1939-03-29 — Page 18

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THE HONGKONG: TELEGRAPH, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 1939.

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They Were Not Afraid

T

WENTY-SEVEN years ago, on March 29, 1912, Captain R. F. Scott wrote in his diary: "It seems a pity, but I do not think I can write more. For God's sake look after our people."

For ten days he and the two companions that remained of the four that had reached the South Pole with him had been held up by a blizzard. And for ten days they had been slowly dying of starvation and ex- haustion,

That entry in Scott's diary was the last flicker of life in one of the greatest but one of the most unfortunate of all voyages of exploration. From the moment when they came across the traces of the Nor- wegian, Roald Amundsen, who beat them to the Pole by a few weeks, their luck had turned ngainst them, The difficulties they had to face were greater than was humanly possible to

overcome.

Scott's second Antarctic ex- pedition was, unlike the first, entirely his own responsibility. He wanted to complete the knowledge of the South he had acquired on the Discovery ex-

Hongkong Telegraph. edition ten years earlier, and

Wyndham St.,

his purpose scientific. It

Was Hongkong

'Phone 26615 March 29, 1939

Defence and Nutrition THE DIFFICULTIES of assessing nutrition values und the fact that the scope of its inquiries en- braces extraneous subjects which are required only for statistical purposes by the Coloniat Office renders certain that the sittings of the Hong- kong Nutrition Committee will be protracted into 1940.

primarily Was to attract funds from the public that he made the Pole his objective.

On the outward yoyage from England he had received a mes- sage from Amundsen, saying, "Am headling South." From that moment it was a race be- tween them, and Scott was well aware how heavy the odds were against him.

To

Die

By DONALD HODSON ··

pot was unaccountably short. Oates's feet were much worse.

On March 10 Scott's diary reads: "Things steadily down- hill"; on March 11, "Dates la very near the end, one, feels.”

They divide up the medical means of ending their lives.

"

On March, 17 Ontes managed to struggle on with them till. they cumped. That evening, with a blizzard raging outside, he got up and said, “I am just going outside and may be some tíme.' They never saw him again. He walked out to his death 80 that he should no longer be a drag on them. Ho not only gave them another chance, but spared them the pain of watching him die.

But the survivors were in little better condition: The ex-, treme cold and the blizzards continued. On March 18, Scott .writes: "My right foot has And gone, nearly all the toes."

a day later: "Amputation is the least I can hope for, but will the trouble aprend?"

That night, the 20th, they camped only eleven miles from their next depot. It was their last camp. They had food for only four days and practically no fuel

On March 29 comes the Inst entry. They had decided that. it should be a natural death. Seven months later the search party found them lying in the tent, as if asleep.

There have been many post- mortems held on the fate of Scott and his companions. There is nothing that can be added now.. Scoit's own "Mes- sage to the Public," written in those last days, explained the The causes of Seaman Evans, the strongest major reasons. And if one is to judge by was little wrong with anyone in man of the party, began to the disaster are not due to

the Polar party. When Lieuten- succumb. fame alone, it was he who suc- ant Evans (now, Admiral Sir frost-bitten and his hands were fortune in all risks which had In the meantime, presumably, it

His nose was badly faulty organisation, but to mis- Is proposed that the Government ceeded and not should sit back and await the Corn-Amundsen's brilliant feat is one with two others 200 miles from Oates sulfered from frozen feet.

Amundsen. mittee's Report before attempting to which one admires and no more. the Pole, he left the remaining

so much 45 mal-nutrition in this Colony.

culling for a Report from any com- mittee, that thousands of children denied this in Hongkong are being denied the nourishment they must have if they are to become healthy adult citizens.

sand mal-nourished mothers.

Even at this late stage there

Their failure was due first Blizzards overtook them, and and foremost to the weather,

rc-

dar

tackle the problem of Scott's failure and death were five as strong and well as they their marches were dangerously which was far worse than they Is abundantly clear, without) of the kind to catch the imagina-

short. tion. The diary which he kept could be expected to be.

