Jap Crept South
pp. 25-26 · Read in the full issue
How the Treacherous Jap Crept South
JAPAN’S attack upon New Guinea and other British islands south of the Equator has been made from power ful bases prepared by Japan in the Caroline and Marshall Islands. Japan got those islands (under a League of Nations mandate) by lies and subterfuge, and by subterfuge, in defiance of the terms of the mandate, she fortified the islands, ready for her southwards thrust.
The shameful story is told by Mr.
Thomas Dunbabin in Sydney “Daily Telegraph”. The guilty men, who per mitted the Japanese occupation of a territory which so clearly menaced Aus tralia. are all gone, and cannot be shot at—all except W. M. Hughes. That per petual political calamity, despite his three score years and fifteen, is still defying his country’s enemies, hurling fiery phrases at the oncoming Japs, with all the verve and abandon which he dis played at Versailles 23 years ago—when he handed the islands over to the Asiatics, Says Mr. Dunbabin: On August 25, 1914, the British Government told Mr.
Fisher, then Prime Minister of Australia, that Japan had given assurances that she had no intention of seizing the Ger man islands in the Pacific.
On October 7, Japanese troops occupied Yap, in the Carolines, but as late as November 5 the Japanese Admiralty stated that it was ready to hand the island over to an Australian force.
ON November 24, the British Govern ment told Australia that it was not considered advisable that the Aus tralian expedition then about to sail should go to any islands north of the
Equator (which included the Carolines).
The Fisher Ministry meekly complied with this remarkable request.
On February 7, 1917, the Hughes Gov ernment, in reply to a question, said that it had no objection to Britain pledging support to Japan’s claim to keep the northern islands.
Obviously someone in Japan had studied the map of the Pacific to some purpose between August 25 and November 24.
Stretching for nearly 3,000 miles from west to east, the Pelews, Carolines, ana Marshall Islands offered ideal bases for a future southward drive.
After the war, Japan was in no shape to make good her claim against the victorious Allies.
But, thanks to the pledged support of Britain and of Australia, she secured a C class mandate for the islands. She then turned them into A class bases.
Dr. Gordon K. Smith, M. 8., 8.5., of Melbourne, joined the New Guinea Mis sion recently and was preparing to go to Papua to re-open the Mission hospital at Gona, north-east coast of Papua, when the Japanese invaded New Guinea in January. His departure has been post poned indefinitely.
Mr. B. Jaeschke, of the Lutheran Mis sion, Madang, New Guinea, recently com pleted a course of study at the Adelaide School of Mines, South Australia.
Mr. F. B. Spaeth, who had lived in Fiji since 1879, died in Suva War Memorial Hospital on December 20. He was manager of Vutuboro cotton estate at Lomaloma from 1880 to 1889; then with the CSR Co. at Labasa; later he engaged in saw
milling on the Dreketi River, sugar-cane growing in Ba, and coconut planting at Savu Savu. He retired from active work when hurricanes in 1929-30 destroyed his Natuvatu estate.
Mr. N. Goodwin, formerly on W. R. Car penter & Co.’s NG inter-island vessel John Bolton”, now is serving as a Tem porary Lieutenant in the Royal Aust ralian Naval Reserve.