The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1918 THE LOST COLONIES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXVI, Issue 17212, 13 February 1918, Page 4

The Wanganui Chronicle. "Nulla Dies Sine Linea." WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1918 THE LOST COLONIES.

Whilst France is determined to continue tlie ■war until the "lost provinces ' are returned to her—Alsace and Lorraine—Germany is confronted also with another serious question, and that concerns her lost colonies, Germany today has no oversea colonies. East Africa, the last of them, has gone. Whilst expressing no opinion as to the disposal of the German colonies after the war, General Smuts recently delivered an address in London, in which he said the Prussian militarism must never he allowed to take hold in East .Africa, and no »rash extension of mi'ltarism of this order must be allowed in other continents. The German colonial aims, he added, were entirely dominated by far-reaching conceptions of world politics ; and if what he tells us in regard to German aims in Africa is somewhat startling, we y\ i readiiy believe it to be true. The statement that th© conquered German colonies can only be regarded as guarantees for the security and peace of the world does not necessarily mean that nono of her former colonial possessions shall be handed back to Germany; what it does mean is that, if any of them are hand-

Ed hack, certain guarantees shall be insisted upon. Though there has heen

some desultory fighting since General van Deventer reported officially at the beginning of December last that "German East" had been definitely cleared, and the only enemy force left had fled to the adjoining Portuguese territory, Germany "is down and out" as far as colonies are concerned. The conquest of EastAAfricaa —a country nearly twice as large as Germany itself—took nearly 22 months, the operations having bejgun in February, 1916. It is a special satisfaction to know that the Belgians had a hand in these operations. At the outbreak of war Germany's colonial possessions covered an area of 1,027,820 square miles, with a native population of 12,041,600. and a white population of approximately 24,400. .Not a square yard remains to-day to acknowledge the survey of the All Highest ■Monarch. Particulars of 'Germany* main colonies with the dates of capture, are as follows:-— Area. Popula--1914. Colony. sq. ni. tion. Aug. 25—TogoJand 33.700 1,032,000 Aug. 29—Samoa ... 1,000 34,630 Sept. 11 —Bismarck Archipelago ... 22,640 188,000 Sept. 24 —German New Guinea... 70,050 301,700! Nov. 7—Kiaochao .. 200 168,800 j 1915. ! July 9—German H. ! W.Africa 322,430 70,556 i 1916. ! Feb. 18—Cameroon* 191.130 2,643,720 i '.1917. ' I Dec. I—German East Africa 384,180 7.645.773

IWe ia New Zealand are more particularly concerned as to the ultimate fate of Samoa, not heeaii.se that colony was (captured b,y our own .soldiers, but hej cause its retention appears to be essenjtial to our own future peace and .security. Speaking in Auckland Jast week, Mr C J. Parr, M.P.. strongly supported the suggestion that public- meetings should be held in municipalities throughout the Dominion, in order to obtain a national expression of opinion on this important question. Such an expression of opinion, he urged, would .strengthen the, hands of tho New Zealand delegates to the conference of the Wai- Cabinet in their representations for the retention of Samoa. As Mr Parr pointed out, the retention of Samoa is not merely a political question : there are issues at stake affecting

the future of the Dominion in every respect. Mr Parr said he realised the danger of such an issue as the retention of Samoa being overshadowed at a pence conference by matters of apparently much greater mabnilude and im-

portance.. He also realised the difficulties that would confront Mr Lloyd George and his colleagues at a confer-

ence in supporting a '•' no-annexation" policy, and at the same time advocating the retention of a German colony. However, Germany's plain declaration that Samoa and New Guinea, if restored, were simply to he made fortified bases and arsenals from which to attack us in future should satisfy even our allies that we must hold these Germa.i colonies in future. "We need just now," said Mr Parr, "to impress on the Imperial Government that if Samoa goes to Germany the war is well nigh lost as far as Xew Zealand is concerned." While this is, perhaps, an exaggeration, there can be no doubt that New Zealanders generally are notdisposed to welcome Germans back to the Pacific.