Annexation

A Demand For

New Guinea Residents and Mandates System

ALL European residents of New Guinea at present are signing four copies of a petition, which states:— “We, the undersigned residents of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea, hereby forward our petition for the annexing of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea by Australia, and pro test against any suggestion that this Territory be handed back to Ger many”.

One copy will go to the King, one to the British Parliament, and one to the Australian Parliament.

The petition is receiving universal support: and its purpose is being as sisted by public meetings in all parts of the Territory.

This strong agitation, no doubt, will be noted when the Four Powers (Brit ain, Germany, France and Italy) meet to make a more definite European set tlement. and Germany advances her in evitable demand for colonial territory.

Meanwhile, it may be noted that the general belief, that “Mandates” repres ent territories held in trust from the League of Nations, for ultimate disposal elsewhere, is quite wrong. The “Rabaul Times”, in a timely article, quotes Mr.

Amery, formerly Secretary for the Col onies, and an acknowledged authority:— “Germany ceded her colonial territor ies as completely and irrevocably as she ceded Alsace-Lorraine or the former Ger man territories which are now part of Poland. She ceded them by Article 119 of the Treaty of Versailles, not to the League but to the principal Allied and Associated Powers. These Powers pro ceeded to divide these territories between themselves by mutual agreement. With that division the League had nothing whatever to do”, Mr. Amery explains how the League came into the picture. The Allied Pow ers wished to make it clear to President Wilson and to the world, that the ex- German colonies were not being taken over for exploitation, but for their own security and it was the intention to ad minister them in the interests of the inhabitants: documents, embodying these undertakings were submitted to the Lea gue and it was agreed that annual re ports should be made to the League.

Rabaul Public Meeting

There were 300 at the public meeting in Rabaul on November 1, when reso lutions opposing any suggestion of hand ing back New Guinea were passed.

Hon. J. C. Mullaly presided, and de livered the principal address, and others who took a prominent part included: Hon. R. Melrose (President of the Pub lic. Service Association), Hon. R. L. Clark (President of the R.S. & 5.1.L.A.), Mr.

R. Youlden (Public Service Association), Mr. D. Davies (President, Business and Property Owners’ Association), and Mr.

S. E. Costelloe (Citizens’ Association), Hon. C. R. Field, Mr. McConnell, Mr.

Walker-Flynn, and Mr. R. L. Solomons.

Mr. W. E. Grose, president of the Planters’ Association, also signed the re sulting petition.

Sir W. Carpenter Draws a

Comparison

Nearly three years ago, Sir Walter Carpenter, head of Messrs. W. R. Car penter & Co. Ltd., delivered an address in which he argued that, for strategic as well as economic reasons, Australia could not contemplate the return to Ger many of the Mandated Territory of New Guinea.

“There has been advanced the plea that a German country in the Western Pacific might constitute a valuable buffer between Australia and Japan”, said Sir Walter. “Against that, we see the recent rapprochement between Japan and Ger many. . . There are reasons enough why Australia should maintain a constant vigilance on her equatorial frontier.

There are equally strong reasons why the Germans should not, under the new conditions, return to their position of in fluence in the Pacific”.

“I delivered that address nearly three years ago”, said Sir Walter, this week, to the “P.1.M.”, “and I looked anxiously to Australia, and especially to New Guinea, for some support for my argu ments. But there was not a word from New Guinea. The only public interest they showed there, at that moment, was a readiness to support a German shipping line and German traders, as against British institutions.

“To-day, however, the whole of New Guinea is demanding—and rightly so— that Germany’s demand for New Guinea be resisted, and asking for annexation by Australia. Yet the circumstances are exactly the same as I outlined three years ago—except that may be the possibili ties are a little clearer.

“Is it any wonder that one becomes a bit cynical regarding ‘public move ments’? ”