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New Guinea’S Place In South

Pacific Defence

IN a political and international sense, New Guinea to-day is one of the most uneasy places in the world. Not only has it local prob lems which are embarrassing: It also is very sensitive in relation to all Asiatic affairs which may affect the South Pacific area.

The map suggests that Fiji, or Tahiti, or Samoa—surrounded by thousands of miles of empty ocean — is happily isolated against world un rest. But the residents of those countries, who may examine the map against a background of world news, will note that New Guinea lies in their northwest like a stopper in the neck of a funnel; and the base of the funnel rests on the southeastern mainland of Red, overcrowded Asia.

What happens in New Guinea, and all points immediately westward thereof, is of vital concern to South Pacific countries. If an unfriendly Power ever occupies New Guinea, the days of the Europeans here will be numbered.

The events of the past month are significant. Australia now appears determined to use New Guinea pri marily as a defensive barrier against Asia; and, in doing that, Australia assumes (under United States) the role of chief protector of the South Seas.

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aggressive people; Japan, typical of Asia, is overcrowded to the point of hunger; Japan literally must find new countries into which she may spill her surplus population. The south west Pacific Islands are almost empty, and very fertile.

We imagined, when Japan surren dered unconditionally in Tokio Bay on August 15, 1945, that that menace was removed for a couple of gene rations. The Australians see it al ready at their gates, again. That is because the threat of world Commu nism is much greater than the threat of any one nation; and the Ameri cans have freed Japan so that Japan may align herself with the Western ers in resisting the Muscovite bloc.

But will Japan resist the Reds?

Russian and Chinese political emis saries already have penetrated Japan deeply, trying to cripple, in advance, any anti-Communist military organ isation that Japan may plan.

A Communist or neutral Japan will certainly demand entry to the South Pacific countries. But even a Japan that aligns herself with us in resisting Red Asia will not expect to go territorially unrewarded.

Discussions which have taken place in Australia during the month in relation to New Guinea have been nervous and pointed. The few real thinkers in the national Parliament say, unequivocally, that if the Europeans do not themselves occupy this vast funnel-stopper of a New Guinea, the Asiatics will. And “native rights” will not trouble the Asiatics.

New Guinea residents insist that large submarines, with Russians and Chinese aboard, have been seen in New Guinea waters. Australian officials deride the reports. Whether the Territorians imagined it or not does not matter. We can be quite certain that Red submarines from the north of Korea have been having practice runs in the South Pacific.

INDONESIAN leaders—who were placed in position by the Japan ese in World War 11, and permitted by the bumble-footed Socialist Gov ernments of Britain and the Nether lands to dispossess the 350-years-old Dutch Administration—have again been going through their bag of pol itical tricks. President Soekarno, in the name of humanity, demands that Dutch “colonialism” be removed from Western New Guinea, so that the enlightened rule of Indonesia may be imposed there. Racially, geographically, historically, the Indo nesians have no more right there than the Dutch; but in sight of the humourless Soekarno the rule of the Indonesians is beneficient and in

spired, whereas the Dutch are mere “exploiters.”

Australia grimly informed Indo nesia that she would not regard with equanimity the substitution of Indo nesian for Dutch rule in Western New Guinea. Whereupon the in calculable Mr. Soekarno said that he could not understand why: Indonesia felt warm friendship towards Aus tralia, and had not the remotest thought of taking over Eastern New Guinea from Australian rule.

We cannot guess what Nether lands will do, eventually. Their new Parliament seems to be more or less under Socialist influence; and, as Britain, Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy have shown, in the past five years, Parliaments domin ated by Pinks will never do any thing effective to stop the Reds.

But Dutch officials at present are showing great energy and wise plan ning in opening up Western New Guinea, studying the, as yet, un counted population, encouraging the right kind of immigration, and or ganising important new industries— especially the development of their oil wells in the Vogelkop area. In the Nimboran Plains—behind Lake Sentani, at the back of Hollandia— they are preparing an agricultural

area of between 2,000 and 5,000 acres, where natives will be in structed and trained. The Dutch show no signs of an early with drawal.

T^IEAN WHILE, as an indication of what our shrewder planners think of future conditions in South west Asia and the Middle East, Aus tralia at the end of August inaugu rated its new international air service, to provide an alternative connection with Britain. A big passenger plane, operated by Qantas, has flown from West Australia to Johannesburg, via the new airfields on Cocos Island and Mauritius; and in South Africa it links with the regular air services to Europe. Now, if nationalist disturb ances in Indonesia, Malaya, India, Persia, Iraq, Egypt, and similar rest less countries should break our main air-line connections, Australia can promptly switch to the Indian Ocean- Africa route.

Even in the remote South Pacific there is no complete security— not while Red submarines can thrust southwards from Vladivostok, or Red planes come down across the archi pelagoes of Indonesia and New Guinea.