STRUTTING ARGENTINIANS WILL SOON BACK DOWN

Chronicle (Levin), 18 February 1948, Page 5

STRUTTING ARGENTINIANS WILL SOON BACK DOWN

WELLINGTON, Feb. 17. I nmoved by the international dis Pute over their honieland, are two Falkland Islaiulers in the erew of the Highland Prinee at present at Wellington. They are Messrs. .T. Pinlavsou and E. Biggs, both of wlioin traco baek to several generations on the islands. '1 liey left over a year ago and have sim-e been travelling the world as sealiien in the Highland "Prinee. , "Argvntina has been slarting 'tliisj ijsort of thing eve rv six months as far baek as we ean retnenibor. " they stated. "Though they have never gone to the lenglhs of landing oigatiy of the islands. the present liare up will blow over just as all the vesl. A'rgentina has had desigus on our' territory and considers ihe island part of South Ameriea hut we have been a British eolonv since February, LS.'J.'l, and slionld still be oue in gd.'l.'l. South Aiherioans liave no navy worthy of ihe name and now that Brilain has apparently taken a strong stand in the muller, they have noTliing to baek uj) their elaiins. They have a big fairly modern armv however, train ed after Gernian i'ashion and dressed. in >,axi uniforins. M'hen we were in Beunos Aires a year ago there were soldiers gooso-stepping all frver the rity. Buenos Aires is a fiire eity but the ]>0])ul'ition is very nazitied. The' whole country is really run by the armv under Dietator Peron bnt without a na\y they ean do little aboiit taking our hoiue sa-A-.e talk." Hependeney Lslalids, whieh are tlio

present bone of eontention, are supj posed to be very rich in niineral wealf h : bttt are useless for any thing else, ' ' said j Mr. Finlavson. "The last timo I siglited them they were so many rock:: covered witli iee and snow. Dependene.;Islands have always been considei'ed . p'art of the Falklands colony and thougli there are no inliabi'tants in the ' Hope ndeneies, there are 'about thWo people of mixed Scottish and 'English descent living in the East and NVesl Falklan'd Islands. There are no, South Amerieans living in the islaiiAs. The main value of ■ Dependenev Islah'd.would be of a stategic sature to Argentina. Both there and nround tW main Falkland Islands are many line harbonrs. Port Stanlev, 'the niain town in tio* Falklands, witli about .'500 housAy was used by the. Koyal Navy for :t fuellir.g depot in the reeent war. Wi'th a sheep population of aboiit l,000,00u head, the East ancl VYes't Falkland Islands are made up of hilly, fairly pOoi land and liave a \ ery unsettled climate. During the winter the land is snow-; bound, roads poor and weather very. cold. 3n snmmer it rains about every secoiul dav and it is still eold but On the intervening line davs it is possible to get a sun tnn. Tliere is a monthly shi]> from Port Artiuir to Yenezuel'a. . This sliip, togetlier witli lialf the. lanil. mueli of whicli is hilly though not so hilly as New Zealand, is owned by the Falkland Islands Conipany. "