rvvfc Sl^pra A N E W S B U L L E T I N wtm p u b l i s h e d q u a r t e r l y b y t h e NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC SOCIETY (INC) WINTER SCENE AT SCOTT BASE. IN THE DARKNESS OF THE LONG NIGHT A NEW ZEALANDER PREPARES TO FEED ONE OF THE HUNGRY SNOW MELTERS UPON WHICH THE SUPPLY OF FRESH WATER FOR THE BASE DEPENDS. Antarctic Division, D.S.I.R. Photo Vol. 7 No. 6 Registered at Post Office Headquarters. Wellington, New Zealand, as a magazine. June, 1975 SOUTH GEORGIA SOUTH SANDWICH Is f S O U T H O R K N E Y I s ' \ . / o O r c a d a s a r g ,^----- <J FALKLAND Is /« Signy I. u.k. ,. V\60"W / ,' SOUTH AMERICA / /\ f Borga i Molodezhnaya 4 S O U T H Q J h / W E D D E L L \ 8 * * Nr\uss.R. $ SHETLANDSHETLAND-^(V, >J& / / / Halley Bay°| DRONNING MAUD LAND ENDERBY M / I s S f L j S E A U K . t f C O A T S L d LAND T: .^General Belgrano arg. sK\ Mawson ANTARCTIC W* MAC ROBERTSON LAND\ \ aust. /PENINSULA'5 (see map below) . .-^Sobral arg . Davis aust > Amundsen-Scott ; queen MARY LAND ^Mirny " O U S A / , K U S S R . °Vostok ussr. J R o s s \ \ &■' Ice Shelf's^^ UqCasey AUST. WILKES LAND Russkaya S C O t t M o . , > / U.S.S.R./ ROSS|NZ^ \vanda n,z / SEA I^"y.-/VICTORIA .TERRE A ^PVyy LAND \XADELIE,^ H GEORGE VL(I,V^/^ „,, ... / lr^^v^_,sry\ ,<• Dumont d Urville france Leningradskaya \' / U . S S . R _ „ - - ' ' V A sss — — "J'B ALLEN Yls\ / ANTARCTIC PENINSULA 1 Teniente Matienzo arg 2 Esperanza arg. 3 Almirante Brown arg. 4 Petrel arg. 5 Deception arg. 6 Vicecomodoro Marambio arg *• ANTARCTICA 7 Arturo Prat chile 8 Bernardo O'Higgins chile 9 Presidente Frei chile 5 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 0 K i l o m e t r e s 10 Stonington I. u.k. 13 11 Adelaide I. u.k. ,« 12 Argentine Is uk. /j 13 Palmer usa. 14 Bellingshausen us&r. • \ i '.larsen ■:•■; IceSheifc: ° L00m i^TWWWt 'ARWAIBQVIKP* (Successor to "Antarctic News Bulletin") 78th ISSUE June, 1975 Editor: J. M. CAFFIN, 35 Chepstow Avenue, Christchurch 5. Address all contributions, enquiries, etc., to the Editor. CONTENTS ARTICLE THEY CAME BACK TO LYTTELTON 189, 190, 191 POLAR ACTIVITIES NEW ZEALAND 171, 172, 177 AUSTRALIA 173, 174, 185 UNITED KINGDOM 170, 178, 179 UNITED STATES 171, 172, 182, 183, 184 SOUTH AFRICA 180, 181 SUB-ANTARCTIC GOUGH ISLAND 192, 193 GENERAL NEW ZEALAND POLICY 169, 170 WINTER WORLD 171, 172 AUSTRALIA'S FUTURE 175, 176 SEARCH FOR RELICS 186, 187, 188 June is a significant month in Antarctica. As its days pass, the men wintering at stations on the continent begin to look forward to the sun's return. They celebrate Midwinter's Day in the cheerful knowledge that they are half-way to the end of their winter isolation. This year June is a month of vital importance to all who want Antarctica to remain free from pollution, and the exploitation of its min eral and natural resources. The results of the meeting of Antarctic Treaty nations in Oslo this month may well decide the future of Antartica as a continent for science, the one region where men can still work together in mutual tolerance and trust, free from the pressures of economic rivalry. ANTARCTIC NEW ZEALAND POLICY ON ANTARCTICA Like the New Zealand Antarctic Society, the New Zealand Govern ment firmly believes that a regime to regulate mineral exploration and exploitation in Antarctica is essential if the Antarctic Treaty is to continue to have practical meaning. This indication of New Zealand's policy has been given by the Prime Minister (Mr W. E. Rowling) in reply to a letter from the society which expressed concern at the possible consequences of uncontrolled economic development in Antarctica. Late last year the society set up a could be most serious. The environment working group to study the need for could suffer irreparable loss, and hos measures to control economic activities tilities could arise over territorial claims. in Antarctica. The Prime Minister was In short, the present highly successful asked, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, period of co-operation under the Antarc if the working group's study could be tic Treaty could be succeeded by a period considered by the New Zealand dele of tension which would impose fresh gation to the consultative meeting of the strains on international relations. Antarctic Treaty nations in Oslo this "It is for these reasons that the Gov month. Mr Rowling has said in his ernment is anxious that Antarctic Treaty letter, written before the meeting, that members should resolve this issue. New the views of the Government and the Zealand took the initiative in raising society largely coincide. Therefore the this matter at the 1970 consultative society's position will