AMERICAN CLAIMS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 55, 6 March 1935, Page 19

AMERICAN CLAIMS.

SOUTH POLAR REGION. ADMIRAL BYRD EXPLAINS. (By Telegraph'.-— Press Association.) DUNEDIN, Tuesday. Some misunderstanding appears to have arisen with respect to a statement made by Rear-Admiral Byrd in reference to 'territorial rights on the Antarctic Continent, as a result of which the impression has been gained that the United States has no intention of making a claim over any territory in the South Polar region. Rear-Admiral Byrd stated to-day that what he had intended to COUVey was that there was no possibility of America asserting rights over land within the Ross Dependency, which has always been recognised as British territory.

"Although this American expedition," he said, "is the only one. which has seen much of the territory in the vicinity of Little America, we do not propose to make any claim over land in the Ross Dependency* in which Little America- is situated. 'In other words, iwe have throughout recognised the right put forward by the British Empire.

"The only claims we make are those over territory beyond the 150 th meridian, and they concern areas which have never been seen -by the representatives of any other nation but the United States. These areas are of no practical value and of interest only from a scientific point of view. In serving 20 branches of science in this expedition, we feel that we have been serving the interests of other nations as well as those of our own, for science knows no boundaries."