The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1903-09-12
THE ALASKAN BOUNDARY
MEETING COMMISSION HEAR AND DETER
DIsPUTE-TIE PERSONNEL AND THE FIRST GATH
ABSTRACT AMERICAN CAsE-voLUMEs OF


LONDON, Sept. 3.-The Alaskan
Boundary Commissioners held their
first meeting today i'm the conference
room of the Foreign Office. Prior to
the formal assembling, the Commits
sioners met i'm their private conference
room and selected Reginald Tower of
the British diplomatic service, for
merly attache to the legation at Wash
ingtOn and recently Minister to SIAM
to be secretary of the Commission. j.
Il. Carter, second secretary of the
United States Embassy, and Mr.. Pope
a representative of the Canadian Gov
eminent, We're appointed assistant Sec
retaries. Lord Chief Justice Alverstone
was subsequently chosen chairman of
the Commission.
1t was announced that oral argu-
ments would commence September
18th, and Lord Alverstone expressed
hope that they would be finished by
October 9th.
The conference room of the Foreign
once, Where the Commissioners met
is ,Ae choicest apartment in the Brit
ish pablo buildings. it is a maEnif-
cent salon, with Gothic ceiling and
paneled walls, and has been the scene
of many notable gatherings. 1t was
generally used by the late Lady Sails
bury to receive the guests after the
diplomatic corps, At the end of the
room platform had been constructed
and on it was a long desk with a blue
covering. Behind this desk were six
comfortable chairs, which We're to be
occupied by the Commissioners, whose
international regulations emphasized
the Importance of the occasion. Elihu
Root and Lord Alverstone sat in the
center Separate tables were pro-
vided for counsel
Canadian counsel were the first to
arrive in the chamber. They were fol-
lowed by John w. Foster former Sec
rotary of State and his assistants,
who were accompanied by Embassa-
dor Choate.
The Commissioners came in few
minutes later and Immediately began
private conference, which resulted
in the selection of the officers and at
which they exchanged credentials and
took the oath required by the treaty.
A few minutes after II O'Clock the
Commission took their seats, Senator
Turner on the extreme right then
Professor Sir Louis Jette, formerly of
the Superior Court of Quebec, Lieu
tenant-Governor of the province of
Quebec and professor of civil law:
Mr.. Root, Lord Alverstone, Senator
Lodge, A. B. Aylesworth, who sue
ceeded the late Justice Armour of
Canada on the Commissions Mr.. Fos-
ter and Clifford Sifton, Canadian Min
lister of the Interior. The agents of
the respective Governments sat at
desks on the extreme right and left
OF the Commission while counsel and
the stenographers occupied desks fac
ing the Commissioners.
A lVprGtnnn
nouncing that the Commission was in
session, stating that he had been Sc
! lected as president, an honor which he
highly appreciated asked counsel
when they desired to begin oral argu-
ments. Sir Robert b. Finlay the At
torney-General. in behalf of British
counsel, suggested that at least two
weeks would be required for prepara-
ton, to which Judge NJ. Dickinson,
representing the American counsel, as
scented, though he said the American
counsel would be ready in a week.
Lord AlVerstOne asked when the oral
arguments would be finished and At
torney-General Fknay suggested Oc-
tober 18th but his lordship remarked
that he thought a shorter period was
advisable and October 9Th was fixed
upon.
The Commission decided to sit five
days per week, commencing Septem-
Der 18th, and excluding Saturdays and
to be in session from II a. m. to
p, m, daily. and granted permission
for a limited number of press repre-
sentatives to attend the sittings.
In order that the presentation of the
cases may be exhaustive it has been
arranged that three of counsel for each
Government shall make arguments.
the British opening and being followed
alternately by Americans and British,
the former securing the advantage of
delivering the closing arguments.
The Commission then removed the
injunction of secrecy on all documents
hitherto exchanged, and the sitting
was adjourned, the Commissioners,
agents and counsel proceeding to the
quadrangle, where they were photo
graphed.
Root and Lodge left London tonight
for Lord Roberts country home in Sur
rey Lodge will go tomorrow to Paris,
where he will join his wife. He will re-
main there until September 18th. After
a weeks visit to Lord Alverstone Root
will go to Ledyard Carter's place in
Scotland. Turner remains i'm London.
Root and Lodge hope to sail for home
October End.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 3.-The docu-
ments covering the American presenta-
ton of the Alaskan boundary case are
comprised in three volumes. making a
total of about 100 pages. In addition
there are also two volumes of maps.
The largest of the volumes of text con-
tains the original statement by the
American commissioners, while one of
the small volumes presents the Ameri-
can counter case in rejoinder to the
British case and the other arguments
of the American commissioners.
In the first volume the question at
issue, namely. what is intended to be
the point of commencement of the
line of demarcation between the United
States and Canada; what is the Port
/ land channel; what course the line
should take to the entrance of that
| channelfi to what point of the fifty
sixth parallel the line should be
| i.