Section Two
Semnrd Dnily Gnteumy
VOLUME XX. NUMER 162.
SEWARD, ALASKA, MONDAY, JUNE 29,1925.
PRICE TEN CENTS
ALEUTIAN ISLES
MORE IMPORTANT
THAN HAWAII
STATUS OF ISLANDS IN MID
PACIFIC CALLED OVER
ESTIMATED.
VULNERABILITY OF THE
POST BEEN REVEALED
It Is Said That the Aleutian Islands
Can Provide U. S. with
Strategic Advantage.
The following article was clipped
from the Hollywood Daily Citizen, by
Earl G. Reed, formerly of Seward
and sent to The Gateway, “marked
copy,” which is of vital interest to
Alaska:
(By J. W. T. MASON)
NEW YORK, June 27—The
| mid-Pacific army and navy man
j euvers which have demonstrat
; ed the vulnerability of the Ha
| waiian Islands do not imply
| that the American government
must spend great sums of mon
ey strengthening the defenses
of the archipelago. The islands
cannot be made impregnable by
developing land protective de
vices. Fortifications would have
to be spread everywhere thru
out the group, and even then,
because of the exposed posi
tion of the Islands, impregna
bility would not be secured.
It' a war involving America ever
is fought in the Pacific ocean the
fate of the Hawaiian archipelago
will rest on naval engagements be
tween the fleets of the belligerents.
Hawaii does not give the nation
holding it command of the Pacific
but the nation having command of
the Pacific will hold Hawaii.
The fact that Hawaii’s defenses
fell with such comparative ease be
fore the attacking fleet in the mid
Pacific maneuvers demonstrates
that if an enemy thus secured pos
session of Pearl Harbor, the Lnited
States could regain control by the
same means.
Prominence Overdone.
First, however, a naval engage
ment would have to be fought; and
the defeated fleet would be com
pelled to scurry back home, leav
ing Hawaii automatically to the side
which held the command of the sea.
The prominence given to Hawaii, in
discussions of American strategy in
a Pacific war, has been greatly ov
erdone.
It is probable that the Aleutian
Islands, and especially Dutch Har
bor, would play a far greater part
in any struggle between East and
West than would Hawaii. The na
tural line of strategic advance for
an American armada bound for the
Far East on a belligerent mission
would be by means of the Aleutians.
The excursion of the American avia
tors who circled the world last year
shows the direction.
Possible Prey.
Hawaii must be included with the
Philippines as possible prey in the
event of Pacific hostilities. But,
while the Philippines once surrend
ered, might be held until the end of
the war, to be eventually disposed
of at the peace negotiations, Hawaii
could not be held, except temporar
ily, unless the American flee;: were
defeated at sea.
The advancing of Hawaii as an
advance base for the United States
cannot be reckoned as a major fac
tor in considering either the out
come or the strategic method of
waging a Pacific war. If an enemy
were enticed into exagerating the
importance of Hawaii and were to
send a powerful fleet to capture the
Islands the coastal defense of the
enemy’s homeland would be gravely
jeopardized.
An American naval advance d y
way of the Aleutian's, by no more
than a threatening gesture, mighi
easily be sufficient of itself, to re
call the enemy’s warships back tc
home waters. If not, the Americar
fleet would be able to advance upor
the enemy territory whose own na
val strength would have been cm
in two.
Keep Fleet Intact.
During the world war Great Brit
ain followed the strategic principle
of keeping her great battle fleet in
tact. No minor issue, no kind o
pressure, no form of temptation was
able to persuade the British Ad
miralty to commit the fatal fault o
dividing the nation’s sea power, a<
represented ,by its major fighting
machines.
The same tactics would apply ii
a Pacific war, at least for an enem)
having an inferiority in battleships
and battle cruisers to America
Otherwise, if an expedition wen
sent to capture Hawaii, the United
States could take advantage of the
division and smash first one group
of enemy warships and then the
other, or else drive the enemy to
cover and perhaps blockade it.
indeed, so gravely would an
enemy be weakened by seeking to
capture the Hawaiian Islands, that
the bait might be made even more
tempting by not seeking greatly to
improve the present fortifications.
