Evening star., 1929-11-30
BRITAIN WATCHES
BYRD'S ADVENTURE
Public Little Interested in
Claims Nations May Make
for Lands Discovered.

BY Cable to The Star and New York Times
LONDON, November 30.-Great Brit.
ain watched Comdr. Byrd's progress
over the Antarctic wastes to the South
Pole and his return as q magnificent
adventure, and what claims he may
make to any rich coal or mineral de-
posits over which he has flown or stakeC
with the American flag Is an issue thai
is exciting no comment here.
Even the publication by New YorE
newspapers of summary of the State
Departments answer to the British
governments year-old note concerning
sovereignty over the Antarctic lands
which was read here as clearly indl-
eating that the United States does not
intend to abandon its claims based
on earlier discoveries by American ex-
plorers, was not allowed to distract at
tention from Comdr. Byrd's perform
ance or to cause controversy almost
on the eve of the five-power naval
parley in London.
Ccmdr. Byrd had been flying over IL
hours before the British public heard
through brief message read over the
radio in the evening news bulletin. that
he had actually started on his great ad-
venture. AS a consequence, few radio
listeners had instruments tuned In to
Az
Amateurs Missed Signals.
Reports to headquarters from the
British Broadcasting Corporations Off
cial listening-in posts at Heston and
elsewhere contained no reference to
Byrd and none of London's prominent
amateurs appears to have heard his
signals.
For the time being, Great Britain's
claim that, by virtue of discovery, title
exists to part of Goats Land, Enderby
Land, Kemp Land, Queen Mary Land
Wilkes Land, King George v Land and
Mates Land still holds as set out in the
report of the Imperial Conference in
1925, but the door is still wide open fol
discussion of the claim.
In these matters Great Britain has
not proved an adament negotiator, a.
shown in the controversy between the
British and Norwegian government:
over the possession of Bouvet Island ir
the South Pacific. Talks extending over
two yearsres ulted in the British gov
ernment acknowledging Norway'S claim
to this Antarctic Island.
Attitude Of Norway.
An outstanding utterances on thu
rights of nations in polar regions wa:
made as recently as fortnight ago b.
the Norwegian prime minister, whC
said that Norway had constantly main
tanned that territory which had not beer
occupied de facto by any nation shoulC
be considered no mans land. The Nor.
wegian government, he said, therefor,
had diSasSociated itself from the theory
of so-called sectors in the Arctic anC
Antarctic waters.
AS illustrating Norway's policy, Pre-
mier Mowinckel mentioned the recen
occupation by Norway of Jan Mayer
Island in polar waters, an island which
might became important. The Nor
wegian standpoint, he said, also applied
to Franz JoSeph's Land (Which Sovie
Russia claims), where Norway consid
cred that her citizens were entitled Il
pursue their work of hunting and fish
ing, as hitherto, unhampered by an.
foreign nation.
If it were left to Premier Mowincke
to decide between the United State
and Great Britain as to who owneC
the disputed territory in Antarctica.
is assumed he would say that the coun
try which was first to colonize 1t anC
not the country which actually was frs
to place its nag there.
No reply to the United States not
is to be expected yet while.
(Copyright. 1929