HOME AGAIN.

Waikato Times, Volume 107, Issue 17966, 11 March 1930, Page 7

HOME AGAIN.

ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. RETURN OF ADMIRAL BYRDMUCH ACCOMPLISHED. DUNEDIN, Monday. After more than a year's absence from civilisation Rear-Admiral Rlenard Byrd and Die members of his Antarctic expedition returned D'orn Die frozen south In-day the mission basing been successfully completed. “We have accomplished all that wc. set out to do and perhaps a more,” said Admiral Byrd. '}\' c are very glad I hat wc selected New Zealand as the base, and we are veil glad to get back. It would have been impossible for any people to nave treated us better or with great r courtesy than the New Zealand peopi ■ The help they have given us has contributed to our success.” The Polar flight, said Admiral Byrd, is not any more outstanding than the discovery of new land, comprising 280,000 square miles wince he had named Marie Byrd Lancl. This was to the eastward of the Ro-s .Dependency. A civic reception was accoidcc Rear-Admiral Byrd and his officers m the Town Hall this evening. .There was a large and enthusiastic atte - dance of the public, who cheered lustily as Urn explorers entered. DEBT TO NEW ZEALAND. TIIE EXPLORER’S GRATITUDE. DUNEDIN, Monday. In an interview on board the City of New York, Admiral Byrd expressed the keen pleasure of his men and himself at once more being in the land o Die living. For himself, lie could say lie had enjoyed every moment m tne Antarclic.

Their return to Dunedin reminded them of their great debt to the people of this city and to New Zealand generally for the great courtesy and kindness extended lo lliem from the first dav they had' Rinded on these shores. “We are deeply sensible of (lie fact,” said Admiral Byrd, that whatever measure of success wo have achieved is clue very largely lo the assistance that various organisations in New Zealand have given us. Nor will wc allow our indebtedness in this connection to pass unnoticed when we return to our country. “ New Zealand has treated us in a manner which none of us will ever forget.” Meteorology and Biology. Asked if he coukl indicate along general lines some of the branch os of science which might be expected to benefit from the data obtained, Admiral Byrd said meteorology was one of the chief of them. Biological studies in the Antarclic had proved very fruitful, and experts in this line would have have a great deal of interesting information to impart in regard Lo the peculiar forms of life that existed in certain parls of the Polar continent. Seals, whales, petrels, skua gulls and penguins had been investigated. and although a great deal of Hie observations broke no very new ground, they shed new light on very important, aspects of the Antarctic. Bolanically the expedilion had been fruitless. The only samples of flora encountered were small, and for the most part uninteresting growths .of lichen. One of Die realy interesting results of the project from the scientific point of view was the demonstration of the value of radio communication under any conditions whatsoever. Geography, glaciology and physics generally should also benefit when [ho full activities of the scientists were presented to the world.