be well reflected meeting in Tokyo, and at the 1972 con in the instructions for the New Zea sultative meeting in Wellington it again land delegation. pressed for action but with very little Mr Rowling says that the Govern success. ment's view does not reflect any desire "Since the 1972 consultative meeting on its part to see Antarctica "opened we have continued to impress upon up" but, rather, is based on the con Treaty members the importance of clusion, shared by the society, that min reaching an agreement before exploita eral exploration and exploitation will tion commences so that negotiations can inevitably occur. be conducted free from the additional "In the last 10 years man's knowledge political pressures that would inevitably about the mineral potential of Antarc arise. Most Treaty members now recog tica has increased enormously. So too, nise that this question has become fairly has the knowledge about techniques for urgent. At a prepatory meeting held extracting minerals in difficult environ in Oslo in October, 1974, it was agreed mental conditions. In a situation where that the next consultative meeting should there were proven mineral resources and tackle the issue of mineral exploration the means of extracting them, it is the and exploitation as a matter of priority. Government's view that it would be difficult ,indeed impossible, to prevent MANY ISSUES countries already experiencing great "You wiJJ appreciate, I am sure, that energy problems from exploiting them. it will not be easy to reach final agree ment, and that it could take some time. FRESH STRAINS Many issues in addition to environ "The consequences of uncontrolled mental protection, certainly one of the mineral exploration and exploitation most important, will need to be con- ANTARCTIC sidercd, and a number of them relate station would be challenged, establish to sensitive questions such as sovereignty. ment of environmental standards before economic development would allow any "It is the Government's view that country to consider the need to meet negotiations on these matters should SLich standards if planning development be directed towards furthering the prin in any part of Antarctica. ciples embodied in the Antarctic Treaty — preservation of Antarctica for peace ful purposes, the promotion of inter national co-operation in Antarctica, and the protection of the unique Antarctic Polar studies environment." course In its study the working group says that the Antarctic Society recognises In October this year the Scott Polar that economic development in Antarctica Research Institute of Cambridge Uni is inevitable, although not necessarily de versity intends to start a one-year post sirable. The society believes that the graduate course leading to a Diploma in Antarctic Treaty does not offer sufficient Polar Studies. No such course is given protection at present for the Antarctic elsewhere in the world. environment. There are no binding pro visions for specific environmental stand The objects are to provide a broad ards to be observed on most of the con background of polar knowledge, and to tinent, and in its adjacent waters. Also, enable each candidate to investigate a there are no effective means of policing, topic of his choice in depth. It is hoped maintaining, and reviewing such stand the course will be specially appropriate ards. for those in government, industry, and academic life, whose careers call for this kind of knowledge and training. URGENT NEED Lectures and seminars in the course, The working group considers that a which will run from October to June policy to regulate environmental stand each year, will cover the following sub ards for the whole of Antarctica is jects in their relation to both polar needed urgently. The society suggests, regions: natural environment, peoples, therefore, that such a policy should be history, resources and problems of applied to all activities, where govern development, government and social ment or non-government, scientific, ex relations. Each candidate will be re ploratory or economic. quired to write during the year a 10,000 There is scope for the establishment to 20,000-word thesis on a particular and management of an environmental subject. standards policy within the framework The staff of the institute who will be o fthe Antarctic Treaty. This could be principally involved in the teaching of done by extending the present provisions the course will be Dr G. de Q. Robin for the protection of flora and fauna, (the director), Dr B. B. Roberts, Dr T. and special areas. .Such a policy should E. Armstrong, Dr Caroline Humphrey, provide for control over all activities and Mr H.