Wilson suffered agonies could reasonably have expected until he had no more strength

With Scott were Dr. E. A. from snow-blindness. Evans from previous experience. Next, to write is one of the most may. Wilson, zoologist; Captain L. E. cut his knuckle and it festered. the shortage of paraffin at the ing documents ever written.

G. Oates, of the Inniskilling His fingernails were now rotting depots, which Scott could not explain, but was due to seepage The outward journey

was Dragoons; Lieutenant H. R. and falling out. We have been informed that the fairly straightforward.

through the faulty stoppers of Bowers, of the Royal Indian More accidents befell them. the tin containers. Then, ac cost of a bowl of soup containing the requisite vitamins that will allow

Depots of food were left at Marine; and Seaman Edgar Wilson strained a tendon, Scott cording to Mr. Cherry-Garrard,

slipped on the ice and hurt his a mother to nourish her child is but intervals and the party was Evans, of the Royal Navy, one cent.; that for less than $40,000 gradually reduced as sections

Some way beyond 89 degrees shoulder, and by the time they one of the zoologists of the ex- pedition, the food allowances per annion, the Society for the returned to the base.

South the first Norwegian cairn reached the glacier head and Protection of Children can provide

were inadequate, both as

Even one-free-bowl-of-soup-per-day in Barrier were covered before a had been benten. They pushed only fit man.

Six hundred miles of the Ice was sighted and they knew they left the plateau Bowers was the garda calories existent. every day of the year to ten thou-blizzard came down on them at on to the Pole, reaching i on

on full rations they were They started down the glacier nourished. Although this Colony can retuc- the foot of the Beardmore January 17, and picked up on February 8. On the way Nervous energy alone drove tantly perhaps, find sufficient re-glacier and held them up for Amundsen's messages. He had down Evans fell and concussed them on. They refused until the venue to pay six million dollars per three days on end. It was a camped there on December 16, himself, and on February 17, at last moment to admit their de annum to the Imperial Government serious blow. Reserves of time, just a month earlier. "All the the foot of the glacier, he had feat. At the end of it. Scott Defence, it can distribute but a food and energy were dissipated day-dreams must go," wrote another fall, was brought in on could write, "For my own sake, fraction of this sum for charitable and the margin of safety was Scott, "It will be a wearisome the sledge, and died the same I do not regret this journey, purposes. The Colony has spent reduced. enormous sums since the beginning

night without recovering con- which has shown that English- of the century on Defence Contri- When the weather cleared, bullons it would not be an over- three teams of four men carried to get the better of them. On

The cold and the wind began sciousness.

men can endure hardships, help estimation to say that the total In

Their morale severely shaken, one another and meet death the past four decades has exceeded

on up the glacier. Near the top the high plateau the tempera- they

pushed on, gradually with as great a fortitude as ever $100,000,000-and the net result is one team way sent back. Two tures averaged minus 10 degrees weakening.

in the past." · that, if the

entire population of parties struggled on to the bleak Fahrenheit, 61 degrees of frost, It suddenly became much It is for this spirit with which Hongkong were wiped out to-mor- desolation of the 10,000 foot, and this, with a wind of any colder. row by war, the less in human life high plateau where the Pole it thing up to gale force.

Temperatures fell to they faced the hardships that in would be infinitely less than if, in the

At the minus 30 degrees F by day and the end overcame them that same period, a tenth part of $100,- self is situnted. They were Pole itself the temperature was minus 40 degrees F. by night. their names have not been and 000,000 had been spent in tackling still 400 miles from their goal. minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit. The oil supply at their next de- will not be forgotten.. the problem of the under-nourished

as a contribution towards imperial

child,

Statistics reveal that the Colony's infantile mortality ranks amongst the world's highest-incomplete re- turns show that approximately one in every three Infants dies before I reaches the age of twelve months. Death is caused in the majority of cases, not by lack of attention from the infant's mother, but from lack of nourishment from the mother's true? breasts.

We are conscious.of the fact-the War Office has been

al pains to make it pubile this year-that the

Q.

return."

"I ASKED MUSSOLINI

Some

say you are Hit- ler's puppet.

