Polar Scientists Of N.Z. “Lowest Paid”

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28701, 26 September 1958, Page 8

Polar Scientists Of N.Z. “Lowest Paid”

New Zealanders have the distinction of being the lowest-paid among the scientists of 11 nations working in the Antarctic,, according to the Dominion’s chief scientist for polar research (Dr. Trevor Hatherton, of Wellington).

“In effect, we treat people who go down there least generously of all countries,” he said in an interview in Christchurch yesterday when discussing difficulties New Zealand had had in recruiting suitable men for the 1958-59 Antarctic studies.

Dr. Hatherton said that he had been told that the Russian scientists—who are reported to be well paid in the Soviet Union—have their salaries doubled for Polar service. The Australians paid a premium of 50 to 60 per cent, on top of a man’s normal salary; and Australian scientists were generally better paid than their New Zealand counterparts. The Americans, too, had generous allowances for working ip Antarctica.

The average salary to be paid to New Zealanders in the Ant-

arctic for the next L months would be approximately £B5O and on top of this would be location allowances—£273 for a single man and £323 for a married man.

Recruiting Dr. Hatherton said that recruiting for the summer party was “no real trouble” but the winter party had required “a lot of effort.

“Nevertheless, I would say that this year we have a team as strong as the previous one,’’ he said.

The situation would not be improved merely by "doubling salaries all round”; the trouble was the limited availability of the right men, many of whom might be doing their own programmes in New Zealand and not wish to suspend them or doing work with departments from which they could not be released. Dr. Hatherton said the organisers of the 1958-59 expedition had prepared to advertise for men in Australia to fill vacancies in field and base teams but this had not been necessary. “In a small country like ours it is going to be difficult to keep staffing Antarctic parties year after year, especially with a planned expansion in the scien..flc programme. “Almost At Limit” “Recent reports say that Australia has, almost reached the limit with staffing and if it cannot get the men it will have to cut down its Polar programme,” he said. Dr. Hatherton said he did not think salary bothered potential New Zealand polar scientists very much; an incentive ' that might appeal was the cutting down of routine observation work and an expansion .in local research in the Ross Dependency. “Th;., will have several advantages; it will give the people who do the work scientific prestige (and also benefit the country) -nd most of all we hope that the research will be of such a standard that it will attract good people for future years,” he said.

Dr. Hatherton said he expected that the names of the men for the 1958-59 summer party and the 1959 winter party would be announced in a few days’ time.