HIDDEN WEALTH OF ANTARCTIC

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 184, 21 August 1937, Page 15

HIDDEN WEALTH OF ANTARCTIC

Claims of Natiqns

Britain advanced her claims to territorial sovereignty in the Antarctic xecently, seeking eventual donxination of the southern polar wastes Where the United States, too, has staked out an ice-bound domain. Antarctica — the world's "lost continent" — is believed to contain vast hiddeu wealth in raw materials, including coal, but still retains it despite the years of exploratory study. In a surprise move, the Imperial Qonference in London adopted the reporfc of a little-publicised polar conrmittee to inaugunate the extension of the BritiBh Efeipire at the Pole. The reporfc, bronght before the Empire ' ' family, h includes recommendations for dealing with, any future territorial problems. Sessions of tho Empire ropresent'atives are closed, but British sources described the polar committee's report as "a highly important document dealing with territorial rights." The move toward territorial expansion at the South Pole was pushed by AustrallS and New zealand. Both of these Empire members are vitally interested in Antartioa's fu,ture as . a result of their geographical proxiraity. Some confusion exists over claims already made in the xegion by both British and tJnted States explorers. At least a third country is involved, too-r-Norway. Lars Christenson, an evplorer who made plane flights from a whalor In February this year, claimed a section of the Antarctie for his country by dropping the Norwegian flag, A law enaoted by the Australian Legislatu|e in 1933 claimed large areas of the lost continent. When the Amerioan exploxer, Lincoln Ellsworth, flow across the unconquered tertitory in 1935, he claimed 356,000 square miles in the name of the United States. Eear-Admiral Eichard E. Byrd . and his expeditions also advanced claims of the United States; Eear-Admiral Eichard E. Byrd, informed by the Associated Pfess of the British South Hde claims, was not greatly disturbed.

Admiral Byrd, who spent four years in the Antarctie on two separate peditions, has asserted in his books and in public statements that no English* man ever has set foot upon the nearly 1000 miles of .territory he claimed-#*! huge; pie-shaped segment teaching to the Pole. He reiterated that the prineipal , British work had been done in territorjj to the west of the land that "wf claimed in the name of ihe Presidenj) of the United States and On which wi hoisted the Amerioan flag." He addeds ""Vtithl all the irritationi and eOnji troversies now troubling the world, w* have no reason for contrOversy abont the Antarctie. We discovered enoug^ coal there to supply the world, coal t$&| no ono else has ever seen, but British have enough in territory they have covered. "It will be a. long time before-tMjt coal is utilised, and then only if thf more easily accessible suppiy runa ou% "We have always got along well witli the British family of nations in matterg pertaining to the Antarctie, ;and we wilf continue to do SO." Admiral Byrd said he had acknew* ledged readily the British claims Wftst of the 150 meridian, where the prihci^a| British exploratory work was done ia 1912. In his books, the explorer haS tpld of mapping both from the snow Heldtf and from the air the pie-shaped seg. ment extending north from the Hoia and between meridians 170w. and 135w^ The maps of this territory Were more dctailed than those existing for many paris of civilisation, he Said, and mu^hi of it had been covered by eight ex« peditions sent out from Little. America' for research study, Congress has never acteCL toi claim' the territory mapped out by' Admiral Byrd althOugh he hoisted the flhg upon it. Asked whether the rich coal deposita discovered in ihl mountalns abCut 800. miles from the South Pole could be exploited, he replied that they could be as soon as the world nee.ded the coal. j