PIONEERING WORK

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 138, 7 December 1929, Page 9

PIONEERING WORK

AMERICA'S CONTRIBUTION

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.)

HAWEEA, This Day. "To put Commander Byrd's Polar flight and Major Gran's opinion in something Kke correct focus, it soeins only fair to point out that in 1840 "Wilkes cruised along the Antarctic Circle from 145E to 100E and that no other American work, in the Antarctic has been done until now. In 191" the British Imperial Antarctic Expedition failed to raise sufficient funds. Sir Hubert Wilkins,. who had charge, contemplated an aerial section in its programme, and his proposed polar flight as published and illustrated in that expedition's programme, is practically the flight that Byra has made." • These remarks were made by Mr. A. H. Larkman, F.8.G.5., of Hawera, when requested to comment upon Major Tryggve Gran's criticism of Commander Byrd's flight to the South Pole. Mr. Larkman was chief engineer to Sir Ernest Shackleton's Antarctic Expedition in 1914-16. "Any who have taken part in polar work expect and hope that their efforts will serve others who come after," continued Mr. Larkman, "but America's contributions have been nil for 90 years, and there are such vast areas of which we know absolutely nothing that it seems regrettable that Commander Byrd-'a work was not devoted to absolutely fresh pioneering, instead of more or less operating in areas which have been worked over by Norwegian and British expeditions. Commander Byrd's actual flight was a magnificent achievement. It seems a pity, however, that the flag dropped over his polar position was not enclosed in some sort of a canister of an enduring nature, such as the others have used. The misunderstanding about Byrd's report of the mountains to the south and south-west may be due to the fact that he talks first of the Axel Heiberg Glacier, then of the foothills in front, then of the towering peaks south of hig foothill fuel dump, the towering peaks being, of course, simply those which buttress the plateau. Commander Bytd's report of a new mountain range running north and south on the right after rising to the plateau may refer to a spur of the main backbone of ranges which limit the plateau on that side. Nothing much can be made of the report until the results are carefully examined after the expedition's return. "Major Gran.'s feelings are understandable, but its expression of them was unwise. It does seem that polar work has become more a matter of money. Commander Byrd's flight would have been Sir Hubert Wilkins's ten years ago but for the financial stringency at Home. As regards the reports of Commander Byrd's expedition, they are typically American and exuberant, contrasting sharply with Sir Hubert Wilkins's laconic reports of his achievements of fundamental importance, work which can, moreover, rank as brand new pioneering. However, wo can remain tolerant towards such temperamental differences of expression."