WEALTH IN ANTARCTIC

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 31, 20 February 1937, Page 17

WEALTH IN ANTARCTIC

tr - - •What Australia May Gain 11 ■■■ I ii -r 1-11". ■- .. I

8Kr Douglas Mawson, who has led tiro «kpeditiona td the Antafctio, foresees some isolated eettlement on ihe AntarnMe continent within a few years and titi development of industriea eventnally, if ihii gfeat enterprise is hau- - dtid pcopetiy by Australia. ZStiWS yearg ago an Order-in-Council wiO iHUtod by the Impetial Governznent affirming that the King had sovcrliga righte over the Antatctic territofji and the land was placed under thk authority of the Commonwealth. ' Dhdfer legislation fecently passed the domhnliWeaith .took over the territory .• m a dtpfeodency. Whai Sir Douglfts is stressing is that Aiiltralia has hot takou possession of merely n vast white waste, but of a coxitiitj With rich pqtentialities. iii M fAeebt l*rees interVieW this noted efplofer and gfeologist emphasised that tkk tfefritbry covers aU area of about lj sqtlare miles ahd that at pvpseut the enly commereial enterprise ta&iiig plafee there is whalo fishing. Austfiiuft takes UO part iii this work, while J&pshOse attd fforwegian . whalers each yiif reap valuable harve'sts. fiir Douglas expects that within a fexr yeais other fishing industriea will develop. The eeas round the area -tc lobond With marino life. 4

Sir Douglas says that althougk thp broad outline of the land has been delineated, a great deal of detail exploration remains to be undertaken. It is known, however, that there are mineral deposits, whieh although as yet of only research interest, may lead to diseoveries of economic importanee. The explorer believes that a lactor whieh onee would have militated against the development 'of minerai resoutces in Antarctic has now4 been removed. "UntiL recently the only areas that. eoUld have been worked wero those to whieh a ship could make its passage through loose pack-ice,5, said Sir Douglas, "Now, lioWever, from isolated accessible points on the coast the rexnainder of the distance could be covered by plano. "This opens up many possibilities. for it must be remembered tbat the richest radium mine in Canada is in the Aretic ditcle, and that transport to and from it is carried out only bv otane." Australians could live all the year round in the territory Sir Douglas said Until some shore development took -• place, however^ he did not think tbat . any permanent settlement would be i niade. Before long tbough several land atations undoubtedly would be formed.