which at the worst can only arise at long distant intervals, and which the growing desire for peaceful settlement of international differences by arbitration tend to make mohe and more rare, are the provisions of the preamble relating to commerce. It is difficult to compare the value of these with that of the mutual defence proposals; but disregarding the latter as not very likely to be acted upon, the Treaty is manifestly of very great importance, in that it definitely ensures the continuance of the " open dcor" for trade with China or Korea, and the •maintenance of the integrity of China. The latter is a necessary element of\ the former, inasmuch as no scheme of " partition " can be imagined which would not involve a departure from the open door policy. Theie can be no other reason for partition, than the closing of the doers of trade. On the whole the new Treaty appears to have been well received by the European and American Press, "excepting, naturally enough, the Press of Russia, .'whose leading political journal recognises that it is obviously primarily directed .against Russia. It was impossible that it should be otherwise. If there had been no Russia threatening British interests in one quarter, and Japanese interests in another, there would have been no reason for an Anglo-Japanese Treaty. And except that the Treaty unavoidably hints at this reason, it should not cause Russia annoyanoe, for it is very carefully drawn op on the " Defence, not Defiance," principle.