Evening star., 1932-08-14
j. s. FLYERS TO MAP
DISPUTED AREASI
New Step to Help Solve
Guatemala -Honduran
Border TangIe.

BY the Associated Press.
The United States has taken another
step In Central American cooperation
with an agreement by the War Depart
ment to prepare an aerial map of the
disputed Guatemala -Honduran bound
ary for the Arbitration Commission
headed by Chief Justice Charles Evans
Hughes of the United States Supreme
Court.
This old controversy, which for years
kept Central American diplomacy in
ferment, is drawing to its final con-
clusion. Several months ago commits
sions from each country finished their
arguments before a neutral arbitration
tribunal, composed of DR.. Emilio Bello
Codecido of Chile, DR.. Luis Castro
Urena of Costa Rica and Mr.. Hughes
Both countries have agreed by treaty to
accept the commissions boundary flnd-
1ngS as final.
This tribunal now is engaged in sift-
ing the evidence submitted in several
volumes Of documents and arguments.
Recently it named two engineers to
assist with the technical work Sidney
with an agreement by the War Depart
control engineer and Vincent Hanrahan
his assistant Birdseye sailed from New
York July Is ana Hanrahan left few
days later for Puerto Barrios. Guatemala,
to Join engineers representing the dis
putting governments. who will serve as
consultantS to the tribunals engineers.
Cooperation Praised.
War Department officials said the
aerial men probably would be sent down
from the Panama Canal Zone. Besides
this corps. the Neutral Commission
asked the War Department for photo
graphic plane. with a pilot, photog-
rapher and mechanic, to make an aerial
survey and map during August The
commission asked this. feeling there was
not sufficient typographical data on
certain sections available to enable it
to make a just decision.
Commission officials have expressed
their appreciation for the cooperation
given by the United States throughout
the arbitration. 1t was partly through
the energy Of Assistant Secretary
Francis White of the State Department
that the two countries originally were
able to agree upon the Washington ar
bitration. Since that time, these Off
cials have said, the United States Gov
ernment has offered to assist with
every phase of the task possible. with
minimum of expense to the tribunal.
AT present the arbitration awaits the
f5dings of the technical men in Cen
t1rl America With the exception of
Bn1jamin Cohen, commission secretary
most of the members have left Wash
1ng:on on Summer trips.
Vital Importance Seen.
DR.. Luis Castro Urena, who planned
to go to Costa Rica, was the last men,
Der to leave the city DR.. Bello Code
cioo sailed July IS for a vacation in
Vichy, France, and Chief Justice
Hughes left July l for trip through
Canada.
One reason for the Importance of
the pending decision is that the tri-
bunal is expected to furrich a new
definition of the ''uti possidetus" prin-
ciple for the settlement of boundaries
of the liberated Spanish colonies in the
Western hemisphere.
In some instances the year 1910 has
been taken as the 'uti possidetus," as
being the year in which boundaries in
Latin America became fixed Other
countries, however, have insisted upon
the dates of their own independence as
the 'uti possidetus," insisting that
liberation from Spain is the principle
involved and that the use of any one
year in past decisions only fixed this
principle, without fixing the year in
every case.