Message of

Letters

Message of some sunken stamps

Mr Hideo Matsunaga, an execu tive director of our society, and editor of the Sanyu Shimbun, has done some research concerning the Japanese rubber stamps which appeared in the letters pages of PIM (Nov. ’B2 p.ll).

The stamps which appeared in your magazine do not, as was suspected, contain the name of the ship, which was, Mr Mat sunaga has informed us, Taiho san Maru. However, the large, round stamped logos near the bottom of the bunch indicate “Mitsui Bussan Kabushiki- Kaisha Senpaku-bu”, or, in English, The Ship Division of Mitsui & Co.

Mr Matsunaga discovered that the ship division was separated from Mitsui & Co. in December 1942, and became Mitsui Sen paku Kabushiki-Kaisha (Mitsui Steamship Company Ltd.). Two ships belonging to Mitsui Steam ship Company Ltd. sank some where near Kwajalein. One of the ships, the Taihosan Maru (Taihosan meaning “great trea sure mountain”) was 2420 D/W tons and had been chartered by the Japanese Imperial Army; the other, the Akibasan Maru (Akibasan meaning “autumn leaf mountain”), was 6947 D/W tons.

The Taihosan Maru sank on March 12, 1943, hit by tor pedoes, and five crewmen were killed; the Akibasan Maru sank on February 6, 1944, also tor pedoed. Fifty-three persons were killed.

Mr Matsunaga surmises that the stamps found were probably those which belonged to the Taihosan Maru, as she sank only three months after the division had become a new company.

Therefore there is the probability that the ship was still using the rubber stamp of the division rather than the new one with the new company name.

The Akibasan Maru, however, since she sank 14 months after the new company had been form ed, very likely was carrying the newly issued rubber stamp.

Should there be further in-

quiries, I am including Mr Mat sunaga’s address: Mr Hideo Mat sunaga, Editor, Sanyu Shimbun, Mitsui Naka 3-gokan, 2-1, Nihonbashi Muromachi, Chuo ku, Tokyo, Japan 103.

Hiroshi Nakajima

Executive Director The Pacific Society Tokyo Japan Calling the Webbs of Forbes I noted with interest in your December 1982 issue (p. 51) the “Yesterday” feature regarding Charles John Orr’s photographs

of early Papua New Guinea, but in particular the paragraph; ‘The photos that he sent to his fiancee Florence Mae Webb (‘Myra’ to her family in Forbes, in the cent ral-west of New South Wales) mostly had brief explanations written on the backs.”

Having been bom in Forbes but resident in PNG for some 20 years, I am wondering if any of

your readers may know if there are any of the Webb family still connected with PNG, or, indeed, Forbes.

Scott Leslie

PO Box 950 Madang Papua New Guinea

Sinking of the

Klaraborg

PIM has reported (Aug. ’B2 p. 66) the loss last July of the 132-year-old ketch Klaraborg off the West Australian coast.

The veteran ketch had spent a good part of its life sailing and trading the Pacific. I am en closing cuttings from local pap ers to help you close your records on the ship.

There is a general feeling that the Canberra-based Australian Coastal Surveillance Centre was operating at too great a distance from the scene to have effective ly controlled the rescue attempts on this occasion.

“Nationwide”, an Australian Broadcasting Commission televi-

The 27-metre two-master Klaraborg which was lost off the Australian coast north-west of Fremantle, WA, in July last year. Jimmy Cornell took this picture in Solomon Islands wa ters in 1980.

The circular imprints referred to by the Pacific Society of Japan.

The stamps which were used to make the imprints were of rub ber and were found last year by scuba diver Michael Szelazek while inspecting wartime wrecks in the Kwajalein Atoll.

sion program, suggested that if all avenues of available help had been followed through the ship would not have sunk.

A salvage expert said he’d advised the centre at 9 a.m. that he was available, could have put a lightweight pump aboard in 10 minutes from arrival, in virtually any conditions, and that he could have been on the scene in 90 minutes. He wasn’t asked.

It was also suggested that the

helicopter pilot involved wasn’t

told that he was going out to a ship with 26-metre masts, rolling in heavy seas.

