THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1932 WILKINS' POLAR VENTURES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21273, 29 August 1932, Page 8

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS MONDAY, AUGUST 29, 1932 WILKINS' POLAR VENTURES

So much lias been done recently in ]jiolar exploration that the announcement of further ventures by Sir Hubert Wilkins arouses no surprise. He has a penchant for filling gaps in geographical discovery in the icebound regions of the globe and a record sufficiently long and successful to justify expectation of added triumphs. Even the failure of his attempt to m*tke a crossing by submarine under the- Arctic icefield was not enough to damage his reputation seriously, although the popular opinion of that attempt is that it was conceived and executed badly. The judgment of many experts was that it was planned before its time, that so unusual an idea was impracticable without a vessel constructed for this particular purpose and on principles not yet embodied in deepsea craft. They agreed, however, that if any man could be trusted to see that venture through it was Sir Hubert. The experienced Stefansson, who launched the idea, admitted the difficulties but spoke highly of Wilkins' capability of putting it to the test. What is published to-day about this as one of the things he deems worth doing and means to essay again * deserves attention. Quite reasonably it may be included among future exploits having scientific value, and if Wilkins should succeed in it there will be removed what some of his British countrymen regret to regard as the semblance of a blot on his scutcheon. He has won i a proud place in various fields of daring. It has been said of him that there are few places where he has not been and few things that he has not done. In the Balkan War of 1912-13 as a photographic correspondent with the Turkish army, in the Great War as a commissioned officer of the Australian Flying Corps, in the heart of Africa collecting material for the British Museum, in the Northern Territory of Australia on an exploring mission, he long ago gained distinction; but in particular he has had honour in the Frozen North and South. Second in command on Stefansson's Canadian expedition to the Arctic, naturalist on Sir Ernest Shackleton's last voyage in the Antarctic, pioneer in flight from Alaska to Spitzbergen (Svalbard), he proved himself fit for great enterprises. His name now ranks with the best of those who feel the lure of the poles. To the Antarctic his interest has swung with a frequency revealing a maintained affection for the region nearest the country of his birth and earlier years. It is certain that, had financial means been forthcoming in Australia, he would have devoted himself mainly to exploration in the South Polar region. Reluctantly he I went to the United States, then disposed to think most of the Arctic, for the backing he needed to gratify his ambition. Now, as he plans again, the Antarctic is not forgotten. Some parts of it he knows well, successive visits adding each a little more to the store of geographical facts he is steadily accumulating. There is abundant room for the mapping work that is one of his delights. Not many months ago he said that the interior of the Antarctic continent was as yet virtually untouched, and this is true in spite of all the achievements of Amundsen and Scott, Shackleton and Byrd. The fringe is gradually yielding up its secrets, thanks to their parties and those whom Mawson has so conspicuously led, but even its stretches have gaps of mystery still. Doubts cling to some points once thought to be settled. Between Ross Sea and Graham Land the coastline of the supposed polar continent has not been traced. Graham Land itself may be either promontory or island. Dougherty Island is mythical, confidently located by some voyagers and defeating the quest of others. These things are typical. Is the region really a vast continent or one of relatively small dimensions with ■islands hidden in the frozen offing? On the answer to this question much knowledge of scientific value may depend. It can be got only by continuing the sort of work in which Wilkins has shown himself proficient, with his eagerness to fill the interstices of geographical ignorance, his liking for ventures off the beaten track, and his adroitness in such tasks as that of aerial photography. Only observation thoroughly planned and carried out with steady persistence can get to the crucial facts —as to how the ice is distributed. whither the prevailing currents tend and what are the surface conditions. Until these general phenomena are known, the intimate knowledge of scattered patches will lack full value. There is much more than a mapping exploit, therefore, in the enterprise. Sir Hubert has long held that a prime necessity for meteorological research, and the practical advantage to be conferred by it, is a chain of stations—many of them necessarily fitted with apparatus automatically registering—round the edge of the supposed continent. The idea is valuable. Elsewhere in the world it has been proved that this kind of research is dependent for its accuracy, and therefore for its service in forecasting general conditions of weather, on the placing of facilities for observation at numerous points; and for the southern countries of the world it is important to have them placed in the Antarctic, whence many seasonal influences come. On information thus obtained, over a period sufficiently long for reliable deduction, forecasts of highly probable accuracy can be based, for guidance in agricultural and other pursuits. Thus what , may seem to be a mere indulgence in adventure has a very practical objective. And for this Dominion there is attraction to Sir Hubert's plans by his intended use of a base in the Ross Dependency, within our sphere of governmental • control..