Teopicalities

THE suggestion put forward in this journal two or three years ago, that Australia might be glad to see Germany in New Guinea, to assist her in holding the South Seas against the thrusting power of Japan, has been advanced by several commentators recently. But the whole situation has been changed in the past year owing to the completion of a secret alliance or understanding between Germany and Japan. Defence is now the paramount consideration of British Im perial politics, and defence demands that New Guinea shall be very strongly held by Britain, and preferably, by Australia.

Its possible economic value to Germany is as nothing to its tremendous strategic importance to Australia.

Incidentally, German residents of Pacific Mandated Territories would be wise to guard their tongues more care fully. Some who have returned recently from Germany to New Guinea and Samoa have chattered very unwisely about “the future of the former German colonies.”

There is not an ounce of hostility for Germany remaining in British countries —on the contrary, one finds everywhere a growing wish for a closer relationship and very real admiration for Germany’s national spirit; but that does not mean that there is any future for those former German islands except under the British flag. It is simply a matter of self-pre servation. The things that are happen ing in the Pacific to-day—the internat ional manoeuvring for place and power— outweigh all such sentimental considera tions as whether the Swastika flag shall fly over a few coconut trees in places where, until 1914, the Kaiser was the prevailing toast. * ♦ ♦ IT has been announced that Hurricane, the story written by Charles B, Nord hoff and James Norman Hall soon after the completion of their Bounty trilogy, is to be filmed in colour by Metro- Goldwyn-Mayer, which made such a suc cess of the film Mutiny on the Bounty.

It is indicated that the star probably will be Merle Oberon. It is stated that Sam Goldwyn paid Messrs. Nordhoff and Hall £12,000 for the film rights of Hurricane. * * * WHERE is the statue of King Kame hameha, of Hawaii?

As the Hawaiian Islands are celebra ting the 200th birthday anniversary of the great Hawaiian hero, the question is a legitimate one. However, if you put that question to almost any visitor or resident in Hawaii the answer undoub tedly will be that it is in front of the Judiciary building in Honolulu’s palace square.

But this statue is just a replica. The original stands at Kohala, island of Hawaii, which district is said to be the birthplace of the “Napoleon of the Pacific.”

Both statues were the work of Thomas R. Gould, an American artist who lived in Florence, Italy. The first statue ordered by the Hawaiian legislature in 1878, was being shipped on the German barque G. F. Handel, which was burned at sea and sank off the Falkland Islands.

The statue was insured and a replica was purchased and erected in Honolulu.

In the meantime a seafaring adven turer, Captain Jarvis, wandering ashore at Port Stanley, in the Falklands, was amazed to see a Polynesian statue, and soon identified it as a Sandwich Island king. As a gamble, he purchased it from the Falkland Islanders and brought Kamehameha —the original statue —to Hawaii, where he sold it for a slight profit: It still stands at Kohala, which is an interesting off-the-beaten-track section (the northern tip) of the Big Island. * * * MRS. BAYNES, widow of Captain H.

C. A. Baynes, R.N., who hoisted the British flag in Rarotonga when the Cook Islands were annexed to New Zealand in June, 1901, passed through Sydney recently from New Zealand on her way back to England. Because of the distin guished services of her husband, also those of her father, Admiral Sir Joseph Nias, K.C.8., the King has permitted Mrs. Baynes to reside in an apartment in Hampton Court Palace —an honour accorded to only a few.

Mrs. Baynes was in Sydney with her husband in 1901, when he received sealed orders to depart for the Pacific in H.M.S.

Mildura. At that time it was considered that the French had designs upon Raro tonga which had been under British pro tection since 1880. Following a visit In 1900 by the New Zealand Premier, Mr.

Seddon, it was decided, in consultation with the Imperial authorities, to make the Cook Islands a dependency of New Zealand. For some years a section of foreign residents on Rarotonga had clamoured for annexation.

Mrs. Baynes had still another link with the Pacific. Captain Nias, her father, was in command of H.M.S. Herald, the vessel on which Captain William Hobson, R.N., left Sydney early in 1840 to proclaim British sovereignty at the Bay of Islands, N.Z. Unfortunately, their personal rela tions were marred by several unfortun ate incidents. It does seem extraordinary that the daughter of a man who wit nessed the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi should still be living. The explanation is that Nias married a wo man 35 years his junior when he was more than 60 years old himself.—E.R.