in French Oceania
p. 25 · Read in the full issue
Hunt for Scrap Rubber in French Oceania
PAPEETE, March 25.
AN intensive campaign, which may involve the searching of 132 South Seas islands for scrap rubber to assist America’s war effort, was begun in Papeete this month.
Under the chairmanship of the Ameri can Consul’s wife, Mrs. J. M. de Lam bert, a committee of eight American women was assembled here last January, for the purpose of disseminating infor mation regarding the part America is playing in the United Nations’ war effort. This group will conduct the rub ber drive.
With the full co-operation of M.
Georges Orselli, Governor of French Oceania, who sent messages to the chiefs of all districts on Tahiti, enlisting their assistance, it is believed the hunt may extend to many islands throughout French Oceania.
The voluntary women’s committee supervising the drive was organised two months ago, and its chief function since has been the propagation of information on America’s part in the global war.
This is thought here to be one of the far-flung activities of Washington’s Office of War Information (OWI).
With the launching of the rubber search, one of the committee’s subse quent problems may be obtaining cargo space for shipment of the scrap.
While no estimate of the results from the drive could be made this early, local observers indicated that unexpectedly large quantities of old automobile and bicycle tyres, rubber-soled shoes, mecha nical rubber, and other discarded items would be gathered, for contribution to the United Nations’ vast programme.—