Formosa—Stepping Stone To Tokio

T'HE island of Formosa, situated 90 miles off the China coast, and conveniently between the Philippines and the Japanese homeland, was (until the beginning of the Pacific war) one of the least-known regions of the world. We have learned some thing in the last three years of this semi-tropical region where Japan trained her jungle-fighters, and now, with the Philippines liberated by MacArthur, we are destined soon to learn much more. There are nearly 6,000,000 people in Formosa.

One hundred and fifty thousand native tribesmen live mostly on the island’s mountainous eastern half.

They are of Indonesian stock and have racial and cultural resemblances to the natives of northern Luzon. They speak a language that belongs to the Malaya-Polynesian group and, among their more annoying habits (from the Jap viewpoint) is that of head hunting. Both the Japs—and the Chinese before them—had much trouble with these unquellable moun tain tribes. rpHE island is said to have been dis- A covered by a Portuguese navi gator who named it “Ilha Formosa” (Beautiful Island). The Dutch settled there about 1624 and remained until 1661. Chinese started to migrate in large numbers about the same time and at the end of the century annexed the island.

After the conclusion of the war be tween China and Japan, in 1895, Formosa was ceded to Japan and ex ported by her. The present non mdigenous population is 5£ million Chinese and 300,000 Japanese. The pre-war European population was negligible: members of the American or British Consulates and a few tea merchants.

Japan has put a great deal of money into improving and building railways, roads and power plants. The Japs created monopolies for camphor, opium and salt, introduced pineapple growing and canning, stimulated sugar cane, rice and tea production.

Coal, gold, copper, petroleum were of fair importance. But, in spite of these things, the migration of Japa nese settlers was. small, in view of the overcrowded millions in their home land. Most Japanese were “white collar workers” who regarded Formosa as a means to an end—the end being a return to Japan with some degree of wealth.

The island lies, roughly, between 25 and 22 degrees north latitude. A chain of mountains runs north and south on the east coast, some peaks rising to 14.000 feet. The short winter is wet and, particularly in the mountains, cold. The summers are long and humid. Typhoons are pre valent in the season.

On the east coast, near Suo, are some of the highest cliffs in the world

—they tower up 6,000 feet from the sea.

The capital is Taihoku, linked by rail to the chief port, Keeling, on the north coast.

FORESTS cover about two-thirds of the island; but, due to the moun tainous nature of the best timber country, little of it is milled. Cedar, camphor and hibiscus is used for most local cabinet work and house build ing.

Formosa is the world’s chief source of camphor. Chinese workers go into the forests to fell the timber and cut it into chips, which are boiled down in large iron utensils, the crude camphor-gum then being delivered to the camphor monopoly in Taihoku.

An extensive scheme of reforestation has been carried out where camphor trees, growing in their natural state, have been cut down for production of camphor oils.

The Japanese have tried to pacify the natives by gradually encroaching on their territory, taut with indif ferent success.

As far as the Chinese are con cerned, they are treated by their Jap overlords with harshness and con tempt. The Japanese have tried to force their own language and culture on the Chinese, have forbidden the use of Chinese in schools or in the publication of newspapers. The Chinese are the artisans and the tillers of the soil.

IT was from Formosa that the Japs first attacked the Philippines in 1941; and it was here that many of the most important Allied prisoners of war were interned: Lieut.-General Wainwright, who took over from MacArthur on Bataan; Sir Mark Young, the Governor of Hong Kong; Sir Shenton Thomas, Governor of the Straits Settlements; and other high ranking Dutch and British officials caught by the Jap invasion of Indo nesia.

At the Cairo Declaration of Decem ber 1, 1943, the island of Formosa was named as one of the territories which Japan should be forced to return to its original owner—in this case, China.

Formosa was first attacked by our forces in November, 1943, when China based American air forces raided the Jap air base near Shinchiku. The island was bombed fairly regularly from that date and in October, 1944, US navy and air forces combined to strike a heavy blow at its shipping and military installations.

Only 225 miles separate northern Luzon (Philippines) from Formosa.

Formosa will probably see much of the US air forces in the next few weeks.

Seven students from American Samoa, instead of the usual one, were admitted recently to the Central Medical School in Suva. They are: Fiafia Tuana (27), Aukusotino Tuiteleliapaga (22), Taielua To’afili (21), Keli Tauvela (lih, Suisami S. Leiata (19), Vausigago Uperesa (20), Etauati T. Leiato (18).