Several of these islands, which belong to the Caroline and Marianne groups, lie not far from the American island of Guam, the American terminus of the Pacific cable.
It is understood that the United States has informally expressed a desire that these islands should not become the permanent property of the Japanese Empire.
Inasmuch as they were captured through the joint operations of the British and Japanese fleets, it is understood the United States first took up the question with Great Britain, and that a joint suggestion was made by Great Britain and the United states that Japan should not insist upon the permanent maintenance of the islands.
In view of Japan's promise to accede to the joint request, it is believed likely that at the peace conference Japan will seek compensation in some other direction, perhaps in the affirmation of her rights in the Chinese peninsula of Shantung, of which Kiauchau is the great naval base. The islands referred to are now administered by the Japanese Government.
•Immediate relief is (says our Wellington correspondent) to be given to the dairy industry in the matter of shipping space, about which Mr Massey has been in touch with the Board of Trade in London lately.
There has never been really a shortage of ships loading here. The difficulty of the butter and cheese people is that hitherto the space has been almost wholly reserved for meat.
At the instruction of the Board of Trade, meat was given preference, and now the preference is to be relaxed to allow a normal export of butter and cheese during the next three months.
By this rangement about 250,000 boxes of butter will be taken away, and the present congestion of butter will be relieved. The greatest difficulty is in the storage of cheese.
A good deal of the cheese is not well stored, and there is a risk of deterioration of some of it.
It was never contemplated that such a huge quantity would have to be stored in New Zealand, and the dairy companies and exporters have never deemed it necessary to build storage accommodation for such a very big holding.
•Speaking at the Napier Municipal Theatre last week, when kits were presented to the Napier recruits in the 24th Reinforcements, the Mayor of Napier (Mr J. Vigor Brown, M.P.) said it was incumbent on all to make personal sacrifices to help to win the war.
''What harm would it do us,'' he asked, ''to have two meatless days in the week? Even the butchers would not object, because they all say they are losing money. If we had two meatless days here, the same as they have in England, one-fourth of the meat we now consume would be saved, and that could be sent to the army. I hope the Government will order that we have two meatless days in the week, and I do not care if it says we should have two drinkless days, too.''
- ODT, 29.12.1916.
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