FALSE REPORTS

Grey River Argus, 13 August 1937, Page 9

FALSE REPORTS

ABOUT ECLIPSE EXPEDITION. NO FRICTION WITH AMERICANS. [Per Press Association].. HAMILTON, August 12. An emphatic denial of .what has been referred to as a naval incident, in connection with the visit of the solar eclipse epeditions to Canton Island, in June, was given by the leader of the New Zealand party, Mr. C. B. Michie, when lecturing in Hamilton, last evening. Mr. Michie said that a report had been published that the ship on which the American party had reached Canton Island had refused to give anchorage to H.M.S. Wellington, the New Zealand sloop, which conveyed the members of the Dominion expedition to the Island. The report had been incorrectly written. The speaker emphatically denied its truth, and maintained that no difference ever occurred between the two ships. The speaker said that when H.M.S. Wellington arrived at Canton Island, it requested the American ship to make room for it to anchor. It was true that the ship did not move, but Mr. Michie gave an_ assurance that it was not in defiance. He said that, owing to the difficult tides, anchorage was not easy to obtain, and the American ship did not weigh anchor, for fear of losing a suitable anchorage. Members of her crew boarded H.M.S. Wellington and lent assistance to the sloop’s navigators, and extended every aid in safety anchoring the Dominion ship. A friendly spirit prevailed between the two expeditions at all times, and to illustrate this, Mr. Michie showed slides of social functions arranged by the two parties. The lecturer also denied that the Americans had erected a plinth, to proclaim American annexation. The plinth was merely commemorative of the visit of the solar eclipse party, and in memory of great scientists. The plinth erected by the New Zealanders, however, was proclaiming sovereignty over the island, although this had been done, on behalf of Great Britain, by H.M.S. Leith, some months ago.