The Icelandic Canadian - 01.12.1959, Síða 35

THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
Secondly, the British action a year
ago of sending in gunboats to “pro-
tect” their fishermen off the shores
of Iceland has radically changed the
international climate of opinion. Prob-
aibly half of the states at the confer-
ence two years ago had no substantial
national interest in fishing. Many of
them were therefore able to support
the American proposal—a six mile ter-
ritorial sea plus a six mile fishing zone
in which so-called traditional rights
were granted in perpetuity—on a quid
pro quo basis.
This is no longer possible for the
small nations. For to vote in favor of
the American proposal now would be
in fact to approve the British action,
to censure not Great Britain’s, but little
Iceland’s conduct.
Furthermore, the American proposal
in granting special fishing privileges
to a favored few, is utterly inconsist-
ent with the United Nations’ principle
of the general application of interna-
tional law to all countries.
Finally, it is felt that as the confer-
ence progresses it will become apparent
■that the Canadian proposal is the only
possible alternative to the straight 12
mile territorial sea. If the United
States and the United Kingdom should
find themselves in this dilemma they
would in all probability accept the
Canadian formula.
—The Canadian Formula may pro-
vide a compromise for the advocates
of the full 12 mile limit if agreement
cannot be reached at the International
Conference on the Law of the Sea to
be convened next spring. —W. J. L.
Executive of Giant
insurance Firm
William Oliver Peterson
One of the executives of the giant
Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Comp-
any, Western Division, is William
Oliver Peterson, underwriting man-
ager for British Columbia and the
Yukon. Mr. Peterson is also chairman
of the British Columbia Assigned Risk
Plan and the Unsatisfied Judgement
Fund for the Province of British Col-
umbia. Before coming to Vancouver
in 1942, Mr. Peterson was with the
company in Saskatchewan.
Born at Hallson, N. Dak., in 1909,
he is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Ben Pet-
erson, who make their home in Sask-
atoon.
Mr. and Mrs. Peterson (a former
Saskatoon girl) make their home in
Vancouver. Their one daughter, Mrs.
John Drew, a graduate of the Univer-
sity of British Columbia, is a social
worker. His hobbies are: curling (start-
ed in Wynyard, Sask., in 1925, and is
a director of the Vancouver Curling
Club) golf, fishing and photography.