There Are 1,720 Millions of People

In Asia

THE white nations of the Pacific, and all those communities of Islanders who have accepted European stan dards of life, now are faced with a pros pect literally terrifying. It is as certain as the sunset that, if the Muscovite con spiracy to seize world power is not broken, so that the world again may be policed, the countless, crowded millions of Asia and Indonesia will spill over into the Pacific countries, and exterminate all non-Asiatic peoples.

The actual issue in Korea does not matter twopence. What is fundamental and vital is that we have now challenged the aggressive power of Communism. If that power is not checked, the whole world will enter another Dark Age, from which it will not emerge without cruel suffering and sacrifice.

THIS thing began as an ideological struggle, between Russia’s peculiar w brand of totalitarian Communism •which is based on the enslavement of the whole community by the State) and me loosely-knit democratic system of the Western Europeans (which is based on me belief that man’s most precious privi lege is his freedom to shape his own life) Between the end of World War II in and 1948, by means of the “cold Hf. Russia went a long way towards ber goal—which is the overthrow of Wes tem Democracy and the establishment of world-wide Communism, in its place.

Hn5 ussi ? ,s global strategy changed sud t about 1948 when China swung over m Communism; when Communist in migues disrupted South-east Asia; and wnen India and Indonesian countries,

breaking away from European control, left themselves wide open to Communist pene tration. The clever men of the Kremlin saw that, if they could manoeuvre the Western nations into a useless, exhausting fight with the Asiatic Reds —and es pecially with Communist China —they might achieve their objective of world domination without having to resort to World War 111. The Western nations al ready are economically distracted and politically confused as the result of World War 11. Obviously, if their confusion and distraction are added to by deep involve ment in Asia they could fall easy victims to the Communists’ internal intrigue and propaganda.

It may be expected that, sooner or later, Red China will strike at one of the non-Communist States on her frontiers—Formosa, Indo-China, Burma, Tibet—and then the United Nations will moye to the defence of the threatened nation. That, presumably, will mean that we all go officially to war with Com munist China; and that, again, is what Russia wants.

HOWEVER, the Westerners—even the bemused Socialists of Britain —can now see the trap that the Red planners have spread for them. They are rapidly re-arming. They surely know that the real enemy is the gang in power in the Kremlin, and that there can be no peace or security in the world until Rus sian power is contained, and democratic rule restored to her satellites. Thev will find some way, we hope, of maintaining control over the situation in Asia, while keeping both fists free for what seems to be the inevitable all-in fight with Russia.

Meanwhile, as a result of what was done by Japan prior to 1945, and by Com munist Russia since, all Asia is astir, and nationally aggressive, and eager for a fight against the Europeans. It is not Communism that matters so much. All who know Asia know that the Asiatic races—lndo-Aryans, Arabs. Indonesians and Mongols—are essentially individualis tic in character. For them, Communism is merely a phase.

What does matter is that so large a proportion of the human race, hitherto peaceful and comparatively harmless, is now becoming organised, armed and dangerous. Here is the world population, in round figures:—

Of the 1,720,000,000 people in Asia, 500 millions are in China and 370 millions in India. . . .

It does not require much imagination to see what “the awakening of Asia” means to the rest of the world—and es pecially to that section that lies in the Pacific south of the equator, where there are huge, fertile spaces, occupied by less than 10 millions of people. For us, more than for any other country in the world, what is happening to-day in Asia, and in international affairs, is vital.

Dr. R. Rabbett, of Belfast, has been appointed to the Medical Staff of the B S.I.P. Government Hospital at Matan ikau, Guadalcanal, in place of Dr. D. E.

Freeman, who resigned last year. Dr.

Rabbett had been practising in Canada before taking up his present post. He arrived in Honiara towards the end of June.

Millions Europe ,. .. 390 Asia . . . 1.720 Africa .. .. 170 N. America .. . ... 190 S. America .. .. .. .. 120 S. Pacific 9