Evening star., 1933-08-06
FRANCE ISLAND
j MOVE PUzzLESU.S.
Occupies Chinese Inhabited
Group About FPS Miles
From Philippines.
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.

Official quarters in Washington are
trying to figure out the reasons which
have prompted the French government
to take possession of several groups OF
islands in the Pacific situated about
225 miles from the ISLAND OF PalaWan.
the WeSternmoSt island OF the Philip
pines.
These islands, heretofore little known,
are by right Chinese possession. Most
of them are barren. uninhablted, eX-
cept for a few Chinese fishermen who
make a scanty living on the coral reefs,
and the islands are more or less
burden on any government. since there
is little possibility to develop them for
economic purposes. According to Paris
dispatches. the French government in
tends to use them as aviation bases,
when it will become remuneratlVe Tor
the French to establish a direct line
between Indo-Chin and the East.
The principal islands where the
French flag vas hoisted with due cere-
mony in July are: Amboyna Cay. All
island Surging 8 feet above the water
$50 yards long: Spratly. better known
as Storm Island. also feet above the
sea level 500 yards long and 800 Yards
wide; ItuAba. a quarter of mile loAg:
LoGita, 1h .hu. 500 yards long, and the
Twin Islands.
Has Some Vegetation.
Itu-Aba has certain amount of
vegetation and fresh water supplies and
so has Thitu, which is covered With
groves of coconut trees. Besides these
principal islands number OF less
known coral reefs are included. most OF
them neycI visited by any navigator.
Like most coral islands where the birds
are the only occupants, all these places
have large quantities OF guano.
Because of their proximity to the
Philippines. their occupation even by a
friendly power like France rouses q
certain amount of comment. especially
because the islands are further from
the coast of Indo-China than they are
from the Philippines.
The Japanese government has had
at one time its eyes cll the archipelago2s
and in order to give plausible explana-
ton for their intended occupation II
has sent a group of geolOgistS to report
on the possibility of finding oil there
But even the well intentioned japanese
geologists could not report that there
was the remote chance of finding any
thing like oil on any of the islands.
The Chinese government claims SOW
ereignty over the entire group. The
OdpdllcSt NIdlIll k4ldl III Will
the treaty of 1897, signed after the
Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese gov
eminent Is under obligation not to yield
the islands to any other power.
Still Chinese Possessions.
The Chinese government can truth
fully say it has not relinquished its
sovereignty over these islands, but they
can no more oppose the French occu-
patton than they can oppose the inter
ference OF any other nation in their
affairs
The French government has made it
known that the occupation OF the
islands has been made only after the
American Government had given, con-
fldentlally. its approval.
The State Department denied this
assertion; the rumor was spread imme-
diately that Ambassador Norman H
Davis. during his talks with the French
Quai d'Orsay officials, had been in
formed about the move planned by the
French government, last Spring and had
uncfficiaLly told the French to go ahead
because America could see no objection
In this occupation.
Yesterday, however, Mr. Davis denied
emphatically this Iumor, stating that
he had never discussed the matter with
the French and did not know anything
about it until he saw the news of the
occupation in newspaper dispatches.
1t is, OF course, possible that the
French foreign office should have men,