| Show British Britis Empire Beset by Woes Faces Battle to Retain Position I 1 Q tV 7 Up IRELAND w. w M Md d El iI at c cs au r e ii HONG KONG Wlm J M to fir fr EM W s drode t PALESTINE Wien 1111 rl BRITAIN'S I AFRICA id r ay TROUBLE a SPOTS Five Trouble Spots Spols Draw London's Attention in Desperate Des Des- Aerate Effort to 10 Appease Dictators and ami Still lah Maintain lain World WorM Supremacy By fly JOSEPH JOSEf II W. W LaBINE Every world empire in history has eventually been threatened threatened threat threat- ened by disintegration It happened to Alexander the Great to Rome and to Spain Today it is happening to Great Britain Obviously any alliance of world powers like that of Germany Germany Germany Ger Ger- many Italy and Japan must run smack-bang smack into conflict with the far flung far ung British Empire whose tentacles reach from London into every crann cranny of the globe Such is the case Africa and Palestine Moreover the United Kingdom King King- dom dam now hears demands for independence from her colonies colonies colo colo- nies who no longer cringe in inear fear ear of the shaggy lion llon Once vassal-like vassal possessions have grown grownup up and learned to assert them them- elves selves Two examples are Eire which has already won a large measure of ot freedom and India the worlds world's No 1 problem child This Twentieth century territorial i octopus springs spring from a seafaring mother nother country whose sons went I forth orth to trade and came home with an amazing empire Mostly they acquired it not by aggression but by I just happening to be handy bandy when I it itell fell ell Into their hands hand I n n Importance of Nav Navy Wanes Wane I The United Kingdom is held together to to- gether other cohesive by no stronger a force orce than some commercial ships hips and the worlds world's largest navy navy I but iut this has been enough to make I Great Britain a referee of international inter national affairs In such a position she he has sometimes been strong and aggressIve but her star may now nowie be ie dimming Since 1933 she has suffered suf- suf a steady series of diplomatic defeats to appease Germany Italy and Japan rather than face the stark tark realities of ot the situation and stand tand her ground firmly This is the the he traditional British way of doing thIngs a trait personified by Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain The United Kingdom now faces trouble rouble at five vital spots None Ismore Ismore is ismore more important than which for 90 BO years has bas been the thease base ase of ot Britain's economic opera opera- ions in the Far least East During that period one fourth of all aU Chinas China's foreign foreign for- for eign Ign tr trade de found inlet and outlet through the tiny island port which lies les a scant 30 miles from Chinese Canton From here to the interior runs the Kowloon Canton-Kowloon railroad jointly owned by bl the British and Chinese Started With 1 Britain's Britain economic grip on China was first threatened In 1931 when Japan began her year two-year battle to capture In 1936 1938 the danger became more acute when J Japan p turned to Shanghai ha tal t for r years the base of British trade l in northern northern north north- north ern China Though the tremendously tremendous tremendous- ly important y Yangtze river was subsequently subsequently sub sub- closed Britain's trade remained remained re reo re- re substantially safe until a afew afew few cw weeks ago when Japan suddenly sudden sudden- ly Iy captured Canton and severed the Canton Canton Kowloon Kowloon railroad Although has been made impregnable against possible Japanese invasion these precautions Lions seem pointless In view of the city's city death dum as II a trading center a. a N ji 1 tOJ Deprived of its rail connection to Interior China and with Chinese merchants Intent on boycotting Jap Jap- owned anese-owned Canton bids fair to become a ghost city African Colonies Important Britain's second trouble zone is Africa where Germany demands return of the colonies mandated to the United Kingdom following the World war These Include Tanganyika British Cameroon and British British Brit Brit- ish all aU held directly by London and Southwest Africa mandated man dated to the British Union of ot South Africa Economically most of ot these colonies col eol onles onies are useless to the empire but their strategic value is something else Tanganyika gave Britain a connecting link between East Africa ca ca and South Africa across which she hopes some day to build a Cape Capeto to Cairo railroad Moreover the British realize that Germany could use the war lost colonies as naval and air bases and that African possessions possessions pos pas sessions would give the Reich an excuse for building up her navy This is a danger London is anxious to avoid The most likely trouble spot is Southwest Africa which alone of the one time onetime German possessions is desirable for colonization Moslems 1 Unite Palestine the third problem Is a battleground for Arabs and Jews Its modern history goes back to the World war when Britain enlisted Arab support against Turkey promising prom prom- promising ising the Moslems control over Palestine Palestine Pal Pal- estine as payment But after the war when Britain won a mandate over Palestine she established part of ot the Holy Land as a national home for world Jewry The resultant battle between Hebrews Hebrews