Scrap Men Intend To

G Pacific Clean-Up

Get What’S Left

IHOUGH not much is heard of it, an active search of the South Pacific for old ship-wrecks, war le military dumps, and abandoned gineering enterprises of past years, s been under way over the past ar or so.

Scrap merchants are scanning arts, war histories, maritime pub ations dealing with wrecks, and ery other publication likely to sld clues; and likely Island sidents, appearing in places like rdney and Auckland, are being ntly wined and dined in the pre ss of extracting information which Lght lead to some forgotten hoard.

The wonder of it is that, with all e picking-over that the Pacific lands have had since the World ar II dumps were first raided, ere is still scrap to be found.

Part of the answer to this is that tter prices have made some of the 5S accessible material and some the smaller dumps an economic oposition. That there still is war rap, including non-ferrous metals, be found, even in main ports, as evidenced recently when a large ipment of metal left Pago Pago r Japan on "behalf of a New ;aland buyer. The same buyer is .ortly sending a representative to ahiti to organise the loading of a ipment there.

This consignment will probably elude much old sugar-mill achinery from the once famous fcimaono Plantation at the south the island, and possibly portions the wreck of the iron sailing issel La France on a French jlynesia reef.

A tiny item in October PIM men 3ned the purchase of a number of recks in New Caledonian waters by New Zealand company. The ships volved are Anton, of about 4,500 ns; Snark, of about 5,000 tons; St. nils, of 1,300 tons, and the follow g hulks or laid-up craft at oumea; Antoine, of 800 tons; the [g Tayo 11, and the vessels Pax, ontravel, and Port Bouquet.

Scrap merchants’ representatives are quietly visiting every South P'-ipifif* ffrnim in thp biff search while tacinc group m ine Dig searcn wnne the prices are right.

Rabaul Baseball Players

Two of the teams who played in the 1957 premiership series in Rabaul, New Guinea. On the right is the CYO team which emerged as premiers (with Mustangs as runners-up); and on the left, the Norths, who also played in the series. Photo: C. H. Meen