EXPLORERS HONOURED

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3002, 13 February 1917, Page 6

EXPLORERS HONOURED

A CIVIC WELCOME CITIZENS MEET SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON Sir Ernest Shackleton, Captain J. K. Davis, and the returned members of the Antarctic Expedition, were accorded an enthusiastic welcome at a civic reception in tho Concert Chamber of the Town Hall yesterday. Tho Mayor of Wellington (Mr. J. P. Luke) presided, and among those on the platform, in addition to the explorers, were the Acting-Prime Minister (Sir James Allen), the Minister of Marine (Hon. W. H. Herries), and the Minister of Internal Alfairs.(Hon. 6. AV. Russell). The hall was filled and the explorers were greeted with prolonged applause when they made their appearance.

' The Mayor said he felt sure he vas speaking for the whole of Now Zealand in extending a very hearty welcome to Sir Ernest Shacljleton and the men who had been associated with him in the Far South. It was cause for sadness that the relief expedition had. not been able to bring buok to the Dominion all the members of tho Ross Sea party. The memory of the three men who had died in tho Antarctic would be honoured by the people of New Zealand, and the relatives and friends of those men would have the comfort of knowing that death had taken a very honourable form. Sir Ernest Shackleton was a man who had done groat work for tho Empire. Ho had proved himself a leader of groat skill and a man of high courage. AVhen tho forces of nature had turned against him ho had retained his pluck and his determination, and after-he had extricated his men from the grip of the ice he had not rested until he had brought them safely back to • civilisation. New Zealand was indebted to him for valuable work, and also for a notablo example of the best qualities of the British race. The Mayor t.hen introduced to the gathering the seven men rescued from Ross island, and said he hoped they would all have a very enjoyablo timo in Wellington, where it had been tho privilege of tho city to extend them some hospitality. Ho referred also to Captain Davis and the officers and men of the Aurora, who had taken their part worthily in the relief expedition, and congratulated them on the success of their work.

Sir James Allen said he was very glad to he ablo to extend tho hand of Welcome to the explorers. He regretted keenly the loss of the throe men who had not come back, and he was suro that the explorers felt tho loss they bad sustained through the death of the lato Minister of Marine, the Hon. Dr. M'Nab, who had taken a great personal interest in the work of the expedition. Tho object of Antarctic exploration might not be apparent to all people; but few people would fail to realise that the qualities demanded of men iu the Far South, courage, endurance, determination, and self-sacrifice, were tho qualities that made for the greatness of the race. Ho had no doubt that adventurous men would continue to undertake polar exploration, and he hoped that the record of future British efforts in the Antarctic would be full of success.

The Hon. W. H. Herries also welcomed the explorers briefly. Ho said that as Acting-Minister of Marino he would be very, glad to assist the expedition in every way in his power. ' Sir Ernest Shackleton, who was received with prolonged applause, referred first to tho death. of the Hon. Dr. M'Nab. When lie arrived in New Zealand in December, he said, tlie position with regard to the relief expedition arranged by tho Government liad been delicate, but both ho and Cantain Davis iiad found in the late Minister of Marine a good' advisor and a true friend. Dr. M'Nab's death was keenly regretted by the expedition. Sir Ernest ShacMeton thanked the people of Wellington warmly for their wolcoino and their hospitality, and expressed his gratitude to tho Government of New Zealand for the generous way in which the- Aurora had been prepared and equipped for tho relief voyage. When lie anjved in New Zealand after hurrying round the world from South America, lio said, he had found tho ship readv to put to sea. Her commander, Captain .T. K. Davia, had been one nf bis comrades eight or nine years previously. "Aboard that ship I was an honoured guest." said Sir Ernest. "Captain Davis and his officers took the Aurora, down. Captain Davis'was iesponsible for the preparation of tlio relief expedition, and lie carried ifc through Wlion wis arrived at M'Mnrdo Sound he at once gave me everv facility for going ashore and making further search for Captain M.iokintosh and Mr._ V. G. Hayward. we recognised the hopelessness of finding the men rho had disappeared eigbt months before, we did not rest until wo had made what further search was possible. Tho friendship I had with Captain Davis years ago on the Aurora has been' made strongou, I feel sure, by the way in which we were brought together on the present occasion." The leader of the expedition explained that the Ens? Sea party had done the work for which he sent them south, namely, the placing of depots as far south as Mount Hope. The men Ittd found, ts others had done, that the .Antarctic was a hard mistress. The margin between safety and peril in the frozen lands were ever narrow. But. they had made a not-a-blo journey', being out on trie ice for IflO days, and despite sickness, the loss | of their dogs, and severe weather, they i had completed their task. Tho Rev. Spencer-Smith had died in the later stages of that journey. ■ The deaths of Captain Mackintosh and Mr. Hayward subsequently had been due to an unfortunate misadventure. Sir Ernest said that he did not wish to sound a. note of sadness on that day. The three men liad died bravely, in what had been termed the "white war," and he realised that New Zealand people had very many hundreds of deaths to mourn in consequence of the red war that was Taging at the other end of the world. The expedition had not achieved its objects. But he did not think that it could be called a failure. Both triumph and disaster were impostors, and if men had done their best they could.accept results without regrets. In conclusion, Sir Ernest Shackleton said that the Aurora would be in Wellington for a little time, and he proposed to throw her open for public inspection. A small charge would be made for admission. Captain Mackintosh had left a widow and two young children, with very little money. Sir Ernest hoped that by tho exhibition of the Aurora and by lectures he might give in New Zealand and Australia, it would be possible to provide some assistance for the women whoso husbands would never return.

Captain Davis briefly expressed his thanks for the welcome tendered the men aboard the Aurora. The relief expedition, be said, bad been fitted out so thoroughly by the Governments that his own work had been comparatively easy. Ho would like in this connection to express his .own keen recrret at the death of the late Hon. Dr. Jf'Nab, who had taken a close and kindly interest in the preparations for the voyage. Cantain Davis added tlin f be had commanded a very finerbody of officers and men on the Aurora, and his only reizret had been that the ship could not hrTn" hick all nf the meu who had lineu'loft. i" M'Murdo Sound in 1915. Flo thanked Sir Ernest Sbaclclctou warmly for the cordial assistance.that the leader of tbo expedition had given him. Some people had. got an itn-

pression that he and Sir Ernest were not friends. He wished to correct that impression emphatically, and to state publicly how much he and every other man aboard the Aurora had appreciated Sir Ernest Shackleton's assistance. "There is a big job on the other side of the world for all of us sailors," said Captain Davis in conclusion, "aud I hope that in that greater task I will have the pleasure of being associated with some of the men who have been my comrades on the relief expedition." The gathering sang "God Save the King" in conclusion.