ARCTIC EXPLORER’S THEORY.

Hokitika Guardian, 29 August 1924, Page 4

ARCTIC EXPLORER’S THEORY.

KEY TO .V.Z.’S DESTINY. Wellington, Aug. ac. ‘‘l should iinugino that miu of yimv einel assets hero in New Zealand i-uuld be tlie similarity of tlie N"ew Zealand to (lie British climate," said Dr Yilhjnlmirr Stefnnsson, tlie wellknown exphncr. when interviewed by i “D.'ilfiinion" repres illative. "Rroplc may not like tlie Jiriti-li climate, but i I- a climate that gives energy and .■mldtion. I should think the worst tiling that could happen to liritain v. ould 1.-o lor the I.ord to answer the average llritisher's prayer, and give bini the climate he is constantly asking fur- something like Sully. II He did, liritain would so on sink to tlie level of Sicily. “In ihi-. connect ion. I would coniinciid Von to read the last paragraph ol' Herodotus, where lie is talking about, Cyrils. The inhabitant? ol Persia, came to Cyrus and said: ‘Now that we are masters of the world, let us move from our rugged country and not ten pleasant climate, into a more fertile and pleasanter way.’ ( yrn:s -'aid. ‘Verv well, if you really want to, then do as you like, and move to a tortile country and salubrious climate, lint remember., it i' not given to men to take their ease at hmpltirs and still be tlie rulers of the world. Ho if

von will, but prepared to be rule 1

I; V others.' KKV TO I’ll IT A IN'S GREATNESS. “That coincides with the newest conclusions of students ui the elleet et climate on human i.sings. So you see llerndntils ami Cyrils already pos-os-e l the ko.\ t.i the givatness of liritain. If. ,-is 1 hour, the South Island et Now

Zealand. resembles the climate ol Scotland, and the Noi'l’i Island, that of England, then it. is al e the key to |he destiny of New Zealand. I am bv

profession a student of the offcd ol eliiflate <m ei'vlisa lion, and I would like to recommend a valuable work on ibis siihject. 'Civilisation and Climate" I, v I'llsworth 11 lintmgdoii. It, is a

great and encouraging hook lor New Zealanders to read. I. tn>. have written of it. in my ‘Northward Course ib the Kmpire.' 'I he woo'd 'Northward would, of course, have l.eeii ‘Smithward' if the hook had licit written in the other hemisphere. It studies the spread of hivilisnt ion away from the collator. 1 am i:o further ahead than llcrodiitti sand Cyrus, except that I think I have made out a better ease.

through going into more detail than

thcv did. lit ’II.DING TKOIMCAI* NATIONS. “Of course, we have a i owerlitl weapon now in tropical medicine, ' he rimtinned. ‘• ft may he that, with the elimination of the hookworm, yellow

fever and malaria, we will he more sueees-ful in building up powerful

peoples in the tropics than the ancients were. Hut there have been powerful people in tlie diy tropics, apart from the humid territ ivies, and this is a very c,:■ auraging thing for Australia. The great tropica! _empires of the world have been semi de- • it;. Si that, if Central Aiistialia be as dry as some maintain, it has at least the invigorating climate uhii h is almost as good as the British type ol climate. and dilfers fundamentally from the elleet on hum in beings ol tile humid tropics.

“Then we bate a lew factor now in travel. The Babylonians had to stay

at home, eat the people who live a Darwin, in the Northern Territory ol A ii-t ra lia. by the ecpiator. can send their children to school in .Melbourne or l.omloii. and they t hem-elves ean he I'll' away from there for half the year if they wish. That is another encouraging feature, ass via led with tropical medicine, that makes the elleet of climate not -■> had as it n.-ed to he." bkdort on central Australia 111 ii pause in bis 1 1i-• o:; e. Dr S'.cf-

i: in was asked if lie would iridic: t w Im. 1 w ould lie the an I ere ol li's r ■ port on Central Au-t'alia. a- to u 1 1 aI ii Li: 1.11 11 v.

“My report I- not yet prepared." he leplie.l. “and ii, w ill h" -cm t > til • Jli’dstor el Home and Terrifi'ic(.Senator Rearer). But, if you have read the articles I wrote from various halting places ill my tour of Centra! Australia. Yon will see what I have einp!iasi.M"l. ! have diawn --orriul at t«■ 11 1 intt to Central Australia a - a tonr-i-1 i i-s irl. 11 is (|iiite I eosi ! -I • lor

Australian or New Zealander to leave Adelaide in a light mol *r- ( ,ar. and travel uveiland in i nmpnrnl ive (em!n"l to Darwin or into the interior, making radiating journeys Irmti sttelt pieces as Ali a* Springs. It i* I lie same sort of elimale a; Americans have in Arizona, and eaa he, and will he. similarly eaptali-e.l for sanatorium purposes and for ordinary purp wes. “A p■IS•• 11 who p.-i'efei's T':idge-pDy-iug i-r visiting Monte Carlo dom-i b-'-long tin-re. I at the i;er:-oa who on

joys inotor.ing in : amew !iat primitive i mi:,try. or who likes to go i-> the Swi-s Alps or lie- Au-lrian Tvrol can have a very e'ljoyab.lc time in Central Au-tra* lia. In wini 'r ii hardly ever rains, and is a delightful climate. In regard to settlement. I believe that t!— pre;ent s; ttlemeul can lie multiple"! at lea-jl hy four if the Govt ill. lent would liiul wells lup stnckinon. Till* pnliiy i.- insi Inreo ri)rjH)i';iti:Ht>, Imi. i«‘ liny wmild I»* t Ilium ir»> ini') t!*iil Air-tr.-ilin ilirv would find their own wells. I Imve on

oai'ii mind as to wTietlc-r tla* railway shnid'l be I' lilt lhr.Jll-J.h I !|" heal t of A a Ira lie . bn! eve: v | er* on t hat see ■

oiiiilry su.vs llmL tlu» :d' •:» will i . ! • mi i in’.;. 1 -! v e:ii e* tnin •«! nt

: oli"' lllll'*. “EMTHET'S OK MONOTONY." "I laave thought iTmt oi— of ticchief reas ms for the Australian pessimism about lands uni vividly green and licuvilv idrested is their novelty. The ease is. I believe ill part at least analogous to the wort lih-sMi -ss of ihe Norl.il American prairie as viewed hr the early A mei ie.an c olonist .. T'lu-re are no treeless gras.-y t.-l-iiiis In 11-o-e part-, of Kitr.ape in which the early A'lstraliau a ltd American colonists ha;' their origin, though there are same in Austria and Russia. On arrival in America they found forested rolling j country along tin* seaboard and tree-c-lad mountains further in. It was not until after the I. niisiani.i i>itrfi ha e that the exnamling Unite 1 Stales canto into ii.-niact w ith the ll it lauds uf Illinois. Not nnlv did those lands g.-l the ei-,i(hc*(s of motmloiniiis. desolate, lonely, etc.. le.it they w--re .sn|‘ipo-'-d incapable of hearing iisel’u! vegetation from the mmole and. as we think', ehildesh aimljigy of Western Europe ami tlm Eastern United Stale-, where all fertile bind- have lr" ■-." ■SHI DD.OAR D 1 AfDR KSSrDNS CORRbICTKD. . Dr Sefaiis.-oa said he was delighted with Australia ami tb.e Australians. He remarked, however, that he had gained an impression on shipboard, on llie way across, that Australians and New Zealanders were not friendly towards each other. Tie was plea-oil to learn some material facts that convinced him that there was no real truth In the suggestion.