Tropicalities

Written for The Pacific Islands Monthly by "Sea Serpent”

THE new racecourse built by the en thusiastic people of Rabaul, known as Lakunai Racecourse, is most pic turesquely situated, right under the shadow of Mount Mother and the tow ering ranges. One observer has said that, in its wild beauty, it is compar able to the famous Happy Valley Racecourse, in Hongkong. One won ders whether these sylvan delights will soothe the savage bookmaker and leng then the odds a little. There are some fairly good performers now located in Rabaul, being regularly trained for the occasional race meetings. An enter prising community with Australian habits! * * * IT is reported that the Bremerhaven — the German cargo-carrier which comes down from the East and, to the irritation of the established Australian firms, carries copra away from the New Guinea territory at “ridiculous” rates — left with a very small cargo on her last visit, and may not be seen again in those waters. These are hard days in the shipping business and, if the Bremerhaven is finished, there will be joy in Bridge and O’Connell Streets, Sydney.

What with German, Dutch and French steamers, to say nothing of British, Swedish, Japanese and Ameri can, these Island ports seem to exercise an extraordinary attraction for the ships of other nations.

THE decision of the New Zealand authorities to cut out the Norfolk Island call of the steamer Sir Maui Pomare, provoked mighty protests from Auckland shippers, who lost valu able trade. Norfolk Island producers who had found a satisfactory market for their goods in the Dominion —that section of them that is, whose goods were not affected by the cooking habits of the Pomare also had a few words to say. But Sydney export houses viewed the matter with complete equanimity. The venerable Makambo will now carry a little more cargo out of this port. The Norfolk Island mar ket has become quite a healthy one— and it will become healthier as the industrious producers of that fertile territory are provided with improved transport to convenient markets.

SEAPLANES for the Islands! If one but dared wag the beard of a pro phet, one would say that, 20 years hence, the seaplane will be the princi pal means of inter-island communica tion. Outlying planters and traders will fly to such centres as Suva, or Tul agi, or Rabaul, covering in an hour a journey that now may occupy a week.

Seaplanes are now running regular mail services between Suva and the smaller Fijian ports; aeroplanes pro vide the only means of communica tion between the New Guinea goldfields and the coast; there was talk of a regular seaplane service from the Queensland Coast, via Samarai, to New Guinea —though nothing has been heard of that particular project for some time.

“Air-travel for the Islands”—what a slogan for an advertisement! If only the copra market would buck up, there should be a great chance for an aero plane salesman in the Pacific. But under present conditions he would have difficulty in selling a planter the air that goes under a seaplane’s wings!

WHEN it was announced that 75,000 nickel coins, for the use of the natives in the Mandate Territory, had been minted in Melbourne, the hard bitten planters of New Guinea roared

in unholy glee. They do not love the Administration, and they think the Administration has made an ass of it self. The coins are of the value of 1d. and ½d., and they have holes through the centre, so that the pocketless “coons” can string them around their necks. Quite a good idea —theoretically.

But, say the planters, the natives have no sense of money values, and recognise no currency tokens except “marks” and “half-marks,” as our shil lings and sixpences are still generally known. They will not look at any other coin—twelve pennies mean literally no thing to them. Then, again, 1/- gener ally represents the lowest price of goods sold to the native —tobacco is four sticks 1/-, “bullamakau” 1/- a tin. Just imagine a big “pay-off” of labour with the new currency. The one-year in dentured “boys” would each receive 1,440 penny coins, and would need the necks of elephants to stand the weight of their new wealth.

It is reported that the 75,000 nickels have not yet been issued, but are hiding shyly in some Government store. If the issue is not to be a dead loss, the best scheme would be to make the coins up into necklaces. They should be worth at least 6d. per string!

IT is a notorious fact that the great B.-P. firm will not talk. It goes silently and calmly on its way, appar ently indifferent to praise or criticism.

So one can only speculate about what it would say, if it could, about the price of copra. There is little doubt that the cruel depression of copra prices is due partly, at least, to the operations of a combine, and that the combine has been tightening its grip for the past two years. There is much talk about other vegetable oils and whale oil; but the biggest factor in the situation probably is “a little understanding” among big European copra-buyers. B.-P., within recent times, made a determined effort to beat the ring by diverting copra shipments from Europe to America; but, while this temporarily checked the bears, it did not rout them, and they seem to be again in command of the market.

If B.-P. say nothing, it can be assumed they are doing a lot. The copra market means too much to them, to allow them to sit with folded hands.

A NOTABLE old identity passed away recently in the person of Thomas Alexander Bryson, who had been building boats in Levuka for at least 30 years. He arrived in the South Seas about 1865, from Scotland, and wandered far and wide through the Islands before settling in Levuka. He was 85, and his numerous descendants include many valuable residents of Fiji.

Incidentally, Fiji is becoming noted for the longevity of its white popula tion —four score years, at least, seems to be the allotted span there. “The longer you have lived in Fiji, the longer you live,” seems to sum it up.

THE ingenuity of “pidgin”—particu larly the variety employed in New Guinea —is a source of constant delight to me; and no Islands friend is more welcome than he who tells me a new one. I considered “House money gam mon,” to describe bank-notes, when when they were introduced to Rabaul savages, pretty good; but when some mainland mission-boys saw their first aeroplane recently, they produced a beauty—“ Motor car belongum Jesus.”

I’m afraid it will shock the padre—but it really is too funny to be hidden.