Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo. MONDAY, JULY 23, 1928. THE POLAR TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 172, 23 July 1928, Page 6

Auckland Star: WITH WHICH ARE INCORPORATED The Evening News, Morning News and The Echo.

MONDAY, JULY 23, 1928. THE POLAR TRAGEDY.

For the cause that lacks assistance, For the wrong that needs resistance, For th« future in the distance, And the good that tee can do.

| The meeting of the rescued survivors from the Italia 'with their comrades and theii" commander on the coast of Spitsbergen supplies one of the most dramatic incidents in a story already well provided with sensational episodes. The whole civilised world experienced a son = e of thankfulness and relief when it became known that the sacrifice of valuable lives through the disastrous failure of this expedition was to be less heavy than was at first anticipated; and the people of Italy mav well rejoice over the successful issue of the efforts put forth in the cause of humanity by so many foreign friends and comrades to lend a helping hand to these hapless castaways.

But now that the actual work of rescue has been accomplished, the story of the • Italia expedition enters on «i new phase. General Nobili and his companions are under orders to proceed at once to Italy to face the inquiry that must inevitably be held into their conduct and the management of the voyage. It is a curious and interesting illustration of the despotic authority which Mussolini wields that he should exercise this paternal control over Italy's explorers and navigators, and that his commands should be unquestioningly obeyed, ljut, unfortunately, there is reason to believe that the voyage of the Italia, both in regard to the preliminary preparations and the incidents immediately preceding and succeeding the loss of the airship, demands searching investigation. Before Nobili started "on his great adventure warnings were heard from many quarters that the equipment was unsuitable, that the leaders of the expedition were lacking in experience, and that the most careful precautions would be needed to avert a catastrophe. And there is something peculiarly and ironically tragic in the fact that Amundsen, the greatest of Polar explorers, and perhaps the most hostile of Xobili's critics, has himself been sacrificed in the quest for the survivors.

J It would, ot course, be premature, and in I .-my case both in judicious and unfair, to 1 surest any definite cause or specific personal : responsibility for this disastrous failure. But the mention of Amundsen suggests one aspect of such explorations which in our opinion , needs to be strongly emphasised. Those who undertake dangerous adventures are too often satisfied to consider ttoe risk of failure as if it ; involved themselves alone. In such cases as this there is also to be taken into account the dangers that will inevitably be facet! by rescuers prepared to sacrifice themselves in the hope of saving over-confident voyagers from the consequences of their own recklessness or inexperience or folly. This implies no charge against Nobili and his colleagues. But the loss of Amundsen must be set down against whate\er problematical •advantages might have accrued from the voyage if it had been successful, and tragic contingencies of this sort should be taken seriously into account whenever such a hazardous adventure is undertak; -i.