Interest And Value

Caves Have Special

\ MONO laymen who left recently on the Bulolo for Yule Island, New Guinea, to assist the Sacred Heart Mission for a period of years in its work among the natives, is M. Jean Huon de Navranconrt, a young Frenchman who has done important work for the Societe Speleologique de France.

This is an organisation which devotes special study to caves. At first glance, caves appear somewhat unimportant in world affairs; but, actually, knowledge of the underground is of Increasing value to mankind. Investigations in caves have unique archaeological interest—some have given us data about people who lived on earth 25,000 years ago; medical interest, because the waters found in deep caverns often flow out into rivers which give towns a water supply; biological interest, because of the changes which take place in mammals and insects which live underground; and commercial interests, because caves can be made interesting to tourists.

Now the exploration of caves has a new value. These places may provide humankind with a safe refuge from atom bombs.

M. de Navranconrt has made studies of caverns in the West Indies, Galapagos, Tahiti, New Caledonia, New South Wales, and will pursue his hobby in Papua. He expects the societies which specialise on this study to be linked soon in an international organisation.

Emperor Gold Mines Ltd., of Fiji, has just declared a dividend of 50 per cent. During some years, being pre vented by heavy Australian taxation from distributing its profits, the Com pany returned a large proportion of their capital to shareholders, and thus reduced shares to the nominal value of 1/-.