WHAT FOSTER FRASES THINKS.

Wanganui Herald, Volume XXXXVI, Issue 13422, 8 July 1911, Page 7

WHAT FOSTER FRASES THINKS.

"Should Not Shut Our Eyes."

The Position Analysed. When Japan Will Attempt to Seize Australia. Mr John Foster Fraser, the well-known journalist-author, writing in “Everybody’s Weekly,” says; “Come 1915, when Germany will be strongest to try a naval bout with Britain', the United. States is most anxious to have the Panama Canal open for the passage of her warships. It will be when Germany and Britain are lighting on the North Sea. and Australia lies almost defenceless, that Japan, tree from any bonds tying her to Britain, will attempt to seize the northern part of Australia. Beulising that she will have to fight America for it, she is now carefully cultivating a proJapanese sentiment in Mexico. “The Mexicans regard the Americana as their hereditary enemies—they fear annexation themselves hy the States—and therefore we note a growing disposition in Mexico to bo pro-Japanese and more antiAmerican. If the United States has deigns on Mexico it is hoped that the dread of a conflict with Japan will hinder development, whilst the Japanese, with their designs on Australia, are astutely engineering that when the Mikado’s warships sail to the southern seas America will have very serious trouble at home with MoxiJAPAN’S DESIGNS ON AUSTRALIA. “The Americans are shrewd enough to know the game which is being played. The recent nigh inexplicable demonstration by United States troops on the Mexican frontier, ostensibly to stay revolt in Mexico, is really a command to Mexico; ‘Stop allowing your politics to be dictated from Tokio, or we shall come in, set up a Protectorate, and take care no more Japanese land in the country.’ At the present time ther6 are quite a hundred thousand Japanese in Mexico, and all are anti-American. “The United States is taking time by the forelock, so that if, in 1915, there is a great European war, and Japan seizes die opportunity to pick a quarrel with Australia—as she can easily do over the prohibitory immigration laws which prevent Japanese settling in Australia—and America does what Australia expects her to, sends her fleet through the Panama Canal to challenge the Japanese fleet, ■ hero shall not be another enemy at her door. “That there is an understanding between Germany and Japan no one, who understands international politics, can doubt. Our Foreign Office knows about it, and so does Washington. The growing friendliness between America and Britain is accelerating it. America appreciates that if naval disaster came to Britain the Germans would follow up success by wanting to plant the German flag in Brazil, and would attempt to do it, despite America fighting; for Japan would be harassing America on the Pacific Coast. Even the United States, with all her power, would have a bad time if simultaneously she bad to fight such powerful navies as tho,-.o of Germany and Japan. A AVOBLD CONFLAGRATION, “Statesmen in Germany believe that, if things begin to go badly with Britain, America—knowing what a German triumph would ultimately mean to her—■vould come to Britain’s aid. It' is to ore vent this, to give the American Navy ■something to do in another part of the world, that Germany is now acting so cousinly to Japan. “If there is going to be a world conflagration everything points to 1915 being the year when it will blaze. Sincerely, from my heart, I trust it may be avoided. But because we .desire to avoid a danger is no reason why we should shut our eyes to its existence.”