which to produce clean, graded aggregate for concrete. The lack of one of
         these items is sufficient to render the production of good concrete difficult
         and the lack of all three makes it practically impossible.
         
              This lack of adequate construction equipment was the regiment’s
         biggest problem during the first few months of its stay on New Caledonia.
         As time passed more and more items of standard construction equipment
         were made available to the regiment until in December there were two D-8
         tractors, four D-7 tractors, one 12-yard carryall, three 8-yard carryalls, four
         motorized graders, one towed grader, two 14-foot concrete mixers, two
         sheepfoot rollers, two %-yard draglines, one ditch digger, one mixing plant
         for asphaltic concrete, four heavy power driven saws and a quantity of
         miscellaneous smaller tools for building construction. However, until these
         standard pieces of equipment were received by the regiment the expedients
         and the make shift items that were used were many and varied.
         
              All of the regiment’s personnel displayed a great amount of ingenuity
         and resourcefulness in use and manufacture of these expedients and, in
         order that the difficulties under which the regiment operated may be better
         appreciated, some of the principal items will be described here. Perhaps the
         largest item of equipment that was contrived and operated by the regiment
         was a crushing and screening plant at a rock quarry located on Colonial
         Route No. 1 near kilometer 26. The primary crusher was a Cedar Rapids
         crusher with a Buda engine. The primary screen was a rotary screen driven
         by a used truck motor. The secondary crusher was a jaw crusher driven by
         a French diesel motor. The secondary screen was a rotary screen driven by
         a used jeep motor. None of the component parts of this plant were designed
         to operate together which made it necessary to manufacture parts so that
         the power could be transferred from the power units to the crushing and
         screening units. These parts were made by a French machine shop.
         Communication with the proprietor of this shop was accomplished by the
         use of signs and the few French words, which one could learn in a short
         time from a dictionary. Life and customs of the French in New Caledonia
         being what they are the manufacture of these parts was very often a slow
         tedious process. Production from this plant was always uncertain and
         unpredictable. Constant attention of at least one mechanic was required to
         keep the plant in operation and, because of the age and previous misuse of
         the different parts of the plant, breakdowns were frequent. The entire
         output of this plant was used for road metal.
         
              To provide clean graded aggregate for concrete a crushing, screening
         and washing plant was erected on the Dumbea River. When this plant was
         erected, there were available some units which had been designed for the
         purpose and difficulties encountered at the other plant was not experienced