62 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



political control — a species of private ownership of the worst 

 kind — and must be intrusted to the very best and most com- 

 petent experts obtainable. There is every reason to expect 

 that the removal of the toll now exacted from every one in the 

 high fares at present payable would result in a great increase 

 of prosperity in the settled districts of the country, and that 

 the opening-up and beneficial settlement of new districts by 

 judicious railway extension would tend to lighten the burden 

 of taxation by increasing the number of those who bear it. 



I have purposely avoided any attempt to estimate the pos- 

 sible reduction in railw^ay charges if the principle of payment 

 for carriage only were adopted, but there is no doubt that it 

 would be considerable, and would tend lai'gely to increase the 

 traffic, to the great benefit of the whole community. 



My desire is to concentrate attention upon, and to obtain a 

 calm and reasonable consideration of, the principle I have now 

 endeavoured to set forth, not only by those who are now 

 present, but by all thoughtful people throughout the country. 



Aet. IX. — Antarctic Besearch. 

 By Major-General Schaw, C.B., E.E. 



[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 31st July, 1895.] 



In the year 1887 a proposal was made to the British Govern- 

 ment by the Government of Victoria that an expedition should 

 be undertaken to explore the antarctic regions, at an esti- 

 mated cost of £10,000, of which sum the Victorian Govern- 

 ment guaranteed to provide £5,000 if the British Government 

 would provide the remaining £5,000. The proposal was not 

 favourably entertained. The objects of the expedition, as 

 defined by the Victorian Government, were — first, the pro- 

 motion of trade ; and second, scientific inquiry. The Lords 

 Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury stated in their re- 

 ply, "The department best able to judge of the first does not 

 think the interests involved sufficient to justify the proposed 

 Imperial contribution ; and the general result of the com- 

 munications regarding the second object received from 

 scientific bodies is to show that an expedition on the scale 

 contemplated could do very little in the way of scientific 

 investigation, and would have to be regarded simply as a 

 pioneer of future more complete and costly expeditions." 

 For these reasons they felt they would not be warranted in 

 asking Parliament to provide the proposed contribution ; and 



