43B SIEGE OF THE SOUTH POLE 
responsibility of the scientific authorities lies in the 
economical and efficient expenditure of any funds that 
may be placed at their disposal. Perhaps they might 
consider that three or four vessels of about 500 tons 
each, built on the whaler model, with engines capable of 
developing enough power to drive them at ten knots in 
an emergency, would be a suitable fleet to be employed 
on the service, and not for one cruise but for successive 
years. Two vessels might perhaps have their headquar- 
ters in Australia or New Zealand, the others in the Falk- 
land Islands or in Magellan Strait, and neither coal nor 
time should be wasted in taking them back to Europe or 
North America between cruises. 
A suggested plan of operations might be to employ one 
ship in penetrating to a winter station, retaining one in 
reserve or working in the open sea at oceanographical 
research. Two other ships might be used, starting from 
the neighbourhood of Kaiser Wilhelm II. Land, and 
from near Alexander Land, respectively, to cruise from 
east to west round the world in as high a southern latitude 
as possible, keeping clear of the heavy pack, but pressing 
on the edge of the unknown whenever it can be done. If 
one year yields little, a second might give better results 
in more favourable ice-conditions. This direction of 
exploration has never been followed for any length of 
time, although often recommended by the men who have 
tried to make a similar voyage in the opposite direction. 
In every case the authorities at home have ordered 
voyages to be made against the grain of the atmosphere 
and of the ice-drift. We believe that a vigorous cam- 
paign of the kind indicated would cause a rapid shrink- 
age of the unknown area and reveal new openings for 
land exploration. It is time at any rate that someone 
