The British Phosphate Commission (BPC) was a board of Australian, British and New Zealand representatives who managed extraction of phosphate from Christmas Island, Nauru and Ocean Island from the 1920s until the 1960s.
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Following its defeat in World War I, Germany was forced to relinquish all of its territorial assets around the world, including the island of Nauru. Nauru then came under joint trusteeship of the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
In 1919, the three trustees signed the Nauru Island Agreement, which entitled them to the phosphate of Nauru through the British Phosphate Commissioners.
Under a policy established under the German administration, royalty payments were given to landowners. In 1921, the British Phosphate Commissioners (under pressure from the Nauruan people) increased royalty payments from one-half penny to one and one-half pence per ton of phosphate extracted.
In 1927, a new agreement was reached, giving the Nauruans seven and one-half pence per ton.
By 1939, Nauruans were receiving 9% of the phosphate revenues. This amount is still somewhat insignificant because at this time, Nauruan phosphate was selling far below world market prices.
Throughout B.P.C. control, significant profits were made. In 1948, revenues of $745,000 were made.
In 1967 the Nauruans purchased the assets of the B.P.C. and in 1970, the newly independent Republic of Nauru established the Nauru Phosphate Corporation.
In 1965, the Banaban islanders, after decades of land disputes, royalty fees, and "exploitation," started legal litigation against the British Phosphate Commissioners in British court. After more than a decade, the case finally came to an end, with the Banabans only being awarded £1 and were still made to pay their own legal fees of more than ₤UK300,000.
The Australian government through the B.P.C. offered £UK780,000 in reparations.
The first European to mine phosphate for commercial exploitation was Sir John Murray, a British naturalist, who was granted a land lease in 1888. Under the Christmas Island Phosphate Company, LTD (CIPC), mining was commenced in 1897.
Under the CIPC, mining was carried out continually from 1897 through 1981, whence mining was carried out under agreement with the British Phosphate Commission, which was also associated with the governments of Australia and New Zealand.
In 1981, the Phosphate Mining Company of Christmas Island (PMCI), a government company, took over mining operations. This arrangement was carried out until December 1987 when the company was disbanded. The mining operation was then taken over by the Union of Christmas Island Workers.
Nauru