Evening star., 1947-07-21
stors, Men and Atoms
British and Australians
Will Occupy Antarctic
Posts to Be Manned Year Around
To Bolster Territorial Claims
By Thomas r. Henry


Continuous occupation of posts on the lifeless
Antarctic continent, hitherto visited only spas
medically by man. now is planned on two fronts.
Early next winter large Australian expedi-
ton will sail directly South to carry out plans
first formulated before the war under the gud-
ance Of the veteran South Pole explorer and
scientist, Sir Douglas Mawson. The outbreak Of
hostilities made it necessary to postpone the
project, which since has grown in size with next
winters program under the direction of an in
terdepartmental committee in Melbourne.
The territory to be occupied long has been
claimed by Australia and the expedition will be
entirely financed by the government. On a
long-term basis, according to an announcement
just made by the Scott Polar Research Institute
at Cambridge University 1t Is proposed to estab-
lish a series of semi permanent posts which will
be occupied by substantial parties through each
Antarctic summer. Smaller groups, however.
will remain throughout the winter.
Mapping of Interior Planned.
Not only will the Australians carry out wide
program of scientific research but will attempt
to map thoroughly the interior of the bleak
dependency" both by air surveys and sledge
journeys far into the interior At present the
region is practically unknown beyond the coast.
Near this coastline are the two so-called cases."
or considerable areas of ice-free land found by
the American Navy expedition last winter
More ambitious are the plans of the British
Colonial ONCE for the area Of Antarctica known
as the Falkland Islands Dependency which in
cludes the large groups of Antarctic islands
directly south Of TERRA del Fuego and all the
great Palmer Peninsula. the great northern ex.
tension of the dead continent which reaches
nearly to the Antarctic Circle.
This is by far the best-known part Of the
continent. 1t has a relatively temperate cli-
mate-that Is, compared with the rest OF
Antarctica-and for 100 years whalers have
skirted its coasts For about 10 years q magis-
trate Of the Falklands Islands colony was sta
toned at Deception Island, called the natural
capital of the region, every summer. This
practice was given up in 1890 with the decline
of whaling.
Expedition Every Summer
Still the interior Of Palmerland is essentially
unknown. Henceforth, it is announced by the
institute, there will be land expedition every
summer. The major purpose will be to map
the interior and to set up permanent weather
stations. The territory is claimed definitely as
British dependency A small force was main
tanned on the peninsula throughout the war.
its operations surrounded with the utmost Sc
crecy. Now it is planned to keep permanent
party of explorers there. Last winter this
group was supposed to make sledge journey
completely across the peninsula to the We'd
dell Sea, south of Africa and also to pioneer
a route northward. The success of this has
not yet been announced
Two large areas have been surveyed from
the permanent bases and extensive prepara-
tions made for operations next winter, the
Antarctic summer
Both Australian and British Colonial office
projects have an ultimate objective of terri
torial claims bostered by indisputable perma-
nent settlement