Of Pacific Islands Colonies

Germany’S Claim For Return

“Shall the German Eagle Return to the South Seas?” was the title of an article in the September, 1932, issue of this journal.

We said then that we believed the collapse of the League of Nations was in sight; that Germany was awakening to a new spirit of aggressiveness and militarism; and a new era of monarchism; and that, with the end of the League and the Mandates system, the final disposal of Germany’s former colonies would become a burning question. Everything that we then forecast has come about.

The world is faced with a new Germany, and the League of Nations is very near to its end.

In view of this, it is very interesting to read an article of moderate tone in a leading German newspaper, “Hamburger Nachrichten,” in December last, wherein comment is made on our September article. The following is a translation.

We have referred to these important questions elsewhere in this issue.

IN the last number of the “Pacific Islands Monthly” the editor and publisher, Mr. R. W. Robson, in a leading article, concerns himself with the question of whether the German Eagle may again fly over the Pacific (says the German newspaper).

Like a true descendant of his race, he, of course, comes to the conclusion that there can be no discussion on the question of the return of our colonies, and supports his contention with the most varied arguments.

In the first place, it must come as a shock to the German reader that even to-day—that is, fourteen years after the end of the war—the old lie of Germany’s guilt in the world-war should be cited as a cloak for the de sired theft. Mr. Robson writes, word for word, —“To hand her colonies back to Germany would be farcical.” There lies revealed that conservative spirit of England which, ever since the days of good Queen Elizabeth, has, in truth, forgotten nothing, but then has ceased learning. For centuries past, the foes of England have always been those peoples or States who possessed some thing that the envy or greed of Eng land demanded. So it was, to give only one example, that for the period of 350 years English sea-robbers were given charters by their Protestant queen, under the pretext of breaking the might of Catholicism—but really to seize Spanish galleons trading to Europe, laden with gold and silver.

And so, to-day, the alleged sole-guilt of Germany in the world-war has to serve as a pretext for robbing us of our colonial possessions. It remains worthy of note, however, that the English haven’t gone to the trouble perhaps haven’t thought it worth it—to offer sound reasons for this theft of theirs.

When reference is made to the peculiar situation of our Pacific pos sessions, the covetousness of the Aus tralian appears as inconceivable as it is remarkable. Their own continent of above seven million square kilometres, and a population of only just six million inhabitants—of which, more over, more than a third is settled in the two towns, Sydney and Melbourne is not sufficient for the full freedom of development of the people. They seem to be still absolutely in need of the 200,000 sq. km. (about) of Kaiser Wilhelm’s Land and the Bismarck Archipelago. We need not once grudge the small groups of islands known as the Carolines, and so on, although no one will dispute that neither of New Guinea nor of all the other little

islands will the question of colonisation, in its broadest sense, arise. Their economic importance for Germany, as well as for the rest of the world, is of much greater consequence than it is ever likely to be for the continent of Australia.

Just as amazing as this inexplicable land-hunger is to us, is the political stupidity of it all, when one considers the distant future. Australia has never

been in a position to protect herself, unaided, against the “Yellow Peril” (whether it be Japan, or possibly China, later on) and can only enjoy her political independence so long as the United States and England are able to guarantee it. For this reason, it must be to the self-interest of every part of the world —at least, so far as the command of the Pacific is con cerned —to bring about a partnership of the white races which would ensure them, not merely economic advantage, but a broader basis of security which each continent of the white races could uphold.

But, no! A hatred of Germany and. all things German has been artificially engendered through a ten-years-old campaign of falsehood which, together with the before-mentioned lie, seems to make the Australian blind to wise solution of the problem, from the point of view of real politics.

Still more unintelligible, from the German point of view, is England’s precedence in East Africa, which, ac cording to uncontradicted rumour, founded on fact, has come to be re garded as the future dumping-ground for over-populated India. Supposing that England realises this plan, it would mean that, by the end of this century, the whole of East Africa would be populated by 50 or more mil lion Indians, with a corresponding ad mixture of native blood. In this way, England is supporting the diffusion of

a coloured race and is working method ically to restrict still further the living room of what is admittedly the most efficient and industrious nation of the white race in order, ultimately, to cause its downfall.

Can it be that England’s political instinct, which time and again in ear lier centuries- has been tried and tested, was really lost through the war; or does the Island Kingdom imagine that Europe, at latest, within the next hundred years, will be able to resist successfully the expected onrush of the yellow, brown, and black races without a strong and healthy Germany’s as sistance?

The frontiers of the real Europe ex tend, since Versailles, from the Vistula to, practically, the Oder, to where an alarming mass menaces the West.

The least step further on that road would be synonymous with a complete abandonment of all our European cul ture. The rest of our Continent would be overrun by Slavs, Asiatics and Africans, and all that would be left of the British world-Empire would be a little island kingdom, without political or economic significance.