The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1913. THE ANTARTIC.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 225, 11 February 1913, Page 4

The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1913. THE ANTARTIC.

I'"- 'I crra Nova has returned to Now Zealand alter her voyage to the Vrozen .south in search of Scott's polar expedition. A vague and utterly Useless message from Oamaru, at which port sill called liisl. suggests tJuit. Captain Scott returned with her. hut that the utmost secrecy was being maintained as the le-nll of her important mission, 'l'liii- e\p];!im*d hy a subsequent message irom Wellington. which states that ill all probability no news will lie available to-day. as the story of the expedition has lir-t to he cabled to the purchasers of the story, who have to he protected by a twenty-four hours' copyright. We have no objection to jourjnfilist.ic enterprise of this sort, and the Daily .Mail has every right to the fruits I of its industry, though we may recall that on a previous occasion, when the Lyttelton Times paid handsomely for certain colonial rights in a Polar story, the information supplied to that paper was allowed to leak to other rival quarters in a manner which materially discounted the purchase. What we do wish to refer to just now is that the fiovernments of New Zealand and Australia Loth made handsome monetary donations to the expedition, whilst the good people of tlie Dominion hastened to supply the sliip with coal and produce and blankets j

and five poll cli:il'ycs. ami to put every possible convenience and comfort in the way of these brave adventurers, and that the money value alone added to the Government's financial assistance probably exceeds the sum paid for the copyright by the Daily Mail. These gifts were made without any reservation whatever, and we do not- suggest that they form any reason for breaking; faith with the London journal. Hut I there are many of us who have close personal friends with the expedition, and whilst we cannot have the -lory of their wild adventures (or a few more hours we ar.» at least, en til led to sonic word a> to the general health of the expedition and as to whether it has been accomplished without loss of life. The retention of this information is a deliberate cruelty, and we are quite certain that the Daily Mail would offer no objection to the despatch of such a message. which is clearly the moral right of the community, at the earliest, possible moment. We would suggest (hat in the event of future expeditions of this character the Government should make the publication of such news a stipulation before granting any monetary assistance. This is all we are concerned with at the moment. The story will come along in due course, probably in two halves in the-usual ridiculous and unjournalistic fashion adopted by the Press Association in dealing with big subjects, whivh are halved, for commercial reasons, between the morning and the evening papers. Tt is satisfactory to know that i Captain Scott himself is presumably safe, | and we have a right to know at once i whether his comrades fared equally well.