Northern Shell Beds Ruined

theft of pearl-shell from Austra lian waters by Japanese poachers is assuming serious proportions; and is at this moment the subject of an inter national discussion.

So many fast, well-equipped Japanese vessels have come down from the Caro line Islands and the East Indies to the coasts of the Mandated Territory, Papua, and the Solomons, and have carried off so

much pearl-shell, both mature and imma ture, that the beds have been practically ruined for years to come. This develop ment has taken place at a time when the European planters have been hard hit by the slump in copra prices and many of them were counting on a certain supply of shell to help them over the depression.

Representations of a most urgent char acter have been made to the Federal Gov ernment. It has been disclosed, for in stance, that the well-known Manus firm of Kramer and Burrows, which held an important contract with Messrs. W. R.

Carpenter & Co. Ltd., for the supply of shell, has had to inform the latter firm that it cannot carry out its contract, be cause Japanese poachers have been along the Manus coast and carried away all the shell that is worth while, and virtually destroyed the beds. Messrs. Kramer and Burrows, as a result, find their living gone and they are asking whether they should not look to the Mandatory (the Commonwealth Government) for compen sation.

Early in March, it was reported in Ra baul that a strange seaplane had been sighted over the Witu Islands (which lie off the north coast of New Britain, some 200 miles west of Rabaul). A steamer, so far unidentified, was also cruising in the vicinity. There is little doubt that this is another Japanese poaching expedi tion. The Japanese are using very mod ern equipment and, apparently, the sea plane is used to locate the best fishing reefs.

The “Pacific Islands Monthly” has asked the Federal authorities for a state ment, but none is forthcoming. We un derstand that discussions of an important character have been proceeding for some time with the British and Japanese Gov ernments, and that the Commonwealtn authorities do not wish to disturb their progress by making any public state ments at this stage.