UNDER WHICH FLAG?

Tuapeka Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 6690, 20 August 1919, Page 1

UNDER WHICH FLAG?

A report to the effect that Canada lias been casting sheep's eyes on Greenland, and has been seeking to round out its wide Arctic possessions by purchasing this northern island from Denmark, has caused an interesting stir of late among the Danes. The report (says a New York Journal has appeared in Danish newspapers, both in Denmark ami this country, with such persistence as to draw an official statement from Danish Government sources declaring that Denmark has no intention of ceding its Arctic, colony under any circumstances.

The Danish official statement docs not say, however, whether Canada has made a .bid for Greenland. The reports of the alleged negotiations point oat that Greenland is situated in the Western Hemisphere, and is therefore considered by Canada to be geographically a part .of the 'Americas: that it is closer ■to Canada than to any other country, and that Canada claims to have both the money and enterprise to develop the resources of Greenland, The country has some natural deposits, such as coal and iron, and is habitable along the southern coast, where the Arctic climate is modified .by the Gulf Stream. Uore stock-raising, fishing, and the hunting of fur-bearing animals could be developed. The Danes have recently begun to pay closer attention to Greenland with a view to exploiting its economic, resources.

The denial that negotiations for the sale of Greenland were under way was issued by the Danish Legation in Washington following a lengthy report on this subject in Nordlyset, a Danish paper published in that city. The statement follows:—

"Denmark would not think of parting with Greenland, On the contrary, the Danes are constantly extending their sphere of interest in Greenland, ft is in this connection recalled that, when Denmark recently ceded the Danish West Indian islands to the United States, a declaration was published in which Secretary of State Lansing, 'duly authorised by his Government,' stated that 'the United States of America will not object to the Danish Government extending its political and economic interests to the whole of Greenland.'

"The fact is that the Danes are very proud of their immense Arctic- colony. Denmark is a country of only 15,000 square, miles, but the possession of Greenland, with its 827,275 square miles, makes Denmark one of the biggest States in the world in area.

"The Danes are proud of their achievements in Greenland, where they have had colonies for more than 200 years. They have explored and mapped both the east and west coasts of Greenland, and numerous Danish expeditions have with great sacrifices of money and not a fe\v lives made the great Arctic island known to the scientific world. "While the natives under while rule in most countries have degenerated and diminished in numbers, Denmark points with pride to the fact that the natives of Greenland, the Eskimos, are constantly increasing in numbers, and arc much better off under the Danish rule than before the Danes came. The Danish Government protects them against hunger and famine, provides them with doctors and teachers, sells them at reasonable prices all kinds of provisions, rides and shotguns for hunting, modern fishing tackle, luxuries like coffee and tobacco, etc. The natives pay for these things with skins of foxes, bears, seals and walruses, salted fish, seal oil, eiderdown, etc., which the Danish 'Government buys from them at market value. The' income of the Greenlanders is about 1,000,000 kroner a year, although the male population, including old men and baby boys, is Duly about 6500.

"To protect the Eskimos against exploitation the Danes 'have, made the trade with Greenland a Government monopoly. There has been no profit in this, as Denmark has had to pay a yearly deficit of more fchaa 100,000 kroner; ■but tho result has ibeeri highly beneficial to the natives. During the war the JSskinios have not sufforsd, |pr 'tto want

of anything. While nobody could get '•offec in Denmark, and tobacco and sugar were scarce, the Eskimos could get all kinds oil provisions without any difficulty. On account of the high prices for skins many of the Eskimos became well-to-do, and revelled to such an extent in luxuries that it finally was necessary to ration them; for instance, iimit the purchase of coffee to one pound a day for each family—a veryample ration, to be sure. "There are mineral deposits in Greenland, especially of cryolite, which is used for opalescent glass and enamel. Iron is also found, and llicre are possibly deposits of more valuable metals like copper and gold. East year the taxes from die cryolite mines not only paid the yearly deficit, but for the first lime in the history of Greenland there was a surplus of ,"i(),0(UI dollars. A Danish stock company is now planning to establish a colony on (he practically uninhabited east coast of Greenland, where there are plenty of fur-bearing animals like bears, foxes, ermines, etc., and also musk-oxen, salmon in the rivers, and great herds of seals ami walruses near the coast.