THE ANTARCTIC

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4817, 31 July 1939, Page 3

THE ANTARCTIC

AUSTRALIA'S INTEREST. COMMENT BY MR. HUGHES. Sydney, July 21. The Federal Attorney-General, Mr. W. M. Hughes, commented this week in his usual trenchant style on the cabled report from New York that Admiral Byrd was organising a United States Government expedition to the Antarctic, as a result of Germany's decision to send an expedition to claim Antarctic territory. ■ "The eyes of covetous nations are turned not really on Antarctica, but upon the fertile lands further north, one of which we occupy," said Mr. Hughes. "I should be surprised if Germany's intentions were at once honorous and serious. I cannot work myself into a fever about land hunger in the Antarctic. I am not trying to indicate that we should be indifferent about the Commonwealth Antarctic territory, but I do not regard its security as something requiring urgent action."

The claims of all nations to Antarctic territory, said Mr. Hughes, were rather shadowy. No nation had been able to establish effective occupation. But whatever claims Australia had should be made good. The Commonwealth would no doubt do so. This applied also to the United States, whose territorial claims had not been settled. America could, no doubt, closely watch Germany's Antarctic activities.

Mr. Hughes declined to say whether he thought the research ship Wyatt Earp should be recommissioned by the Commonwealth and sent on a Polar expedition next summer. The Commonwealth Government bought the Wyatt Earp from Lincoln Ellsworth, the American explorer, for. £4OOO.