POLAR EXPLORATION.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLVI, Issue 10685, 31 December 1925, Page 5

POLAR EXPLORATION.

CAPTAIN WILKINS' PLANS. FLIGHT IN THE ANTARCTIC. (Per Preis Association— Copyright.) NEW YORK, December 29. Captain Wilkins, in an mterview, said his association with the Detroit \rctie expedition did not mean that he had abandoned his Antarctic plans for an Australian and New Zealand Polar and Pacific expedition leaving New Zealand about October, 1926 as he expects his Arctic' work will be completed .before then. , •Vll profits ho was able to save from fche Arctic expedition would be used in connection with the Australian and New Zealand or a substitute expedition. The machine he used in the Arctic flight would afterwards be used inthe Antarctic, taking the place of the N 25 for which he had negotiated, but which he had failed to secure owing to lack of Australian financial support. Stefansson, interviewed, stated tnax the Arctic flight would be of great nenefit to Captain Wilkins ,j.further work in demonstrating that the Polar I air conditions were no worse, and possibly better, than elsewhere, and that the Poles were not barren ice-covered wastes as explorers had long known, but it'was necessary to demonstrate the fact to convince the.publicand arouse interest in support of further I exploration and development ot tne | Polar regions.