WHALING BASE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 48, Issue 86, 21 January 1928, Page 5

WHALING BASE.

ATLANTIC ISLAND DISPUTE. BRITAIN AND NORWAY. <Per Press Associations-Copyright.) LONDON, January 19. Ah interesting situation has arisen owing to Norway's claim to Bouvet Island, one of a small group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic, lying south-west of the Cape of Good Hope, which -is shown on the map as British, and regarded as such, by the British Government.

It was announced a few days ago that the Colonial Office had granted the Rasmussen. Company, of Norway, the right to occupy the island as a whaling base for ten years on the payment of a yearly rental and royalties on whale oil and guano. A message from Oslo states that Bouvet Island was occupied by a Norwegian expedition on December 12 of last year, and the Norwegian flag hoisted, as the island had hitherto been regarded by the Norwegian Government as "no-man's land." ', The newspaper "Tfdens Tegn" points out that the Norwegian authorities long ago authorised the Bryde Dahl Whaling Company to occupy the island and establish a now base for Norwegian whaling. , _ .A Colonial Office official says Bouvet Island was discovered in 1739 by the French, who, however, made no use of it. The island was again found by Captain Lindsay in 1808, when .he claimed it as British.