Mr, Hamilton Kerr, M.P., States His View Paris, May 20.
"Great Britain has now decided not to accept any further weakening of her position in the Pacific" de~ clared Mr, Hamilton Kerr, MP, for Oldham, and Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Secretary for War, Mr. A. Dufl-Cooper, during a speech on "What Policy Great Britain Will Follow in the Far East," "at the monthly meeting of the International Investigation Committee of Pacific Problems here, Mr. Kerr indicated that China was the Far Eastern country where Great Britain had the most important inter~ ests, and recalled that 40,000,000 tons of goods pass through the Malacca Straits yea British trade has greatly decreased during the last few years because of Japanese expansion. Japan has found new market for her trade in China, but"had encountered the competition of the USSR, the Philippines and Singapore, "It is believed in London," Mr. Kerr asserted, "that the capture of the Philippines by Japan will not change the Pacific equilibrium, for Great Britain has now decided not to accept any further weakening of liber position in the Paeifle and is determined to place the key port of Singapore in a strong defensive posi-ton. "On the other hand, the cutting al of @ canal through the Isthmus of Kra would not be needed by Japan for the canal could be easily reached by aeroplanes coming from Burma.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.