XL VI PRESIDENT AL ADDRESS. 



to New Guinea. This oil belt is full of possibilities, and should 

 the supplies of oil prove satisfactory will be a boon to the Australian 

 Navy. It may be said without exaggeration that, at the present 

 moment, there is no more fascinating field for exploration in the 

 whole world, since the South Pole has become overcrowded, than 

 New Guinea. It is to be hoped that the Commonwealth Govern- 

 ment will see its way to have such an expedition organized at an 

 early date, and that when the representatives of the British Asso- 

 ciation arrive here in 1914 there will be a rich harvest of results 

 from Papuan exploration to lay before them. 



Polar E xploration . — Reference to the overcrowding of the South 

 Pole recalls the fact that at present there are no less than three 

 important expeditions in Antarctica ; the German expedition, 

 under Lieutenant Filchner ; the British expedition of 1910-13, 

 under Captain Scott; and the Australasian expedition, under Dr. 

 Douglas Mawson. 



Of the recent Antarctic expeditions, one might first touch on 

 that of Amundsen, with special reference to his scientific results. 

 Much has been said and written about his want of candour in 

 neglecting to inform the scientific world, and particularly the 

 leader of the British Antarctic Expedition, Captain R. F. Scott, 

 much earlier than he did of his intention to compete in the race 

 for the South Pole. 



It is certainly to be regretted tha€ no information of his inten- 

 tion to deviate from the original purpose of his expedition was 

 made before the Fram left Norway. At the same time the im- 

 portant fact must not be overlooked that when Amundsen reached 

 Maderia in November, 1910, he sent a cable to Captain Scott, who 

 was then at Lyttleton, in New Zealand: — 



" Beg inform you am taking Fram south." 



Now it has been publicly stated in Australia and elsewhere that 

 Amundsen stole a march on Captain Scott, and anticipated him in 

 point of time in arriving at winter quarters in the Antarctic. This 

 charge is wholly unfounded. Captain Scott was well aware, as 

 the sequel proved, that Amundsen intended to make a dash for 

 the South Pole. Scott's subsequent action before he left New 

 Zealand proves this. He was not aware what part of the Ant- 

 arctic continent exactly Amundsen would use as his base. 



As a matter of fact, Scott was able to arrive at his base at 

 Cape Evans, near Mount Erebus, several weeks earlier tlian 

 Amundsen arrived at the Bay of Whales, the point of the east 

 side of the Great Barrier selected by him as his base. 



In the absence of any accepted code on the ethics of Pole jump- 

 ing, it may fairly be stated that after Amundsen's cablegram to 



