NAURU ISLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 10 March 1922, Page 4

NAURU ISLAND.

INTER ESTIN G FEAT Uil ES.

Nauru Island, although of rocky formation, has not at all a forbidding ajv pearanee; on the contrary, it lias a.l the attractiveness of a tropical island, and is fringed on the coast in places by coral reefs. Cocoa palms are tlie chief vegetation, but there are also othei tropical fruits, such as bananas and mangoes. As steamers approach the I island it presents from the water an 1 appearance strikingly symmetrical on j either band. From the sea to the right, and again to trie left, the land slopes evenly upwards, and reaches the greatest height at about Hie centre ot the island.

Here are situated the works tor giJling out the rock phosphate, and tlie supplies as they are loaded into trucks are taken down to the pier on the shore to be loadod to trie lighters that are boating close at band. 'Each of these has three or four large baskets, holding about fifteen hundredweight oi phosphate in its loose state. The phosphate is loaded into the baskets by means of a shoot from the pier, and when three or four lighters are loaded in this way an oil-driven launch town them out to tlie cargo steamer that is being loaded further out, moored to a buoy in the open sea. Here is a scene of tinsv industry. By means of the

ship’s winches and derricks the baskets are lifted from the lighters to the deck of the ship and loaded into trie bolds.

In good weather about 1500 tons can ,be loaded a day in this way. There is no delay, the lighters moving in constant stream from the shore to thq ship and hack again for fresh cargoes. Assisting in the work <>l handling

the cargoes and working the lighters are natives of the Gilbert Islands and New Guinea, but the majority of these workmen are Chinese, though there are also Japanese. The natives of Nauru do not take any part in the work; but prefer to follow their old mode of life,, which consists in fishing or gathering cocoa nuts or fruit about the island. On the island are about )0 European inhabitants who are engaged in the phosphate works. Along the shore are signs of the industry of these people in the cosy little dwellings among the palms and Hie public buildings that have been erected.

There is generally one or. more steam - ers at the island, and when tl;*> Waitomo left there with iter 6000 tons for Auckland, an Australian steamer of tlie Howard-Smith Line was waiting to load about the same quantity lor the Commonwealth.

No cows are seen on the island ; .but in their place goals are kept by the inhabitants to supply them with milk During trie summer mouths trie weather is often very riot, as the island is close to tlie Equator.