Trochus Market

“Collapsed”

HHHE Queensland Minister for Health and Home Affairs re cently denied that there was any room for sharp practice in the dis posal of trochus shell at Thursday Island. He said that the procedure

of selling the shell by tender was unsatisfactory and has been aban doned—the last tenderer was a man called Kulenkampff and it was later discovered that the shell’s destination had been Iron Curtain countries.

The trochus market had collapsed this year and the Island Industries Board had asked a buyer in Towns

ville to buy shell to keep the boatt working. He had contracted to bu;i 150 tons at £9O per ton but lates could not go on with it. (The Minister, in his statement! was defending himself against ; Country Party member who allege*; that there had been malpractices hi the disposal of T. I. trochus shell X

What Has Happened To

Australian Pearl

Culture?

One of the few things gained bj Australia from the war with Japan was the recipe for manufacturing cultured-pearls. But for all the re; suits to date—seven years after the war—the secret might just as well! have remained with the Japs, By agreement between the State oh Queensland and the Commonwealth,! the State was to build the necessary shore station facilities at Thursday Island and the CSIRO was to pro-< vide a vessel and conduct research.

The shore installations were handed over by Queensland im December, 1949 and the CSIRO in stalled four scientists soon after.

The rest has been silence.

A daughter was born to Mr. an* Mrs. Spence Jeffries, of New Guinea Goldfields, Ltd., Wau, Newv Guinea, on August 31.