The Press. SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1907. THE HINEMOA EXPEDITION.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 12867, 27 July 1907, Page 8

The Press. SATURDAY, JULY 27, 1907. THE HINEMOA EXPEDITION.

There can bo no better test of tho liberality and foresight of a Government than its attitudo towards pure science. Thero are many Parliaments •which will give freely to research, when they expect to obtain direct financial gain from their contributions, but there aro few sufficiently enlightened to encourage it undor other conditions. In New Zealand we have hitherto done little enough for it. It should be the chief mark of a university, yet we do Kttla more than recognise it in our «olkgos. There is no Government Detriment in which science is cultivated fo* it* own sake. It is true that much ■Tetnabla work ha, been done by the Geological Survey, „m a consider . ■U. amount by De-

part ment, but the research work has been made subsidiary to tlie commercial, and has not been pursued as an ond in itself. It is therefore welcome news to lenrn that the Government is

encouraging a scientific cruise to the Southern Islands in the early summer. On the next Southern trip of the Hinemoa, she will take with her a party of scientists, half of whom are to be landed on th© Auckland Islands, ano the lemainder on Campbell Island. The timo is ripe for such nn expedition, as in recent years the centre of Polar investigations has been transferred fiom the North to the South, and it ii only right nnd natural that New Zealand should take her port in this work, and ondeavour ns far as possiblo to fill in the gaps in our knowledge of tho adjacent sub-Antarctic regions. Th© chief work of tho trip will bo th© com plction of tlio recent magnetic survey of our coasts. Not only is it requisite that the magnetic curves and constants of the Southern Islands should bo deteimined for scientific purposes, but it is necessary that they should b© known for the use of navigators, for there is reason to believe that, owing to unexpected magnetic deviations, several good ships have been lost on the precipitous western faces of tho Auckland Islands, ond it is quit© likely that others, posted -as missing, have met a similar fate. It is to be hoped, thereTore, that tho Ilinemon will be able to bring back such records as will enable mariners to avoid in future dangers due to errors of the compass* in their ntighlKMirhood.

The mugnctic survey, however, is net tlie solo object of the Hinemoa expedition. Only small portions of the south em islands linve been explored botanically; and thoir fauna, with the exception of the bird life, is also largely undescribed. Yet it is of high scientific importanco that their bioloiiical contents should bo clcsoly examined. Every endeavour will tnerefore be made by the Hinemoa expedition to increase our knowledge of the fauna .and flora of these groups. Tho party to bo landed on the Auckland Islands will prob«vbly have about ton days in to do its work, and the Canipbo'l Island group about a week. While they are carrying on their explorations the Hinemoa will visit the Antipodes ami Bounty Islands, and carry out her usual work of inspection and search for castaways. W« understand that tho personnel of tho scientific staff haa not as yet been determined" upon, but it will doubtless include some of the most prominent workers in science in Now Zealand.

Wh-ikit tho final arrangements of tho expedition are in the hands of the Government, yet its initiation and moat of tho -preparatory work has been carried out by the Council of the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury. Christchurch may bo well proud of this body of scientific workers. It has, in recent years, shown itself quite the most active branch of the Now Zealand Institute, and it is chiefly due to its labours that wo have the Index Faunre Novro Zealandia, and the Hutton memorial fund. It is to be hoped that in its now venture it will be as succeasful as it has been in the past. Tlie encouragement of a scientific cruise on the part of the New Zealand Government marks the commencement of a now era in tho history of scionce in the colony, and wo hope that it is a happy augury for the future of research that this new develo-pment is contemporaneous with the birth of the Dominion.