NO SIGN OF SCOTT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 73, 25 March 1912, Page 7

NO SIGN OF SCOTT.

(By Telegraph.—Frcse Association.) WELLINGTON, Saturday. The Japs, are very reticent, and will say little a', present, but they neither saw nor heard anything of Captain Scott. All the men have returned with the and gear. They expect to be here some days, awaiting cables. They confined themselves to coastal exploration in King Edwarit VII. Land.

Tae Japanese stated that their work had been in the main purely coastal work. They had not gone to look for ;he pole, but confined themselves solely to scientific exploration.

"Wa3 thnre not an oath sworn that thoy Tvouiri not return without finding il?" oiU' of them was asked. On thoroughly understanding it he laughoi con sumedly and interpreted it to his companions grouped around, nnd they liuighed oven more so. Jt was news to them, they KB id.

"Did Scott reach the pole?" Professcr Takeda was asked. His ropiy was, "Captain Scott was excellently equipped for tho work ho had to do. He hid motor curs and other meaiu of travelling at great speed over the country. "Did he reach the poleY" I cannot say, he may have done. On that qne»tiosi no.more was to be learned, or rather could be learned. The men returned in excellent condition. Takeda described how when the Kainan Mam left Sydney in November last she went straight for tho Bay of Whales, where a party wae landed and the Kainan Mara proceeded in a south-easterly direction. She met the Fram, already reported, but Amundsen was away from the ship. The next call was made at King Edward VIIL Land, where the coast exploring party was landed, "and then we went into up Known parts of the sea," added Commander Shirase, through the intorpreter. We confined our attention to scientific exploration. The results will be communicated to Tokyo, and I am sorry I cannot add more, except to say that we returned to King Edward Land and the Bay of Whales for the parties who were landed there, and picked them upWe left the ice on 4th February. We are oil well, as you see, and hare had excellent health all the time. What oui future movements will be I cannot say. I am cabling to Tokyo, and it is probable we shall remain for five days in Wellington. It was :eported that two men had been left behind when the Kainan Mart] was last down in the ice. Here tber« wae Borne mistake. The men were landed from the Kainan Maru as explained bj Commander Shirase at the Bay ol Whales and King Edward VIII. Land, but that was on this present cruise They were all called for and taken on board again. No one was left behind The weather at times was very rough. One of the officers seemed to think the ship's engines too small. Another said valuable scientific work had been done, but it would go to Japan.