GREAT BARRIER REEF.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19047, 18 December 1923, Page 8

GREAT BARRIER REEF.

AUSTRALIA’S LONG WALL. MIRACLE OF STRUCTURE. WORK OF TINY POLYPS. The Barrier Reef cf Australia ia one of the World 1 * miracles—a 1200 miles long barrier between the coast and the open ocean, a wall as strong as if made of reinforced concrete, which has been built by tiny lumps of animated jelly, bearing the fantastic name of polyps. The Polyp is barely visible to the naked eye; he resembles . a sea anemone, and he follows the human custom of preying on creatures even smaller than himself. These he waylays with poisoned darts, and completes the job by swallowing the whole. The lime from its fictuno accumulates around the Polyp, and so is coral formed, the little builders heiug linked together in a sort of marine builders’ union whose bonds are even tighter than those of u modern labour organisation. As time speeds on the structure rises, shells, seaweed, foraminifera attach themselves, sand accumulates, and thus the reef is built. To the scientists the Great Barrier offers a unique field of research, for the marine fauna have not been studied to any great extent, and the hidden possibilities are tremendous. The structure and foundations of the reef itself should form an irresistible lure to the geologist, and the wide variety of plant Hie wdiich has managed to secure a footing here and theie throughout the whole length should send the botanist into raptures.

SOME INDUSTRIAL POSSIBILITIES. There are already some industries established along the reef, and the natural facilities exist for the creation of many more. In the past pearl shell has been a great source of revenue to adventurous souls, who, equipped with a small Iggger, have employed native divers to scour the reef for shell. In 1921-22 the export of pearl shell from Queensland was only four tons, valued at £133, but in previous years Ihe haul totalled as much as 1000 tons, which represented a very tidy figure in hard cash. Again, there is the bochc-de-mer. He is nothing but a sea slug, shaped like a cucumber, and usually about 12 inches long and two inches broad. Imagine such creatures, in a suburban cabbage patch. What consternation they would ca use I

But, unlike his land brother, the beche-de-tner is a friendly little chap. White men shy clear of beche-de-;ner soup at first; later on they acquire a likeing for it; by and bye they clamour for it. The genial Chinaman, however, has a natural taste for the sea slug, and the bulk of Queensland’s output is shipped to the Orient. Side by side with the docile heche-de-mer to the nyraraidical sea snail or troehus, who cheerfully yields his beautiful shell, striped with a wh;fe and crimson bands outside, and a rich nacreous hue within, to the Barrier Reef profiteer, who ships it away to Japan. The Japs promptly turn the shells into pearlshell shirt buttons, which they send hack as a sort of object lesson in progressive industry, TASTY DISH FOR EPICURES. The giant turtle could also be made to do his hit toward? enriching Australia if he were properly handled. His shell is of considerable value, and his flesh provides a tasty dish for epicures. Sponge abounds along the reef, and although no high-grade varieties have yet been found in large quantities, still coarse types suitable for cleaning cars and machinery and scrubbing out baths, are plentiful. Here then is another potential industry. And when meat and fish are scare© and dear in Melbourne, why should not an exnedition be sent to the Barrier Reef to catch some of the multitudinous varieties of edible fish which are found there? Or why should not the dugong, or sea cow, be yarded and slaghtered to nrovide meat for the city markets? The dugoiun like all other inhabitants of the Barrier Reef region, is a friend of man. He not only supplies meat, but his oli is supposed ( 0 very efficacious in the treatment of June- comnlaints—it certainly is useful in softening green hide and leather.

THE TITHE OF UNSKILLED TRADES. TO THE KDITOB. Sir, —lt is pleasing to note, that the attention of the responsible authorities is now being directed to the post-schooldays of the rising generation. Tho Hon. C. E. Statham struck the right note in his address at tho break-up of the Technical School when he warned the schoolboys against entering into unskilled trades to which they might be attracted by reason of tho higher remuneration offered. During the last two or three years I have been brought into touch with the unemployed perhaps as much as anybody else in Dunedin has, and I can safely say that well over 50 per coni, of those seeking positions are those who claim to have no trade, but class themselves as “handy men.” The skilled tradesman can always, if times are bad in his' particular trade, take the unskilled man’s job, but in very rare instances indeed is the unskilled man capable of taking and keeping a tradesman’s place. Your Industrial Column of tho 14th instant comments on the lamentable shortage of apprentices in England, and gives a somewhat gloomy—but true —forecast of the effect this will have on British industry. ’Die same in a less degree is, I am afraid, too true of some of New Zealand’s industries to-day, and it is indeed encouraging to note that the Labour Department is devising means of enabling boys to avoid “blind alley” occupations on leaving school. Our Australian friends, I note, have already embarked on a similar scheme. The fruit of their experience should he of great assistance to those who are entrusted with the application of the scheme in this dominion.

While by no means a pacifist, I have of late come to the conclusion that the young people of this age—and as a matter of sequence, the next and succeeding decades ; — would he vastly benefited if, instead of the present various schemes of compulsory military training being carried out, a scheme of compulsory technical training could ho introduced. I sincerely trust that the Labour Department’s scheme will meet witli the success it undoubtedly deserves.— I nrn. etc.. Arthur C. Laikg. Dunedin, December 17.