Co-Operation
p. 39 · Read in the full issue
Britain And America On Canton Island
AN important new stage in Anglo- American co-operation in the Pacific was marked by an announcement, made in London and Washington in Aug ust, that Great Britain and the United States had concluded an agreement for their joint political and commercial con trol of Canton and Enderbury Islands in the Phoenix Group (north of Fiji).
For one hundred years, the eight islands of the Phoenix Group (excluding Baker and Howland Islands, which lie far to the north-west) were regarded as British territory; but as they had little commer cial importance, and no inhabitants ex cept a few coconut planters and phosphate diggers, no one took any interest in them.
When the famous Australian airman, Kingsford Smith, made his pioneer flight across the Pacific, he pointed out that the Phoenix Islands were on the direct line between Fiji and Hawaii, and there fore must have value in the coming age of aviation.
Developments since then are well-known.
The United States grabbed Howland and Baker Islands, as part of an aviation de fence scheme, while Britain very ener getically planted flags and established officials on the main Phoenix Islands, so that her title to these valuable dots of land might not be challenged America, however, did challenge; and, during the past year, we have had the quaint spect acle of important officials, representing respectively the United and Britain, camped amicably side by side on these barren sandbanks, under the equator, chasing crabs and reporting languidly by radio on meteorological conditions, while Washington and London engaged in long-winded arguments.
The new agreement will end the situ ation. Latest information is that Ameri can workmen and materials have been landed on Canton, and the place is being properly prepared and equipped for use as a landing station for aeroplanes and fly ing boats.
There are no details, yet, of the nature of the government which will be estab lished on Canton and Enderbury Islands, but, as the principle of Anglo-American co-operative control has been accepted by both sides, there should be no diffi culty in giving final shape to the arrange ment—the obvious purpose of which is to allow the planes of both British and American trans-Pacific lines to land freely at this small but important avia tion station.