News From Norfolk Is.

From Our Own Correspondent

IN 1930, we are a completely modern community, replete with wireless sets, motor cars, Ford lorries, a picture show on Saturday nights, a Literary Society (where we partly read and partly act stuff to one another), a Bridge Club and, quite recently, a most creditable dramatic company raw material, but whipped surprisingly into shape by a young English actor, tem porarily retired from Allan Wilkie’s well-known band.

We play golf on a very good course, and several tennis clubs challenge each other towards the close of the sum mer.

Six or seven stores compete for our custom —Burns Philp are building a second “up country.” There is a very good private school, as well as the usual public one. Our hospital is well run, and in the charge of a young doc tor, who hesitates at no sort of opera tion, and is destined to go far in sur gery. We have two solicitors and three brands of religion. What more could life offer us anywhere?

Our population is between 800 and 900, of which roughly two-thirds are “Islanders,” descendants of the Pitcairn folk—a little darker than you or me, but often with eyes as blue as mine or yours—if yours are blue. We mix upon equal terms, thinking pretty well of each other, exult together over good prices for our produce, lament together when the bottom falls out of the mar ket, or we hear that for still another term we are doomed to travel or to consign our fruit to Sydney by that well-known but little respected steamer, the s.s. “Makambo,” that has plodded about the blue Pacific for uncounted years, and is surely due for honourable retirement.

Houses to let, and boarding houses, are dotted about the island; but an up to-date, residential hotel, situated at Kingston, where our little administra tion functions, our golfers swing their clubs, and we all picnic and swim on holidays and Saturdays, is badly needed.

There is a deleterious idea abroad that we are strictly teetotal, but that is not true. We are temperate by virtue of a system of liquor permits issued by the Administrator, and good for a lim ited amount per week, but we are not teetotal, nor do we wish to be. So don’t spread that base rumour any fur ther, will you?

On the whole, we are prosperous, particularly while good prices are ob taining for the produce we export— bananas, passion-fruit, oranges, lemon juice and seeds, Canadian Wonder Beans and early potatoes. Plantations change hands as residents of several years feel the urge to go “Home” or to wander further, and new settlers are attracted by what scant informa tion they can glean as to our gorgeous climate and enviable freedom from taxation. New lands are being taken up on easy Government leases, fences and hedges are rising where they never rose before; the timber mills are busy among the pine trees, and on every steamer day, from dawn till dark, lor ries, piled high with cases, roar along our hilly roads and swoop down upon the jetty, beyond which the Makambo lies wearily at anchor.

H.M.S. Dunedin’S Visit

Well, now you all know where we live, and how we live, and next month when you see the heading, “News from Nor folk Island,” you will have some idea

of what you are going to read—Chron icles of Small Beer —and here is a sample glassful.

H.M.S. Dunedin is expected in at daybreak on Wednesday morning next, July 30, and the island is agog with excitement. It has been officially an nounced that only 15 officers and 50 ratings—whatever they are, in the in nocent minds of many of us! —will be allowed ashore. All available cars are invited to render themselves upon the jetty upon arrival of the warship, in order that the officers and the “ratings,” if they ride in motor cars— may take the air and view our island paradise from end to end. A football match will take place in the afternoon, when a local team will play against the ship, and some festivity will also be arranged for the evening hours. At midnight our magnificent visitor will leave for other Island ports and by courtesy of her commander, will carry a mail. At least we hope he will; we are going to ask him.

Boy Scout Arrives

The Boy Scout Movement has just reached our happy shores, and is raging like a pestilence. Dressed in brand new uniforms, with whistles and knives complete, little boys, middling-sized boys and large boys, are galloping about the island performing, every day, some good deeds, and others not so good, as is the manner of boyhood all the world over.

The Administrator of New Guinea, Brigadier-General E. A. Wisdom, is at present making his annual tour of the Territory.

Mr. H. C. Cardew, Commissioner for Native Affairs and Director of Educa tion in New Guinea, is in Sydney on official business.

Mr. E. M. Bland, of the Shell Co. of Australia Ltd., left by the last “Morinda” on a five months’ business trip to the Islands. After visiting Papua, he will proceed to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.