The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1905. JAPAN AND THE BRITISH COLONIES

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12593, 6 September 1905, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "NULLA DIES SINE LINEA." WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1905. JAPAN AND THE BRITISH COLONIES

I_v view of the renewal of the BritishJapanese alliance, it is not surprising that colonial publicists should be somewhat concerned as to the ultimate effect of the union upon the' British colonies. Colonials have not;-been slow to itdmire, and appreciate at their full worth, the wonderful achievements of the Japanese, both on sea and land, but behind the generous appreciation there still lingers the fear of a "yellow invasion." The i.ssue of the war has not left Japan any doubt as to its power to make advantageous bargains with its nearest neighbours, and, according to views which have recently been under discussion in England, we are destined to see before Tonga discretionary and •veiy substantial modification of the general attitude of Australia, New Zealand, America, Germany, and British Columbia towards both Japan and China. It seems to be agreed, says a London correspondent, that the two Eastern nations will be prepared to work as one politically after the close oi the war. That China feels the new power at its back ds already evidenced by its boycott of American goods in retaliation-for the, .offensive manner in' which' the exclusion." Laws,; against Chin-, eso subjects are being administered in the United States. It is not so muchthe/law itself a& the "insults"' commit ted . under it that they resent. The Japanese are not - excluded- from. the country. When the-- Act ■ was passed few of them -had settled*there, and, as a people,,,they showed little disposition to emigrate-". ;.1 But .an- recent years they have gone-to Calif ornia .and other Western States in*much'-larger numbers, andare now 'being objected to, because they urderrbid the. white man, work too hard, refuse to- join the labour unionsand save their money. Mr. Maurice Low', the well known, writer on American affairs, states that President Roosevelt is showing a keen perception of the danger of this new agitation, from the point of view of American trade with tho East, and the safety of the Philippines. He is endeavouring in his skilful diplomatic way to check it directly by dealing first with the lesser question of the Chinese. He argues that ' 'the exclusion of the Chinese is not only disgraceful, but stupid, and bound to be more injurious in the long run to the United States than to China"; but he is thinking more of the Japanese, and is shrewd enough, says Mr. Low, to see ■ complications in store unless there is a change in the policy of the Americans towards Asiatics in genoral. The American labour unions are, of course, hostile to the coloured aliens, but the efforts of the President have met with an immediate response in the Southern States, which have now a vital interest in the - maintenance of trade with China. Since those States engaged in manufacturing as well as in growing cotton they have sent;'millions of. yards of cotton cloth to Manchuria, and "so important is this trade to the cotton mills of the South that its loss would spell financial ruin to them." The question propounded by this correspondent is, has Great Britain's policy, in renewing the Anglo-Japanese alliance, been—unavoidably perhaps— similar in spirit to that which President Roosevelt is initiating in the Un-; ited States? And if so, will Australia and New Zealand soon find themselves, whether they like it or no, within the scope of a Foreign Office compromise? Among those; who offer opinions on the' subject is Mi*.Archibald R. Colquhoun, for 30 years a close student of Eastern affairs and the writer of two books dealing with the commercial and strategical future of the Pacific. He is inclined to answer both questions in the affirmative. It. must be recognised, he points out, that the Japanese now occupy the dominant position in the Pacific, being the only nation with a modern navy concentrated there, and with strategical and ship building facil-' ities which give them practical controj.", of a large portion of the Asiatic cdast. Their trade interests are now "MTtar T aliy in the Pacific," and the futur&Vis that of a manufacturing people. •For-a time they may be"satisfied with the op-

portunities offered by Manchuria and Korea, and with their ability > aided by China, to check foreign political and commercial aggression in the Far East as a whole. But they will soon turn their faces to the wider field. There is no doubt, in Mr. Colquhoun's understanding of the situation, that one of the first points of attack will be to break down the policy of exclusion; and in granting privileges to the Japanese, Ei1 rope and America will find difficulty in discriminating between the two sections of the Mongol race. "If our relations with the Far East are to preserve artificial barriers and conditions for-cur own protection, we must be prepared to support our views. Australasia and Canada, without adequate defence and naval protection, will not be in a position to dictate their own terms for intercourse. And it pre-supposes n» racial animosity or Machiavellian ambition on the part of Japan to expect her to secure every advantage possible from her strong position in the Pacific." Like the majority of Englishmen who have taken part in the discussion of this question, Mr. Colquhoun, appears to assume that Australasia will acquiesce without much resistance in whatever course British policy may have deemed it desirable to dictate. We are inclined to tHink, however, that the statesmen of the Motherland will have been careful to protect, as far as lay in their power,, the interests of the over-sea, dominions. Nevertheless the publication of the. details of the new treaty..will be awaited with interest.