R. C. Robertson

Scarborough, WA Australia

‘Journalists in

Europe’ program

I would like to draw attention to a program that may interest some journalists in the Pacific Islands.

The “Journalists in Europe” program aims to provide young journalists from all over the world with an opportunity to widen their horizons and to ac quire a detailed knowledge of European affairs. Participants are based in Paris for a period of eight months, from October of each year to June of the next.

They receive thorough briefings on the workings of European institutions and get to know the many facets of political, economic and social problems in Europe as a whole through jour nalistic inquiries on subjects of their choice. They may file back to their parent newspaper or broadcasting organisation if they wish, and if this does not cut across the requirements of the course. They also write papers embodying the results of their inquiries which are brought to gether in a periodical review.

Since 1974 the “Journalists in

Hawksbill turtle Europe” program has welcomed 197 journalists from 47 countries.

Candidates are selected by the "Journalists in Europe” Super

visory Council. Inquiries should

be addressed to “Journalists in Europe”, 33 rue du Louvre, 75002 Paris, France.

Some fellowships are avail able on application to cover liv ing costs and fees in accordance with need.

Candidates must have at least four years’ professional experi ence and have a good working knowledge of French as well as English. An intensive course in French can be arranged in Paris immediately before the start of the course for those who need it.

Philippe Viannay

Journalists in Europe Paris France

The fight to save

the Hawksbill

It was good to read in PIM (Nov. ’B2 p. 37) that Solomon Islands has issued a new postage stamp featuring the Hawksbill sea tur tle. Having endangered wildlife like this appear on stamps is an excellent way to attract public attention to the survival problems confronting these species.

It is also a great way to gener ate national revenue, since wild life stamps are usually very popular and sell well to stamp collectors around the world. I have seen the new Solomon Is lands’ Hawksbill stamp and can verify that it is exceedingly attractive.

As a marine biologist studying Hawaiian and other Pacific is land sea turtles, there was one point in the PIM article that I want to correct. It was stated that plastics have now largely re placed the use of the Hawksbilfs shell in the tortoise-shell industry.

I’m sorry to report that this is by no means the case. A number of countries continue to be in volved in the international com mercial trade of real Hawksbill shell, and Japan is by far the major importer and consumer of this wildlife product.

Published government statist ics assembled by TRAFFIC, an organisation of the World Wild life Fund, show that between 1979 and 1981 alone Japan im ported over 131,000 kg of raw Hawksbill shell. Each Hawksbill only provides an average of ab out 0.9 kg of shell, so it’s little wonder that this beleaguered animal is now scarce in many areas.

In 1979, the first World Con ference on Sea Turtle Conserva tion formally urged Japan to stop being a major market for newly imported Hawksbill shell, and instead to preserve and recycle antique supplies and promote the use of synthetic substances. It is hoped that this reasonable re commendation will be imple mented in time to prevent the turtle from becoming totally ex tinct, and therefore no longer available for local usage by na tive people.

George H. Balazs

Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology Hawaii

Usa

Researching

Enewetak

I am at present researching an article on the bomb tests at Enewetak and Bikini atolls in the Marshall Islands group during the 1940 s and 19505, and was hoping that maybe one of your readers would have a first-hand knowledge of the events sur rounding these tests.

I also believe that after an absence of around 30 years a number of islanders have re settled on Enewetak, and I would be most anxious to correspond with them, or anyone who could put me in touch with them.

Any information your readers could provide me with will be

most appreciated.

Philip Walker

60 Hereford St Stockton, NSW Australia 2295

‘Shame’ cry on

Torres Is. ad

Enclosed is a photocopy of a page in The Torres News, pub lished on Thursday Island.

It reads: “Position Vacant; Crewman for MV Yosepha Tauki. Preferably a youngish, single, Torres Strait Islander, willing to accept contract at low er rates while training for Mas ter’s Certificate. Sober and a practising Anglican. Apply: Re gistrar, Church Office, Thursday Island.”

Subjugation and exploitation, and the Christian Church is in volved. Shame!

David Richardson

Caims, Qld Australia

Skipper Ove Linner: Broke down when Klaraborg sank.