'Weekend in Antarctic' May Soon Lure Future Escapists Southward for Frigid Tourist Jaunt

If the frosty visions of Alexander H. Rice '98, professor of Geographical Exploration, are ever effected, southbound vacationists may pass by Florida's crowded and expensive resorts and recline in peace and quiet in the "wide open spaces" of Antarctica.

According to Professor Rice, the home of the penguin and the albatross "would be a pleasant place to spend a vacation," and while shivering New Englanders await the advent of spring, he tells us that the summer temperature of the unexplored continent "often rises above freezing."

Area Not All Icebound

Although the primary purpose of the current Byrd and Rome expeditions is scientific, Professor Rice sees the southernmost continent as more than just a chunk of ice which can "tell us something about the structure of the earth."

May Have Gold Deposits

The Antarctic may even develop into another Klondike, the professor muses, although the only "gold" discovered so far has been black. Transporting coal across the miles of treacherous ice would not be profitable, he says, but if gold or uranium should be found in the region, the race would be on.

Before real estate brokers or prospectors slake their claims, however, the ticklish international problem of rights on the continent must be solved. The U. S. held on Little America is weak, both legally and physically, warns Professor Rice, because Byrd's settlement is on the Ross ice shelf, which is tech- nically ocean and a "no mans land."

Added to any legal furry over the base, the danger of the ice melting and consigning Little America and future neighboring communities to an Atlantis like fate in Davy Jones's locker is at least a possibility. Meanwhile, the U. S. acknowledges the Autaretic claims of no other government, says the professor