These facts are known to the naval
authorities of all nations interested
in questions of Pacific strategy.
Hawaii Not Essential.
Hawaii is not an essential naval
base for the United States. The
Aleutian Islands, far more nearly
approach ideal conditions for offen
sive naval purposes. As bases for
American air and submarine craft
they are much superior to Hawaii,,
and they afford shelter to within
striking distance of Far Eastern
waters.
This year’s mid-Pacific maneu
vers, therefore, are likely to cause
the northern air and sea route to
the Far East to be given its right
ful place in strategic discussions of
the way any theoretical future con
flict in the Pacific will be waged.
CARNIVOROUS FISH
OF RIVER OF DOUBT
SHOWN ON SCREEN
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, June
27.—(/P)—An education film has been
exhibited in Rio de Janeiro showing
the wild life and frontier industries
in the Brazilian state of Matto Gros
so. This is the second largest state
in the union, being more than twice
the size of Texas.
There are plenty of Indians living
in Matto Grosso, most of them in the
hunting and fishing period of civili
zation. The men of the Bororo tribe,
which was shot for the picture, use
I no clothing, but the women have
'been taught by the Federal Indian
• service to wear a simple form of
dress. The most popular style in
i necklaces is made by stringing a
- collection of teeth of wild jaguars,
: powerful and dangerous animals of
; the cat family which kill livestock
; j thruout a great part of central and
northern Brazil. A peculiar wedding
i custom was filmed, showing the re
■ turn of a young man with the hide
; of jaguar, killed to prove his bravery
. a necessary action before the right
1 of marriage is given to a man.
Another feature of life in the in
terior, mentioned by the late Theo
dore Roosevelt in the account of his
trip down the River of Doubt, are
the piranhas, the flesh-eating fish
which inhabit some of the interior
rivers. The operator threw a calf
into the stream. It was eaten with
astonishing rapidity by an enormous
school of these carnivorous fish. Al
ligators are numerous.
Edges of the forest bordering the
rivers are in many places white with
herons. The species are famous for
their aigrette feathers. There is a
law in Matto Grosso preventing the
killing of these birds. There is a
large trade in the feathers, however,
and they are gathered after dropping
from the birds. They have a market
price of approximately $150 a pound.
Diamond mining seems to be flour
ishing, the picture showing one vil
lage where, it is said, there are more
than 3,000 men washing river gravel
and sediment by hand. Gold is wash
ed by machinery.
The plains are stocked with cattle,
one zone having 400,000 head. Much
of the meat is prepared for market
in the form of jerked beef.
FAMILY CAT MOTHERS
SOME BABY FOXES
SEATTLE, June 29.—(/P)—Snow
ball, a cat owned by G. H. Jensen,
of the Silver Fox Farm near Tacoma,
is playing the role of mother to two
baby foxes. When the mother of
the foxes showed a lack of maternal
interest and left them, Snowball im
mediately adopted the twins with
good success.
1
Subscribe for The Seward Gatewav.
men of judgment
are measuring cities and towns by
their Chambers of Commerce.
In any survey of an American town
or city, it is impossible to name a
live, growing community, which
does not have a virile Chamber of
Commerce that numbers in its
membership every successful busi
ness and professional man and wo
man in the community.
Seward Ghamber of Gommerce
welcomes you to the big 4th of July Celebration.
Welcome to Seward
and to ''Sylvia’s”
Where ICE CREAM, the kind you like, is made daily.
Thirst-quenching soft drinks.
Box and bulk CANDIES of all sorts.
SYLVIA’S
IN THE SEXTON HOTEL BUILDING ^ t
A full and beautiful assortment of Alaskan photographs,
and curios. Pictures framed. Expert Developing.
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