Who Owns Christmas Island?

'THE action taken by the authorities * to consolidate Britain’s claim to Christmas Island focusses attention to the fact that for nearly 100 years owner ship of the island has not been clearly defined.

Hitherto, Britain and America, the in terested parties for its sovereignty, have regarded it as an almost insignificant speck on the map. With the advent of aeroplane services across the Pacific, Christmas Island, in common with a dozen other dots of land previously looked upon as more or less worthless, has assumed international importance.

United States, last year, took posses sion of Howland, Baker and Jarvis Is lands (formerly regarded as British pos sessions) and Congress appropriated 35,000 dollars for the purpose. Since then American parties have been down among the other equatorial islands —Christmas, Fanning, Pukapuka, etc.

There is no doubt that America has cast covetous eyes upon Christmas Is land. It has a big lagoon that might provide a harbour for naval surface ships as well as aircraft. While some informed quarters professed belief in December that no move regarding Christmas Is. was planned, a State Department official in Washington told the newspapers flatly

that “the United States does not recog nise British sovereignty there.’’

Reports which reached the Interior and State Departments in December said British, Japanese and French ships had visited isolated Howland, Baker and Jar vis in the previous few months, without landing.

The formal acquisition of those three uninhabited dots on the map was a mere matter of raising the flag and establish ing four youthful Hawaiian pioneers on each, but officials said that reassertion of American claims to Christmas Island would have to be through diplomatic channels.

The island, including the very large lagoon, is about 100 miles around, and contains about 60,000 acres, devoted to coconuts. It was taken over by Great Britain in Queen Victoria’s reign. The United States merely “reserved all ques tions” in 1888 upon learning that the Union Jack had been hoisted by Admiral Wiseman, of H.M.S. Caroline, “and since then the matter of sovereignty has been slumbering.”

One of the world’s largest coral atolls, the island was dubbed Christmas by Captain Cook, who discovered it in his ship, the Resolution, on Christmas Eve of 1777.

The United States claim dates from its “rediscovery” by Captain John Stetson, of New Haven, “prior to 1857.”

The island is occupied now by two Europeans and 20 or more Tahitians.

The British deputy resident at Fanning Island is its governor.

Mr. and Mrs. H. W. Rogerson, who have been residents of Papua for nearly 10 years, returned to Woodlark Island, in the South-Eastern Division, where Mr.

Rogerson is Collector of Customs, by the Montoro from Sydney on February 24.