SOUTH POLE “SHORT CUTV

Waikato Times, Volume 124, Issue 20717, 30 January 1939, Page 6

SOUTH POLE “SHORT CUT V

NEW AERIAL ROUTE AUSTRALIA VIA CAPE AND POLE (From a Correspondent) LONDON, Dec. 21. Plans for a “short cut” air route over the south polar circle that can cut the South Africa-Australia airline by 10,000 miles and more than 10 days’ flying are revealed by a. White Paper. In return for France's permission for British planes to use Adelie Land, 1400 miles from the south pole, the Governments of Britain, Australia, and New Zealand agree that French planes shall be free to use British south polar territories. These include King George V Land and King Edward Vli Land.

The distance from Capetown to Sydney over the is GSOO miles. The present route is 16,482 miles. The White Paper, entitled “Aerial Navigation in the Antarctic,” is brief. It records the exchange of notes between the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand Governments, and the French Government on October 25. In a note to M. Bonnet, the French Foreign Secretary, Sir Eric Phipps, British Ambassador, says: “In their memorandum (Direction Politique) of March 5 last, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs were so good as to inform his Majesty’s Embassy that the Government of the Republic were prepared to recognise the free right of passage of British Commonwealth aircrlft over Adelie Land on the understanding that reciprocal rights would be accorded to French aircraft ov-r British Commonwealth territories in the Antarctic. “I have the honour to state, that his Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth of Australia, and New Zealand accept an arrangement on the above-men-tioned basis. “I have the honour to suggest that the present note and your Excellency’s acknowledgment thereof shall be reganh;;l ns placing the understanding oil record.” Till, ri’i'ly is an n,'knu\vleilgment o! Iliis NnUn