Australia's Stake In Antarctica

In a world where primitive areas are shrinking year by year, the only continent that offers scope to the mid-20th century adventurer is Antarctica.

lOST of the interest has been post-war, when technical ad ices in equipment and transport re removed a great many of the igers that confronted such pioneers Scott and Amundsen, fhe reason why Australia can im a lh million square mile chunk this last-to-be explored continent :s back long before latter day in est —to the British, Australian, I New Zealand Antarctic Research pedition led by the late Sir uglas Mawson in 1929-30 and 10-31. )n both trips, Mawson and his ty were in direct competition, if conflict, with Norwegian parties o were also taking an interest in continent at that time.

Despite Norway’s interest, Britain : that no part of the area could be lexed until it had been explored, is was Mawson’s task and after he 1 completed it Britain proclaimed (session of what is now Australian

Antarcticia and later transferred it to Australia.

Although Mawson worked on the findings of his expedition right up to the time of his death in 1958 he never got around to completing the geographical report. This has now been done by Dr. A. Grenfell Price under the title, The Winning of Aus tralian Antarctica.

The volume consists of an intro ductory section and a discussion of the results of the voyages by Price, but a large section is taken up with the journals and logs of Mawson and his colleagues in their original form.

The book has some valuable maps, some Mawson’s own work, and a section of photographs taken by Captain Frank Hurley, who accom panied the expedition, and which were originally selected for the book that Mawson had planned.

(The Winning Of Australian

ANTARCTICA. Published by Angus and Robertson Ltd. for the Mawson Institute for Antarctic Research, University of Adelaide. 50/-.)