Japanese And The South

Pacific

Various Incidents and Australian Sensitiveness

Although only six mouths have passed since the United States freed Japan from the shackles imposed upon her in 1945—when, after a bitter war, she was forced to unconditional surrender in Tokio Bay—the Japanese are beginning to make their presence felt again in the South Pacific. Following are a number of incidents reported during this month.

“SOMETIMES I feel trepidation O because we Australians have done( little or nothing to develop New Guinea” said the late Adminis trator, Colonel J. K. Murray, in Bris bane, on August 25.”

“If the Japanese had captured New Guinea there would be a great num ber of hydro-electric plants there to day, developing millions of horse power.” He said that lack of finance was “one of the things that crippled New Guinea.” Of course, this comes strangely from Colonel Murray.

While he ruled, Australia gave New Guinea from three to six million pounds per annum, whereas before the war the country was self-support ing; he was responsible for scatter ing huge sums among the natives, under the heading of war damage compensation; and it was the fero cious Socialism of the Ward-Murray regime that did so much to discour age private enterprise in the Terri tories.

Nonetheless, what Colonel Mur ray says about the Japanese is per fectly true.

About the same time, in the Aus tralian Parliament, Mr. W. M.

Hughes was pointing out that Japan simply must have extensive new terri tories for her expanding population and, if Australia cannot develop New Guinea, then some Asiatic power

most probably Japan—certainly will.

Fate Of Jap Convicts

JAPAN now is making urgent re presentations that the terms of imprisonment imposed upon war criminals should be cancelled —wartime crimes to be forgiven and for gotten.

Australia does not take kindly to the idea. An Australian Court spent about a year in Manus trying Japs charged with war-time crimes, and_ hundreds of them were sentenced to punishment.

The Japanese committed horrible crimes all over the South Pacific— the massacres in Tol Plantation (New Britain), in Ambon, in Ta rawa; the cruel murders of mission aries in New Guinea; the terrible sufferings imposed upon Australian

POW’s in Burma and Borneo —these are among incidents which come im mediately to mind.

There are over 200 convicted Jap anese war criminals now engaged in

hard labour in Manus. Tokio is asking that they be sent home.