Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-04-28
{By q. s. ~strandvold.ll

6WedonS representatives at the
Paris peace congress are deeply in
EAaland islands and to Nthe Finnish
problem; Denmark Is busy watching
developments in connection with the
delicate Slesvig question now about to
be settled, and Norway's territorial
claims to ~Spitsbergen are calling
forth an interesting exchange Of
views. Not only in Paris. but in Nor
bergen problem has been revived and
official and unofficial debates center
largely upon the purely historical
phase Of the matter.
The attitude Of Sweden is charac-
teristfcally reflected in a recent article
In the Dagens Nyheter which says:
1. The present Spitsbergen discussion
has made it clear that the claim Of
Norway is supported by a practically
way says SpitsberEen is Norwegian
territory. and while conceding this 1t
may b. remembered that Sweden,
also, has interests in the archipelago.
These interests may be taken care Of
just as well II ~Spitsbergen be gov
erned by Norway as II it comes under
the Jurisdiction Of an international
administration. To try to construct
q Swedish-N Norwegian conflict on This
basis is futile, and there Is no reason
for Norwegian suspicion"
Much Coveted Territory.
The Spitsbergeh group consisting of
five large and many smaller islands,
situated almost midway between
Greenland and Novaya Zemiya, has
for centuries been a bone OF conten-
ton, and at various times Holland,
England, Norway, Sweden and Den
mark have claimedNthe right Of pos
session. In view.of the general dis
been suggested that Spitsbergen be
proclaimed international territory,
but Norway protests vigorously
against such a procedure on the
ground hat the islands historically
and geographically are to be con-
sidered Norwegian domain.
that Willem Barentz, a Hollander,
discovered spitsbergen in 1896, and If
that were SO, the Netherlands I'M
d%oubtedly would have undisputed
right to claim. the islands as Dutch
possessions. But a little closer
scrutiny Of the matter indicates that
S~pitsbergen was known to the Nor
wegians long before Barentz made
his discovery Of "het nieuwe Liant"
he found was really a part of Green
land.
In maps dated as early as 1927.
1892 and 1903 groups of large islands
In the Polar region were outlined and
described as Norwegian possessions,
that is, a parts of Greenland; there
cannot now be any doubt that Splits
modern geographers concur in that
view.
Norway's Rights Recognized.
1..>A T. 49,. f--- A.
eleventh century the kings hof Norway
were wont~to consider all territory
adjacent to. Greenland Norwegian
soil. and in the seventeenth century
France, Sweden and the Hanseatic
free city Of Hamburg recognized Nor
wegian s~uzerainty in all extreme
northern lands. y
During the period Of Dano-Nor-
wegian union. the Arctic regions were
ritory. but since the dissolution Of
that union in 1914 Denmark, of
course, has not been in. a position to
present, any claims to Spitsbergen or
any other part of the Polar territory,
except Greenland. ~
The question of territorial rights
became acute in 1911 when English
Spitsbergen; two years later I Dutch
whalers invaded the district, and
their vessels were so heavily armed
that Dano-Norwegian ships could
offer no effective resistance. 1t is
said that $3.50 whales were killed
in the waters around S%pttsbergen
from 1863 to 1875, and also that a
reckless determination Of seals took
place. {.
For a time a British corporation
paid cash sums to the Copenhagen
government for whaling privileges,
but it vas frequently held-at, least
until 1625-that S~pitsbergen really
was 2 British possession since the
Willoughby in 1853. King James 1
even made an attempt to annex Spits-
bergen but had to yield in the face Of
forceful protests presented by both
Holland and Denmark Norway. Since
then British whalers who had driven
all their competitors away from Spits-
bergen, a~cquiesced in the presence, of
Norwegian n Danish hunters. thus
tacitly and indirectly recognizing
Norwegian suzerainty.
Vt