Population
p. 22 · Read in the full issue
A Transfer Of
From Gilberts to Phoenix Islands
BECAUSE some of the islands of the Gilbert Group are now over crowded, and because there is no native population in the fertile islands of the Phoenix Group, farther east wards, arrangements have been made by the Administration of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony to transfer native population from the Gilberts to the Phoenix Islands.
Probably, there is a political back ground to this. The Phoenix Islands have come into prominence, in the past few years, because they are on the dir ect line between Fiji and Honolulu and, as is well known, two of the unoccupied islands, Canton and Enderbury, have been taken over by the United States, for the purpose of air bases. Canton now is under the joint administration of the United States and Britain.
The Americans have indicated, in no uncertain fashion, that if islands are unoccupied, and apparently not needed, they may be occupied by the United States for air base purposes.
The unoccupied islands of the Phoenix Group, apart from those mentioned, are Phoenix Island, Birnie Island, Sydney Island, Hull Island, Gardner Island and McKean Island. Phoenix Island con tains about three square miles, and is very fertile, with extensive growths of coconuts, and a fresh-water lake in the centre. Gardner Island is over two miles long, and is very fertile, and car ries several large coconut plantations.
The other islands are smaller, but prac tically all are fertile and habitable.
Burns, Philp interests held a lease
over these islands until 1938, when it was taken over by the Gilbert and Ellice Government; and, since then, the latter has pushed on with its plan of trans ferring population from the Gilberts.
The London Missionary Society announces that it has made arrange ments with the G. and E. Administra tion to send, with the first parties of natives from the Gilberts, trained L.M.S. teachers from Beru (which is an L.M.S. station in the Gilberts). They will supervise church and school activities in the new settlements in the Phoenix Islands.