FALKLAND ISLANDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23487, 26 October 1939, Page 12

FALKLAND ISLANDS

CAMPAIGN FOR POSSESSION GERMAN FINANCE ALLEGED BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 24 Tho newspaper Critica alleges that nationalistic groups are distributing posters demanding the return of the Falkland Islands, a British Crown Colony, to Argentina. Tho movement is said to bo financed by Germany. The Falkland Islands are situated in tho South Atlantic, about 250 miles east of the nearest point of tho mainland of South America. Tho area totals 4618 square miles and tho population was estimated in 1937 at 2390, of whom 1070 wero females. Tho chief town is Stanley, with a population of over 1300. . Tho chief industry is sheep farming, about 3,000,000 acres being m pasture. A recent census showed 604,346 sheep. Whaling and sealing also are carried on. Tho Government is administered by a Governor, at present Sir Henniker Heaton. Education is compulsory. Tho predominating element in tho population is Scottish, Scottish shepherds having superseded tho South American ganchos. English, Dutch and French explorers visited the territory from the 16th to the 18th centuries. Tho French took possession of the islands in 1764, but three years later ceded them to Spain. In the meantime tho English also had taken possession, on the ground of prior discovery, and in 1771 Spain yielded tho territory to Britain by convention.