The Hawera Star. WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 1928. ITALIAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 18 July 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 18, 1928. ITALIAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION.

Delivered every evening b.v 5 o'olook in Hawera. Manaim Normanby, Okaia.wa, Eltbara. Mangat.oki. Kaponga. Alton ) Hurleyvillb Patea. Waverlev, Mo„oia. Whakamara. Ohangai, Meremere. Frasei Road, and Ar&rata.

The criticism® sbcing levelled «it General Nobile amid the Italian Fascist Governinient in respect, -of the ill-fated Italia expedition amay aippeal 'to Britishers as being in the poorest taste, in view of the fact that the. Italian leader is still saiff-erring from the 'effects of (the 'hardships and sufferings incurred through the failure of his airship to survive the terrible atmospheric conditions' of the Arctic regions-; ibut there is an'other side to the picture which prevents too hasty eondormnation of the critics. Whether' General Nobile did or did not play as galOanit .a part in the final scenes as tra- ! d it lion has fled the public ito expect from men who lead their comrades upon hazardous adventures, is a. question which might well ibe left to his own eoainitry to decide. There is no reason to believe -that the Italian Army is not as jealous of the honour of its officers as to the army of any other nation-, and it cam -be ais-sarmed ait this -stagoi t hat; if there was any falling away from the standard' of; conduct, which might 'be rightly expected of a 1 leader under such circnmsta-noes, the- high command of I-tiaily will not -seek -to condone it. It is extremely doubtful whether the societies and individuals who interest themselves in. exploration -are now, -or ever will be,

in a position to-Judge whether General Nobi le was blameworthy in all owing himself to bo rescued before his eompa'ni.'oms,, but whatever .tiro verdict of | the world may bo dm (this point, it has •to be admitted that those who have questioned thie motive's for the flight and the efficiency displayed by the organisers have every right to make public their protest so 'long as they do so an grounds which they honestly believe to be genuine. The bitterness which lias been introduced into the 'Controversy by those countries which sacrificed valuable lives and expended much energy and money in the task of rescuing the crew of the Italian airship can be understood. Brave men were called upon to penetrate into the Arctic, regions at short notice, ‘and they unhesitatingly undertook a journey which, under other ic Lroumisltances, they would not have fdLt. justified in storting upon without months Of preliminary preparation. Lives were endangered and hardships suffered by these rescuers, not for the honour and glory attaching to a successful expenditure of exploration, but for the tsole purpose of rescuing others who had made necessary the task for no better reason than to glorify themselves and their nation. On the top of all this questioning of the motives actuating the Italians is piled the bitter sense of loss, not only of Norway, but of the world, at the disappearance of .Captain Amunsdcir, for whom all hope of rescue has been abandoned. Amuusden, who bald spent long years in exploring the polar regions, who had toiled many hundred miles across ice in the days when the dog-silodgo was the only means of •transport in those regions, had reached a time of life when ho was fully entitled to spend his days in the security of his 'well-earned fame. It is one of the bitter ironies of fate that he should at last be defeated by the Arctic while engaged upon a search for a man whose standing as an explorer he had questioned and .w-i.t li whloni ilie Ik-h1 most sor iouisly quarrelled. Amunsden and Nobile wore previously associated in the flight of the airship “Norge,” and their relaitionls thereafter were most unhappy. The rights and wrongs of that affair were never satisfactorily settled, but a long and recriminatory Press controversy ensued between the two men, I which added nothing to the. dignity of either. It is mot to bo wondered at that the temper Of the Scandinavian peoples has worn thin during the playing out of it he Arctic tragedy, nor is it surprising that the Germain Press has seized the ‘Opportunity Ito make effective use of the incidents relating to the rescue of the Fascist expedition of seamen and air man who own Bolshevik Russia as .their eouimtay.