He lie brews and Arabs has been bitter and has placed London In an uncomfortable un un- comfortable position First by supporting supporting sup sup- porting the Jewish cause she faces conflict with Jew-hating Jew Germany and Italy both of which are now trying to make their nations per percent percent percent cent Aryan Moreover Britain's Britain forced hostility toward the Arabs is fomenting a nationalistic feeling inthe in inthe inthe the Moslem world As a ruler of Moslems in Palestine and elsewhere Britain is thereby cutting her own throat But Dut her primary mary Interest in hi Palestine is not Arabs or Jews but rather the Holy HolyLand's holyLand's Lands Land's strategic importance as a connecting link between her ber empires empires em em- pires to the west and the east ast It lies along vital air and sea routes which she must preserve Indian Question Unsolved Trouble spot No 4 Is India little mentioned in today's headlines because because because be be- cause nationalistic outbreaks are all too commonplace in hi this richest of all aU lands India offers the United Kingdom no immediate threat to her empire security yet it is an ugly sore that adds to the whole of London's London embarrassment India contains one Seth of ot the worlds world's population represents every 1 WANTED A t LEADER LEADER- Britain's old 1 school o of 01 f di diplomacy diplo dillo do macy find finds a voice olee in Prime Primp Minister Neville Chamberlain 1 left champion of 01 the Ie current current cur cur- rent appeasement policy This Thit program is it opposed by follow follow- era ert of 01 Anthony Eden right lor former mer secretary of oj state in charge o of f foreign affairs who have haae no truck ruck with irith dictators dictator dic dic- I religious and political creed and is isa a mixture of at least 20 races that speak some languages and dIa- dIa It is obviously impossible to I satisfy such a people nor Is the new home rule constitution a very reaching far attempt to satisfy them Under it all real power is vested in British provincial governors governors gover gover- nors who can veto what few actions the he legislatures are empowered to take Moreover they rule by de decrees e. e crees creel when legislatures are not sitting sitting sit sit- ting and can disband the sessions at atwilL atwilL atwill will Although Mahatma Gandhi is no longer a leading force in hi Indian nationalization na na- na agitation he has been succeeded by an equally strong chieftain Nehru who is leading the battle to have the constitution constitution con con- constitution abolished Difficult though Britain's position may be it is to be deplored that she has not made a amore amore amore more aggressive attempt to make makepeace makepeace makepeace peace in India This responsibility is especially incumbent In view of the pot of gold that the empire has discovered in India Since 1600 Britons Brit ons have waxed rich in the Indian trade Today the country is England's England's Eng lands land's best customer buying one one- tenth of ot all her manufactured ex ex- ports Out of each dollar doUar in revenue collected by the Indian government 27 cents is spent in England although although al al- though England contributes less than 2 cents Eire Seeks Plebiscite The final trouble spot is Eire just across the Irish channel from England England England Eng Eng- land proper At the end of this year Great Britain will lose its last shred of control over the largest part of Ireland which has an area about the size of Massachusetts and New Hampshire Under Eamon de Valera Valera Val Val- era the southern portion of ot the Island is island Is Is- land has waged a successful battle batUe for or nationalization and is now attempting attempting attempting at at- tempting to Increase its sway by taking possession of Ulster This latest development follows Mr Chamberlains Chamberlain's pronouncement in favor favor fa fa- fa vor of self determination for European European Eu minorities He lie was immediately immedi pounced upon by Mr De Valera Valera Val Val- era who said that self Uon tion should also hold g good od for Ire Ire- Ireland land If he has his way Mr De Valera will conduct a plebiscite in Ulster Four of the six counties almost entirely Protestant will probably vote to join with Catholic Eire the once pronounced once pronounced religious difference being forgotten under pressure of ot Eires Eire's economic grasp on the island Such Is the string of ot Great Britain's Brit Brit- Britain's ains ain's troubles and liabilities across the empire on which it was once boasted the sun never sets If Mr Chamberlains Chamberlain's policy of dictator appeasement appeasement ap ap- ap is continued observers believed these liabilities will indeed b be e lessened that the empire will b begin be gin a steady process of internal decay in which one collapse will follow an an- other Offsetting this fear is the growing English opinion against Chamberlain conservatism a movement movement movement move move- ment which found expression last year In the dictator anti policy of ot Anthony Eden former secretary of ot state stale for foreign affairs Mr Eden is back in private life now but repercussions repercussions repercussions reper reper- against Mr Chamberlains Chamberlain's peace of Munich are mounting every week and many Englishmen see hope for a new government with witha a stronger chin 9 0 Western Newspaper Union i ee y e s sT T e |
