CONCLUSION 311 



It is not my wish to speak derogatively of our 

 alliance with Japan, a:s I do not see that as matters 

 now stand we could very well have improved upon 

 it, but I would wish to draw careful attention to 

 the other side of the picture as I have attempted to 

 show it in the preceding pages, in order that we 

 may be led to take our own affairs in our own hands, 

 remembering that Japan, with all her virtues, has 

 her own fish to fry and is the last nation in the 

 world to neglect her duty to herself. 5Afe must look 

 forward either to surrendering the greater part of 

 our commerce with Asia to the Japanese, or we 

 must fight them by finding a field of cheap products, 

 and this we can only hope to find in Russia and 

 Siberia. 



I would not advocate investing money in Russian 

 and Siberian companies — ^the French have lost money 

 that way — ^but we should try to work Russian re- 

 sources with British capital and under the guidance 

 of British managers, while utilising Russia's cheap 

 labour and cheap land. 



In conclusion I would strongly urge the policy of 

 seeking at all times to preserve to ourselves the 

 goodwill of a generous and friendly nation, and of 

 refraining from that gratuitous animosity which is 

 becoming so predominant in certain sections of the 

 British Press towards the Russian Empire. 



