CONTROVERSY DEPLORED

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27075, 25 June 1953, Page 9

CONTROVERSY DEPLORED

COMMENT BY SIR EDWIN HERBERT LONDON, June 23. “What does it matter which of Everest’s conquerors is named first?” asked Sir Edwin Herbert, chairman of the Joint Himalayan Committee, at the annual dinner of the Royal Geographical Society. Sir Edwin Herbert said that the story of Everest had always been one of pairs. “The last pair are Sir Ed-

mund Hillary and Tensing. Does any of us care, or can any of us care, what the nationality of one or the other may be? Does it in the least matter in which order we name them, Hillary and Tensing, or Tensing and Hillary? “But there are very few people who have made a greater contribution to the conquest of Everest than Eric Shipton. If Everest were asked to name its most dangerous opponent it would name ‘Eric Shipton.’ ”

A report from Katmandu says that the Nepal Prime Minister (Mr P. Koirala) said that the expedition’s success had “been due to magnificent team work which has kept the expedition team members together like blood brothers. The Nepalese nation is proud of Tensing, but no less are we proud of the brave/New Zealander, Sir Edmund Hillary, who was Ten-i sing’s companion in attaining the topmost point of the globe.”