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NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Is Australia Threatened? "Japan in the Rome-Berlin-Tolcio Axis," by C. L. K. Foot. Paterson's Printing Press, Hay-street, Perth. From the publishers. WITH a war in Spain and hostilities nearer at home in China it is only natural that people are examining the political horizons for a threat against Australia. The author of tgis booklet. I Mr. C. L. K. Foot, of Perth, sees in I Japan's southern march disturbing 3 elements. He is alarmed at the thought I that his interpretation of information I he has collected from many sources I suggests the possibility that Japan will 1 reach out further into the Pacific and Indian oceans and bring Australia into a sphere of a loose blockade intended to assist any concurrent warlike actions by Japan's new-found "allies -of the Rome-Berlin-Tokio axis. It seems at one stage in the develop ment of his arguments that Mr. Foot is leading up to a declaration that he thinks that Australia is intended to be included in Japan's territorial acquisi tions, but he turns aside from that point with the statement that an attack against Australian capitals would be an unnecessary waste of power because it had been estimated that such a pro ject would need 500,000 men, a battle fleet together with 1,000,000 tons of shipping, which seems too unwieldy a force for a surprise demonstration against an Australian capital and too small an army to conquer Australia even if Britain's help was temporarily withdrawn or her naval power en chained. He is convinced, however, that the Rome-Berlin-Tokio agreement is a postive threat against Australia and that, probably in some form or other, hostilities will take place upon Australian territory and off our coasts. He thinks that although Australia is outside the areas in which the major clash of arms might occur with Ger many, Italy and Japan. as allies, Aus tralia might be brought into the orbit of war because of the supplies she could furnish to Britain and France and her strategic position. Japan's success in her present campaign will, in Mr. Foot's opinion, plape her in so strong a posi tion that she could devote the bulk of her forces to taking control of the areas lying to her south and'south-west. He admits, at this stage in his argu ment, that the "weak spot in Japan's bulwark" is the threat of the Russian forces at Vladivostok, particularly as those forces are only 700 miles by air line from Japan's industrial centres. The author parades a number of relevant facts to support his conclu sions which, however, could only be reached from an attitude of mind that virtually excludes Russia and America as potent forces in the strategy that should keep Japanese naval forces busy off their own coasts. Mr. Foot is not slow to recognise that Russia seriously threatens Japan from the north but he seems disinclined to think that Russian activities in the Far East would be sufficient even to deplete Japan's naval strength to such an extent that there would be no excess vessels for raiding south of Singapore. Mr. Foot has some fresh ideas about the defence of Australia in which. he thinks, more can be done than is being done if there is "a will to face the difficulties and dangers." He advocates the protectfon of the Indian Ocean by the establishment of an air base half way down the West Australian coast, presumably near Onslow, and the pro vision of alt bases at Christmas Island, Cocos and Diego Garcia Islands. Oper ating from these bases war planes could harass -the invading or raiding enemy and give time for Australia to overcome the many difficulties of mobilisation. Mr. Foot does not de velop this suggestion to the point where he shows what necessary naval protec tion would and could be given these Isolated bases and how that protection would be influenced by such events as the bottling up of the Par Eastern Fleet at Singapore.

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