ATTITUDE DEPRECATED

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 136, 5 December 1929, Page 9

ATTITUDE DEPRECATED

BY ONE WHO WAS WITH SCOTT

With reference to Major Gran's criticism of Commander Byrd's flight over the South Pole, Mr. H. T. Ferrar, who was geolologist in Scott's first Antarctic expedition, 1901 to 1904, and who is now in the Geological Survey Department, remarked this morning: "Gran's criticisms are Tather severe, but no worse than the excerpt from, the 'Washington Post' that appeared in the 'The Post.' The claims of tho 'Washington Post' on behalf of the United States are rather slender. Its editor forgets that it is well known that Eoss innocently and Scott intentionally sailed over places where Wilkes had mapped and named landfalls.

"Commander Byrd's story shows that he and his pilots are to bo heartily congratulated on their successful 24 hours' flight to the South Pole and back. - The air surveys and air reconnaissances that are being uade will facilitate the work of Gould and his geological party. Now that Byrd has achieved one of the objects of his expedition he will no doubt carry his explorations eastwards and discover territory to which a legitimate claim may be laid."

Nothing, pointed out Mr. Ferrar, had been said in the cable news received here about Byrd seeing traces of the previous expeditions, but it was not impossible that Byrd might havo seen vestiges of the tent left near the Polo by Amundsen. Even if tho material was torn to shreds in tho gales, the sticks supporting it might still remain. It is surprising what little things remain visible for years in these lands of eternal snows and frosts. What Byrd had said about mountain ranges tallied exactly with the observations, made by previous Antarctic explorers, and Gran's remarks on this aspect of the subject were hard to follow.

"It is pleasing to see," continued Mr. Ferrar, "that Commander Byrd deprecates controversy as to territorial rights. It must be remembered that Scott landed on the edge of King Edward VII. Land near where Amundsen and Byrd later established their winter quarters. The Norwegians explored on foot part of the land beyond the boundary of the gazetted Boss Dependency, and therefore have some right to these icebound wastes claimed by the 'Washington Post.' Major Gran is a Norwegian, hence, perhaps, his impatience. He may also be annoyed because the .journalist at Little America sustained interest in the expedition during the past winter by vividly describing conditions of lifo in the Antarctic—particularly the trials of the sledging parties. These, however, arc well known to Polar travellers and can be read in any of the many narratives of other expeditions already published."

Mr Ferrar also pointed out that trouble was likely to arise if some weight was not given to priority of nomenclature. Byrd ana other explorers had no right to rename lands and ranges which had previously been named by others. If they did/there would be endless confusion.