Is it

"Our record in inter-

A. national affairs indi-

cost to the Imperial Government of cates a sleepless vigilance

maintaining the Army Garrison in

Hongkong is dye-fold the amount to build peace and make annually remitted to London as this friends. More peace, more Colony's defence contribution. At

the same time, we are not convinced friends.

that the bargain is a good one. The garrison

"We yield nothing of our is not here primarily to protect the citizen of Hongkong: autonomy nor do we allow our

s here as an integral part of the power to be used as pawn by British defence system in the Paci- others." (p. 206.)

fe, and we have no doubt that, if

new

Second article of a series in which questions are put to the Duce by an interpreter-and answered from Mussolini's "My Autobiography."

it always be able to keep the view of the rising tide of Hitler's

strategy

"Speaking of foreign policy in re; dietated sitch R move in lation to the different groups of time of war, Hongkong would quick-Powers. I summarised my thoughts ly be left to

its fate, despite our with this definRion: "We cannot substantial contributions towards the allow ourselves either a plan of in upkeep of the Army.

We realise that it is only just and subservience

sane altruism or one of complete Pan-Germaniam? right, in these times of international other peoples. Ours is a policy of A.

to-the plans of the

".. We find ourselves at the

Brenner Pass now, and

#

Q.

alliance.

"One of the first courageous ac tions In which Italy showed the measure of her. Independence and strength was recognition of this." (p. 38.)

Q.

What did you think of Ger- ,many's action in the war?-

A.

"Public opinion in Italy was deeply moved facing war with ils German Invasion of East Franco. There was the description, with hor rid details, of German methods, and, above all, the every sense of right and humanity..

"The future not of one nation, but of many nations, was on the scale. ... There was also the feeling of common.culture which was compel- ling us to forget past and present

But on the last occasion Ger- quarrels. I could not bear the idea. that my country might abandon many and Italy were allies those who were crushed under the Italy let down Germany and

en | weight of war and unwarranted mis- the Allies. Why?

at the Brennero we will remain attered the great war on the side of fortune." (p. 30)

"Italy a few years previously A had renewed the Triplo Al- llance Treaty.

stress, that this Colony should con-autonomy, then. It shall be firm tribute substantially towards the and severe." (pp, 201-5.), common defence of the Empire. But we are convinced

"I am rated as a leader who pre-any price." (p. 120.) that in no cedes and not one who follows." (p. part of the Empire is a Government 151.)

.... the sacred limits of the A Brenner." (p. 130.) called upon to contribute twenty per cent. of its total revenue, both muni- cipal and general, towards the upkeep of the Army.

M

You have 215,000 Germans in

South Turot,, south of, thei

Porr. Do you think you

M

Hitler confessedly IQ.

at

alma "It had been a marriage without

world domination. What did respect and without trust, brought you think of German ideas of do- How long do you think you about more in order to counter-miuation in those days.

and Hiller will stick together?|balance military power than by

political necessity,"

Whichever way we look at it, we cannot see but that expenditure on Brenner

A "A handful of intelligent and legitimate undertakings for the cam-

"Only in front of the magni- "As a matter of fact the treaty strong-willed men began to mpu weal of the taxpayer in being

tude and suggestiveness of called only for action If one or more nak themselves if it was really right. Fatarved in order to contribute an un-{ service to the public. The most ür-danger, only after having lived to- of the nations of the Triple Alliance for Italians to lend themselves to Uie

fair und unduo proportion.

of the gent service we can think of in the gether, in the anxieties and; torments was assaulted by a nation outsida | political alms of the King of Prussia. for military undertakings, cervico dictated by humanity that of war, can one measure the sound the alliance. We were kept in the and if that was good for the future.

know. That was of Italy and of the world. It must be obvious that a lessening of paving some of the thousands of ness of a friendship or measure in dork, as I well

Tovonue

of the Defence, burden would result lives that are being sacrificed to-day advance how long It is destined to enough to break the pack to free putting in a proportionate Increase. In rust-ore the altar of mal-nutrition. go on. (p. 31.).

The

of that question was my

us from further obligations to that pe (Continued on Page 133