Some Angles

On Scrap

N. Hebrides, March 25.

TENDERS closed last month for the removal of certain US ships sunk in these waters —including the President Coolidge, which has lain submerged near the entrance ;o the Segond Channel, Santo, for something like 10 years.

Washington was stirred into ictivity over the Coolidge by a re jort in PIM and elsewhere some nonths ago that Sydney interests vere about to begin salvage opera ions on her. The US Government >romptly pointed out to the Con lominium that the Coolidge was still American property; and the Condominium government re ponded in about the only way open o it. Towards the end of last year, mall typewritten notices on public lotice boards warned off would-be alvagers.

This was followed by a call by he US Navy or Marine Depart lent for sealed tenders for removal f ships sunk locally. This also ppeared on local notice boards, nth the local rider that the Con ominium would provide no dollars or prospective operators.

Whether there have been any akers for the US offer is not yet ;nown.

Early in the Pacific war, President l oolidge, carrying 6,000 US troops, heir equipment, and six months’ applies, ran into a defensive mine rhen given wrong docking direc ions on entering Santo harbour, [er skipper, in attempting to re erse her out of trouble, ran into nother mine-field, and then eached her on a reef. She later ippled off into deep water, and, at resent, is said to be resting in bout 200 feet of water. The equip lent and stores went down with er but only one man out of the 000 on board was lost.

During the war some gear— •ucks, etc. —was salvaged and pre imably the rest remains. Some »cal opinion is that salvage opera ons now are likely to dislodge her - om the coral shelf on which she at present resting and cause her ) slip into still deeper water.

Million Dollar Point

The Coolidge lies not far from [illion Dollar Point—the historic pot where the Americans, after le end of the war, dumped their irplus gear—much of it brand jiew -including jeeps, earth-moving juipment, trucks; some said to be i their original greased-paper acking.

The dump lies off French-owned ind; and as under French law -nd-ownership extends a prescribed istance into the sea, the Million dollar Point dump apparently is

rench property.

It is reported locally that Cap

tain R. N. Beim, of the New Hebrides Trading & Shipping Cos., and owner of the Vila Star, has re cently been given a concession for salvaging this dump, by the French administration in the Hebrides, and will soon start salvage operations.

If this is so it should make every one happy—the French adminis tration, Captain Beim and the Condominium, which extracts a healthy royalty on all salvage shipped from the country. But as an example of civilised lunacy it takes the prize. The Americans dumped this valuable equipment in the sea as an act of faith with American manufacturers who feared a post-war market swamped with ex-war goods. Seven or eight years later much time and effort is ex

pended in fishing it out for the private profit of scrap merchants— and most of the scrap itself goes to

Japan!

Judy Tudor.

Islands positions advertised in March included Inspector of Taxes for Fiji, and Clerk/Customs Officer for the Gilbert and Ellice Is.