the railway zone, or the looting and terrorising of open towns by uncontrolled remnants of a defeated army, were potential factors of the situation; the Japanese Government, therefore, decided to bring the Manchurian garrison up to its normal strength at once, that is to say, to about 7,000 men, although 15,000 men may be maintained there under the Treaty of Portsmouth. After the decisive battle on the Liaoho, the general situation quieted down, and no further fighting took place, so that the additional Japanese troops were promptly recalled and all emergency measures ceased. These precautionary measures on the part of the Japanese Government were misconstrued at the time as a design to strengthen the Fengtien army, and the warning which the Japanese commander addressed to the opposing armies before Yingkow was misrepresented as an act directed solely against General Kuo's operations. Both these assumptions were ultimately recognised as groundless.

Several outstanding events in the life of the Imperial family took place during the year. On May 10 the Emperor and Empress of Japan celebrated their silver wedding, the national rejoicings in honour of the event lasting several days. On December 6 the Crown Princess of Japan gave birth to a daughter, upon whom the name of Shigeko Terunomiya (signifying "prosperity and brightness") was conferred with full Court ceremonial on December 12. On May 24 Prince Chichibu, the second son of the Emperor, sailed from Japan in order to spend two years in England to complete his studies. On July 7 the Prince reached London, being received on his arrival by the Duke of York, Mr. Austen Chamberlain, and others.

On September 16 Prince George landed at Yokohama from H.M.S. Hawkins for a three days' visit to Japan, and immediately proceeded to Tokio, where he was welcomed by Prince Takamatsu, the third son of the Emperor. Prince George was made a Knight of the Order of the Chrysanthemum.

On February 9, in accordance with the terms of the Washington Naval Disarmament Treaty, the disposal of a number of battleships was completed. The Aki, Satsuma, Hizen, and Tosa were sunk at sea; the Ikoma, Ibuki, Kashima, Kurama, Katori, and Armagi were completely broken up; and the Settsu was turned over for target practice. The Asahi and Shikishima were rendered unfit for fighting service, as was also the Mikasa. The latter, which was the flagship of Admiral Togo in the RussoJapanese War at the battle of the Tsushima Strait, although destined for scrapping, was preserved as a national relic, after due arrangement with the other Powers concerned in the Treaty.

For the first time in her history, Japan inaugurated the exchange, in 1925, of Ambassadors with Turkey, and towards the end of the year cordial messages were exchanged between Viscount Kato and Mr. Bruce, on the occasion of the appointment of

Mr. I. M. Tokugawa, son of Prince Tokugawa, as Japanese ConsulGeneral in Australia.

Two catastrophes occurred in the course of the year, the first being an earthquake which visited the northern part of the Prefecture of Hyogo at 11 A.M. on May 23. The area seriously affected, however, was only that between the towns of Toyooka and Hamazaka, a distance of 30 miles. In the former town, with a population of 9,118, 100 persons were killed and injured, partly by earthquake and partly by the fire which followed, nearly 2,000 houses being burnt down. Kinosaki, with a population of 3,601, was practically destroyed by fire, but there were few casualties. Another small town, Kumihama, lost 500 houses by fire. Osaka suffered no casualties or material damage and the economic effect of the earthquake was infinitesimal, as the district affected contained no important industries.

On September 18 fire broke out in the Japanese Diet, the House of Peers and the House of Representatives both being destroyed. The buildings, which were of wood, each covered an area of some 5,000 square feet, and stood opposite the Hibiya Park.

NETHERLANDS EAST INDIES.

For the Netherlands East Indies the most important event in 1925 was the passing, by the States-General in Holland, of the "Law regarding the Statute of Government of the Netherlands East Indies" for replacing the former "Regulation" for the same purpose, this having been necessitated by the revision of the Dutch Constitution which, inter alia, opened a wider prospect of autonomy to the Netherlands East Indies (vide ANNUAL REGISTER, 1922, p. 267, and 1923, p. 276). The original proposals have been considerably amended. It is expressly laid down that not only will the Central Government of the Kingdom retain control, but that the Governor-General will carry out the administration of the Netherlands East Indies with due regard to the suggestions of the Government in Holland. The People's Council (Volksraad) will remain chiefly a consultative body, but it will still have a not inconsiderable voice in legislation. For practical reasons its participation will, as a rule, be carried out by a college of delegates to be elected by the Council from among its members under the system of proportional representation. The legislative powers of the Council of India will be abolished. The People's Council will henceforth include at least 30 Dutch subjects who are also Hollanders; 25 Dutch subjects who are non-Hollanders of native origin, and at most 5, but not less than 3, non-Hollanders of foreign origin. Of these 20, 5 and 3 respectively will be elected, and the others will be appointed by the Governor-General. The Governor-General will assume his functions in a public assembly of the People's Council. To this Council is granted the right

of putting questions. The Budget will be settled by the People's Council in conjunction with the Governor-General, and the Dutch States-General will decide only upon the entire Chapters (Sections) of the Budget. Only in case of lack of agreement between the People's Council and the Governor-General will the Netherlands Parliament have the right to intervene. The Crown and the States-General will possess the right of veto on all ordinances. All matters concerning treaties and agreements with foreign Powers, and in general all rights and duties originating from international law and those regarding the defence of the territory of the Netherlands East Indies, since they affect the Kingdom as a whole, will remain under the control of the Crown or of the States-General. The new law comes into force as from January 1, 1926, and it is anticipated that by the end of the year it will have been carried into effect completely.

The People's Council, in its autumn session, passed a revision of communal law, by which the influence of the native element is somewhat extended. The census suffrage was maintained; the elector will have to prove his ability to read and write, and must have reached the age of 23. Female suffrage was not adopted. It was declared desirable to introduce proportional representation also for the communal councils.

