LADEN WITH BOMBS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 31 August 1945, Page 5

LADEN WITH BOMBS

CARGO NOT WANTED ! GLOBE-TROTTING SHII* Sydney. Aug. 30 | Since last April, the American liberty ship James K. Paulding has been , sai'ling the world with a £1.000.000 i cargo which nobody wants. She has ; bombs aboard and everywhere has had 1 the "bad luck to run into peace. ! The ship is at present in Torokina • harbour (Bougainville). “We are tired of globe-trotting in this powder keg, ' I said the Paulding’s captain, Mr E. G. jEricson. “A few months ago we would have been welcomed anywhere, but ■now we are like a plague ship. We left •America early in April, intending to ! unload at Southampton, but when we ! got there the European war was in its i last phase, and somebody decided that { the bombs would be of more use to (General MacArthur in the Philippines “The Philippines campaign had ! ended and we were diverted to the Ad- ‘ miralty Islands. They had ample : bombs, so in desperation we headed , for Bougainville. By the time we got ' here bombs were an out-of-date com--1 modify. As a special favour, the New | Zealand Air Force took a few bombs, j but we still have thousands on our hands and not the faintest idea how to I get rid of them 1 just spend my days I hoping a war will break out some ■ where.”