Mystery of Lae

Tunnel

THOUSANDS of people in Australia and New Guinea believe that the con tents of the Japanese tunnel at Lae, NG, were sold by the Disposals Commis sion for £2.

When the story was brought once more to Smith’s this week, an attempt was made to track down its authenticity.

No official confirmation could be ob tained, so that the origin of this reported CDC transaction goes to join the rest of the mystery associated with the Lae tun nel.

The Lae tunnel would have been a gamble for any purchaser, for it cannot be opened until about 15 years have passed. And while, doubtless, it contains valuable Japanese equipment, it also con tains the bodies of hundreds of Japs who refused to surrender.

There are miles of tunnels in Castle

Hill, which is believed to have contained! a full field hospital in addition to con-1 siderable stores of military equipment. t When the Japanese who had taken re fuge in the tunnel refused repeated demands by the US commander to sur render, bulldozers were sent on to the hill and they pushed huge trees, stones and dirt into the entrances of the tunnel, completely blocking them.

So what is in there will not be known until the Commonwealth Health authori ties give permission for it to be opened up.

—From Smith’s Weekly of July 14.

I Miss Theo Price, of Brisbane will be (married to Mr. John McKennariey, Lae, *New Guinea, at the church of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Mission at Lae on Sep tember 23. Miss Price, who will leave by plane for Lae on September 19, will wear a ballerina frock of white broderie Anglaise at the ceremony.

The fight between heavyweight Fijian boxer, Harry Bray, and New Zealander Jack Boyd, which was to have taken place in Sydney in July, had to be called off when Bray left for USA sooner than scheduled. He is a member of the crew of the Lakemba.