The policy of decentralisation was continued, inter alia, by the institution of a province of West Java with a Governor at its head, and of eighteen regency councils within the territory of that province.

The campaign against communistic and other subversive agitations was carried on with vigour. Powers were conferred on the Government to restrict the right of assembly of particular societies, either for special regions, or for the whole of the Netherlands East Indies.

The problem of naval defence remained in abeyance in view of the intention of the newly-appointed administration in Holland to create a separate Indian Navy, and to restrict the Navy in Holland to coastal defence as a part of the general defence of the country.

A dispute arose with the United States regarding the sovereignty of the island of Mianges. The Governments of The Hague and Washington agreed to refer this question to arbitration.

The financial situation of the Netherlands East Indies, by the end of 1925, thanks to vigorous retrenchment and the favourable returns from the agricultural estates, was satisfactory. The results of 1924 were, for the Ordinary Budget, over 109 millions, and for the Extraordinary Budget, 19 million guilders, better than estimated, the entire service showing a surplus of over 45 million guilders. For 1925 a surplus of over 1,000,000 guilders was estimated on the Ordinary Budget, and it is anticipated that it will actually amount to over 28,000,000. The estimated deficit

on the entire Budget of nearly 49 millions will, therefore, be reduced to about 24 millions.

CHAPTER IX.

AFRICA: THE UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA-THE NATIVE TERRITORIES -SOUTH-WEST PROTECTORATE-RHODESIA—MOZAMBIQUE AND

ANGOLA-BELGIAN CONGO-MOROCCO-EGYPT.

SOUTH AFRICA.

DURING the year 1925 the Union of South Africa enjoyed a period of comparative industrial peace. Without strikes or serious labour disputes to impede its activities the Government was enabled to concentrate attention upon an avalanche of legislative proposals heaped upon it as a result of the creation of the Nationalist-Labour pact.

Many of the proposed Bills were of a highly contentious character. The main object of the Nationality and Flag Bill was to meet the desirability of defining South African nationality for League of Nations purposes, thereby removing certain anomalies and irregularities existing more particularly in the Transvaal. It was laid down in the old South African Republican law that persons born between 1894 and 1900 of non-burgher parents should be regarded as strangers. Many inhabitants of the Transvaal who look upon themselves as burghers and who are registered voters do not possess naturalisation rights as thus defined, and the new measure was to remedy this anomaly on the lines of the Act passed for the South-West Protectorate (see ANNUAL REGISTER, 1924, p. 278). The adoption of the measure would have perpetuated the principle that a British subject was not necessarily, as such, a burgher of South Africa, and it would have therefore created a distinct South African nationality. The Bill promised to be keenly debated, but on July 21, four days before Parliament was prorogued, Dr. Malan, Minister of the Interior, moved its discharge.

The House of Assembly met on February 13. Early in the session the House adopted by 71 votes to 47 a motion by Mr. Barlow, one of the representatives of Labour, praying His Majesty the King to refrain in future from bestowing titles upon his subjects residing in South Africa and its mandated territories.

A fierce controversy, the reverberations of which were felt in distant parts of the Empire, was stirred up by the introduction of a Bill embodying the Asiatic policy of the Government. The measure started on the assumption that an Indian was an alien in the country, the Government contention being that no solution of the Asiatic problem would prove satisfactory unless it resulted in a very considerable reduction of the Indian population. This

it was sought to bring about by the application of pressure to supplement the inducement to Indians to leave the Union. certain extent the Bill followed the principle of the measure introduced by the late Government (see ANNUAL REGISTER, 1924, p. 272), but its scope was widened in the direction of giving effect to the recommendations of the Asiatic Inquiry Commission. It embraced resident and commercial segregation, landownership (especially in Natal), and proposed to amend the Immigrants' Regulation Act with the object of ending the influx of Indians, especially women.

The Bill was read a first time before the House rose, and although no further development with reference to it took place during the session the publication of the Government's intention aroused the whole of the Indian population of the Union to determined opposition and immediate action. Dr. Malan, in introducing the measure, was careful to observe that it had been framed with a desire to regard Indian susceptibilities, but the Indian community was instantly unanimous in denunciation. The president of the Natal Indian Association called a deputation to wait upon the Premier, and declared that if this failed, personal representations would be made to the Indian Government. The Bill was condemned as a violation of pledges and promises to safeguard the vested rights of Indians, and as an attempt to force a large number to leave without the ameliorating factor of compensation.

These views were given expression in a cable sent to Simla, a few days later, urging the Indian Government to voice its attitude towards the Bill. In the Legislative Assembly at Simla on September 13, Mr. Bhore announced, on behalf of the Government, that negotiations were in progress with the Union Government for a round-table conference. On November 24 a deputation representing the South African Indian Congress sailed from Durban for India. About the same time a deputation left India for South Africa. The South African deputation, headed by Dr. Abdurrahman, was received by the Viceroy on December 19. Lord Reading assured the deputation that whatever other political differences existed there was unanimity in India with regard to the position of Indians in Africa. The Indian Government watched carefully for anti-Asiatic legislation, and reserved the right to take appropriate action in the event of the Union Government refusing to listen to its representations. At the Indian National Congress at Cawnpore, on December 26, a resolution was adopted on the proposition of Mr. Gandhi, assuring South African Indians of support, and suggesting arbitration or a round-table conference for the settlement of the position, failing which the British Government should be asked to instruct the GovernorGeneral of the Union of South Africa to withhold assent to the Reservation Areas Bill.