27/1/1919 Dividing up Germany’s colonies

The Paris Conference is looking at how to dispose of Germany’s colonial possessions, with the leaders of different countries calling for their share of the spoils. Prime Minister Botha and General Smuts have proposed that South Africa should have South West Africa, conquered by them in 1915. Billy Hughes of Australia claims New Guinea and nearby islands as being vital for his country’s future security. New Zealand’s Massey seeks formerly German Samoa for his country, affirming the high regard in which New Zealanders are held by the Samoans (who are in fact petitioning to be ruled by Britain or the United States or indeed any country other than New Zealand, whose maladministration of the islands has seen a fifth of their inhabitants die of influenza). And Japan’s Makino is looking for the German islands in the Pacific his country’s armed forces occupied in 1914, as well as Tsingtao and…