The Press WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1938. Rival Sovereignties in the Pacific

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22370, 6 April 1938, Page 8

The Press WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 1938. Rival Sovereignties in the Pacific

In an interview printed in “The Press yesterday Captain P, G. Taylor, one of the pioneers of trans-Pacific flying, draws attention to the curious situation which now exists at Canton Island, in the Phoenix group, where British and American flags, each representing claims to sovereignty, fly side by side. Canton Island was formally annexed to the British Crown in 1858, presumably on the assumption that it might be valuable as a cable station. But the assumption proved unfounded; and for the greater part of the intervening period the island was uninhabited. Not until projects for trans-Pacific air services began to be discussed did it again acquire international importance. On August 6. 1936, while negotiations between the New Zealand Government and Pan American Airways were in progress, H.M.S. Leith visited Canton Island, proclaimed British sovereignty, and raided the British flag. There have been three subsequent visits by British warships, the proclamation of sovereignty being renewed on each occasion; and on the last visit, that of H.M.S. Leith in August, 1937, a party of Colonial Office officials was left there to establish a meteorological station. The first public indication that the British claim was hot admitted as valid by the United States Government was the arrival at Canton Island a few weeks ago of the United States coastguard cutter Taney, which raised the American flag there. The grounds of the American claim have not been disclosed. A search of records of early American voyages in the Pacific may well have disclosed a proclamation of American, sovereignty before the British proclamation of 1858. Or, alternatively, the United States Government may be basing its claim on the generally-accepted rule of international law that mere annexation does not confer sovereign rights unless it is accompanied, within reasonable time, by effective occupation. All this fuss and mystery and flag-hoisting over a few square miles of and coral and sand might be comic if it did not contain the possibilities of a dispute which may adversely affect relations between the British Empire and the United States. There are in this part of the Pacific a dozen or more islands,- potentially important because of the development of long-distance flying, to which both Great Britain and the United States have arguable claims. If the possession of each of them is to be disputed, as apparently the possession of Canton Island is being disputed, much time will be wasted and possibly illfeeling will be aroused. Since the islands are valuable only as air bases, and since the strategic interests of the two Powers in this part of the Pacific are practically identical, there can be no point in allowing disputes to arise which may unnecessarily delay the development of trans-Pacific air services. The sensible solution of the problem is for the British and American Governments to establish a condominium over all islands to which neither has a clear title. If the British Government does not take the initiative, the New Zealand Government should; it has everything to gain from the speedy development of air communications with America and from the harmonious development of Anglo-American relations in the Pacific.