stefansson-wrangel-09-11-089-002

ment, Mr. [Stefansson] has been re-
quested to make similar representa-
tions to the British Government, and
it is expected he will leave in a short
time for London.

The position of the Dominion Gov-
ernment, it is learned, is that it does
not feel bound to officially recognize
Mr. Stefansson's occupation of the is-
land - a party of four headed by Allan
R. Crawford of Toronto, took pos-
session of the island about three
years ago on instructions from Mr.
Stefansson's, by setting up on it the
seal of sovereignity, and it will refrain
from taking any definite action either
toward proclamation of sovereignty or
toward its abandonment until the Brit-
ish Government has been consulted.
The Union Jack and not the Canadian
ensign is braving the icy breeze over
Wrangel Island.

AN AIR BASE.

Mr. Stefansson strongly urges an-
nexation of the island on strategic and
economic grounds. He advances the
contention of eminent aerial experts
that within ten years the established
air route from Occident to Orient will
pass in the vicinity of Wrangell Island
and that by it London would be 6000
miles from Tokyo, instead of 900[0] as
at present - the long Siberian Rail[...]
journey being dispensed with - [...]
Great Britain and Canada should [...]
slip no aerial advantage. The longest
"jump" in the air trip would, it is
argued, be only 400 miles. Then on
economic grounds Mr. Stefansson ar-
gues that Wrangell Island could be
made a splendid breeding ground for
the reindeer, the chief locomotive
means in the Arctic circle.

MR. MEIGHEN'S VIEWS

Mr. Stefansson had previously urged
his views on the late government and
it is understood that the attitude Mr.
Meighen took was that Canada should
confine its territorial ambitions to
that portion of the map lying between
and about the 52nd and 142nd meridi-
ans west of Greenwich, and that to
reach out towards Wrangell Island
which is nearer to Russia than to any
other country, might only give
ground for similar incursions into
those portions which we claim.
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