have had plenty of reminders this week that the world is in the throes of war and that war, once started, spreads.
Comfortable-living Shanghai has been shaken in its complacency. Tt has said goodbye to over 400 British evacuees, it has had its already rationed petrol cut by half, shipping services have been further curtailed, there have been some new monetary restrictions and, all-in-all, it was rath er exciting last week. Hongkong and Singapore have mobilized their defence forces, further British troops have arrived in the Far East, and a powerful naval force is now at the Singapore naval base, said Mr. Alfred Morley over XGDN on Friday.
And while all these things have been going on, we have had news of the strong attitude taken in the Washington talks by President Roosevelt, of the hostile attitude of the Japanese press towards any suggestion that Japan should substantially readjust her policies and, to add to the tension, Mr. Cordell Hull has openly accused Japan of military despotism in the conquered territories of Asia.
If any situation looked, on the surface, as heading for war the Far Eastern situation has looked increasingly so these past few days, The two things clearly established are that Japan cannot go on much longer suffering, as we know she suffers, the present severe economic strangulation and, that if she wishes to obte: relief, she must make a substantial contribution towards a truly better state of affairs in this part of the world.
If she adheres to old policies, if she continues to make military moves which menace the territories or communications of others, if she still plays the game of the European Axis, she will be crying to the moon when she complains of economic in-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.