Inquiries For Shell Again

Signs of Recovery of Industry

DURING the war, and since its termina tion, the world market for all kinds of Pacific Islands shell has been chaotic.

Most of the shell went to two countries— Japan and Czechoslovakia. War and post-war events destroyed or paralysed the installations set up in those countries for the manufacture of buttons and similar things from shell. Rehabilitation of the industries, in those countries and else where, has been slow, for obvious reasons —and also for the reason that plastics tend, in many cases, to take the place of the shell.

However, the industry generally is re covering. The manager of the Trans ocean Import and Export Company, of 3 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, Mr. G. Mein hold, informs us that they have inquiries for shell from America, Europe and (very limited, as yet, but growing) from Japan.

He seeks supplies of Green Snail and Trocas, from the Southwest Pacific, and of MOP and Blacklip from Fiji. Quota tions published in this journal, for a long time, have been nominal —around £BO to £lOO per ton. Mr. Meinhold says the price range is less than that—from £5O to £7O (Australian) per ton.

In view of to-day’s heavy costs, this price may not attract South Seas pro ducers. Shell beds, generally, are in good condition, however: in the last seven years, they have recovered well from the decades of “skinning” they underwent at the hands of wandering Japs.

Mr. R. J. Worssam has been appointed resident Director of Vacuum Oil Co. Pty., Ltd., in New Zealand. At one time he was a member of the Co’s, staff in Fiji.