PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 13 



because the snowfall is heavier in any part of the Antarctic 

 regions than elsewhere, that the glaciers should be at a 

 maximum. It is all a question of addition and subtraction. 

 The extra snowfall near Commonwealth Bay as compared 

 with that near Mount Erebus is perhaps more than com- 

 pensated for by the extra violence of the wind at Adelie 

 Land. Mawson's records showed that for 1912 the average 

 wind speed throughout the year was fully 48 miles an hour, 

 velocities of 100 miles an hour being frequently attained. 

 These furious winds not only sweep away any fresh fallen 

 snow but tear up and transport seawards the old snows, 

 leaving the surface of the inland ice-table furrowed by 

 sastrugi. 



The journey towards the South Magnetic Pole area by 

 Lieutenant Bage with Messrs. S. N. Webb and J. F. Hurley 

 has yielded results of great importance in regard to 

 accurate location of the South Magnetic Pole. Webb 

 established observing stations at every 10 miles along 

 their journey of about 300 miles from their winter quarters 

 towards the Pole, and thus obtained a series of absolute 

 readings with an accuracy most remarkable in view of the 

 extremely difficult climatic conditions. These observations 

 show very strong local variations in magnetic force as in 

 several instances Webb found that as he got nearer to the 

 South Magnetic Pole the dip of the magnetic needle locally 

 became less instead of greater. On the whole he found 

 that the dip increased towards the Magnetic Pole at the 

 rate of about one minute (1) of arc for every 3 miles. 

 According to his deductions the approximate position of 

 the N.W. edge of the South Magnetic Pole area, on 

 December 19, 1912, was situated in about latitude 70° 36' 

 south, longitude 148° 12' east. 1 This differs considerably, in 



1 Mr. E. N. Webb's provisional conclusions, subject of course to cor- 

 rections when all the observations are reduced and correlated, are that 

 the diameter of the area of vertical needle, in a S.W. N.E. direction, Ik 

 appoximately about 40 miles, and that its mean centre at the above 

 date was about lat. 70° 52' S., long;. 150° 21' E. 



