Appendix VI: Finance

A general reference was made to the finances of the expedition in the Introduction. Here is an extended statement which, more fully amplified with a detailed list of donations, will be again published when additional funds have been raised to pay off the debit balance and establish equilibrium.

Grants and donations

Australia, January 1911

  • Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, £1000
  • R Barr Smith (South Australia), £100
  • Hugh Denison (Sydney), £1000
  • Samuel Hordern (Sydney), £1000 (subsequently increased to £2500)
  • Total: £4000

London, June 1911

  • S Hordern (Sydney), £1500 (second donation)
  • Roderick Murchison (Melbourne), £1000
  • WA Horn (South Australia), £1000
  • Lord Strathcona, £1000
  • Eugene Sandow, £1050
  • Imperial Government, £2000
  • Royal Geographical Society, £500
  • Lionel Robinson (Sydney), £250
  • CD Mackellar, £150
  • GP Doolette, £150
  • G Buckley, £150
  • Lord Denman, £100
  • Madame Melba (Melbourne), £100
  • SY Buchanan, £100 (later increased to £200)
  • Daily Mail,£100
  • Messrs Bullivants, £100, etc, aggregating an additional £593
  • Total: £9843

Australia, October 1911

Sydney
  • Government grant, £7000
  • Collected by Professor David, £50
  • Sydney Morning Herald, £100
  • Professor David’s own donation and lecture proceeds, £100
  • Total: £7250
Melbourne
  • Government grant, £6000
  • Collected by Professor Masson, £70
  • Total: £6070
Adelaide
  • Government grant, £5000
  • Collected by Mr Piper, £250 (including Angus £100, Simpson £85, Scarfe £50)
  • Total: £5,250
Hobart
  • Government grant, £500
  • Collected, £55
  • Total: £555

Commonwealth grant, £5000

Grand total: £24 125

London, 1913

  • Sir Lucas Tooth, £1000 (Sydney)
  • Imperial Treasury, £1000
  • Royal Geographical Society, £100
  • SY Buchanan, £100
  • Lady Scott, £100
  • Commander Evans, £100
  • Other members of Scott Expedition and general subscriptions, £227
  • Total: £2627

Australia, 1913

  • Commonwealth grant, £5000
  • Collected by Professor David (approximately), £50
  • Total: £5050

Australia, 1914

  • Collected by Professor Masson (approximately), £80
  • GJR Murray (Adelaide), £100
  • Sir Samuel Way, £50
  • Total: £230

London, 1914

  • Collected, £10

Total moneys donated: £45 885

Assets realised and added to the fund

  • Sale of photos and newspaper articles, £490
  • Sale of ship and materials, £3699
  • Lectures, films, etc, £726
  • Total: £4915

Bills owing: £5932

Assets to be realised

  • In hand, £560
  • Owing, £340
  • Anticipated sale of gear, £570
  • Total: £1470

Debit balance: £4462

Total cost1 of expedition: £56 732

There is therefore a deficit of £4462 to be made up by the royalty on the sale of the book, lectures, donations, etc, and the cost of the publication of the scientific results, which will be approximately £8000, has yet to be defrayed.

  1. An estimate of the cost of the expedition should also take account of donations in kind, which, as can be gathered, were numerous. Facilities offered by harbour boards and valuable assistance extended in the matter of docking and repairing the Aurora, particularly in the case of the State of Victoria, and to a lesser extent in New South Wales. Then there were valuable contributions of coal, particularly by Mr J Brown of Newcastle (NSW), Mr HD Murphy (Melbourne), and the Lithgow Collieries Company.

This version of Home of the Blizzard has been edited and published by the Australian Antarctic Division.

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