News From Norfolk Island

Proposed Improvement of Shipping Facilities —Grading of Roads —Stud Farm to be Established

From Our Own Correspondent

NORFOLK IS., February 4.

OUR Administrator, Colonel Alfred Josiah Bennett, recently returned from a trip to Australia, called a pub lic meeting in order to inform us, en masse, of the result of his interview with various “heads” at Canberra.

He took with him some fifty points for consideration and each one was sympathetically reviewed, no matter what the ultimate decision.

Our shipping facilities, which at pre sent are a serious handicap to pro gress, owing to the fact that we have no harbour and steamers have to lie out in the open roadstead with steam in their boilers—if that is where they keep their steam—ready to up anchor and away in the case of a sudden blow, were first dealt with, and we were pro mised that as soon as funds are avail able —which will be, we anticipate, just as soon as the millenium arrives—the economical scheme of one, Mr. Jones, who made a marine survey some time ago, will be aopted. This is estimated to cost somewhere about £12,000, and is greatly under that of other experts.

In the meantime, while the installa tion of a motor crane was vetoed as impracticable, the purchase of a three powered hoist for the working of cargo upon the wharf was approved. It cer tainly sounds as though it would meet with the warm approbation of those stalwart islanders, who now heave and strain and run round and round a little man-power crane for hours on end.

Maintenance Of Roads.

A road tractor for the purpose of grading our steep and dusty roads was also authorised. In this relation it transpired that Canberra was under the impression that our roads were still maintained by a system of forced lab our, owing to the fact that all our men between the ages of 21 and 55 are called upon to give fifteen days’ labour per annum—in three “shifts” of five days each.

Colonel Bennett made it clear that this service took the place of any tax ation for the upkeep of the roads; and if a man prefers to send a substitute or to pay in to the Executive Council four shilling in lieu of each day’s work, he is free to do so. As a matter of fact, this system is not entirely satis factory, and before long it is antici pated that a tax, based upon the amount of a man’s holding or his habitual use of the roads, will be im posed and one or two permanent road gangs continually employed.

There are still 200 acres of mission land lying idle, and it is proposed that the Crown shall resume it at £1 per acre and turn it into a sort of experi mental stud farm for the improvement of the mongrel breed of animal now roaming the island.

Red Polled Angus are regarded as ideal for the purpose, and such an enterprise will be warmly welcomed by our go-ahead community.

Educational Matters.

Education is to be a special feature of our future development. The Ad ministrator is, himself, an ex-school master and takes the greatest interest in matters of education, while we all believe that our children of Norfolk are worthy of the best that can be given them.

A new headmaster, with all sorts of University degrees, arrives by this in coming Makambo, and, with him, a male assistant, almost equally qualified.

Until now women teachers Tiave work ed under a headmaster, but they have such an incurable habit of marrying attractive islanders and settling down to raise personal material for the school that the question of steamer fares alone has begun to exercise the Edu cation Board, and it has been decided

that so far as is possible, men teachers shall be employed.

Dental Officer’S Splendid

Work.

In connection with the school I must place on record our deep appreciation of the action of Mr. Hyder, one of the dental officers attached to the Educa tional Department, whose work lies solely upon the continent of Australia.

Having leave due to him, he decided to spend it upon Norfolk and to devote practically all his holiday to the free treatment of children of school age, there being no arrangement, so far, for their benefit in this respect. Work ing from morning till night he has,

within a few weeks, attended to the teeth of somewhere about 130 children, and all that Colonel Bennett was able to persuade him to accept was his bare fare to and from the island.

With him came Drs. Baldwin and Bearup, enquiring into the general health of the island, but their trip was in the usual course of their duties.

They found it, in the main, excellent; a certain amount of T. B., but no tropi cal diseases.

Indeed, apart from all forms of chest weakness, rheumatism, neuritis and allied ailments, this place is a sanitar ium in itself, with, in many cases, no other treatment required than the action of the sun, winds, sweet air and simple wholesome food provided by the boarding houses. Elderly people and confirmed invalids come here to pass their few remaining months of life, and five years later they are still here and looking ten years younger; while their heirs and assigns have given up all hope of ever benefiting by their last wills and testaments.

New Medical Officer.

Our young medical officer, Dr. Leslie Swinnerton Duke, leaves us this steam er for an indefinite period, which he is to spend increasing his knowledge and sharpening his knife, between Eng land and the Continent.

His place will be taken by a Dr.

Lawrence, now en route, of whom, all we know to date, is that he comes well recommended and accompanied by a niece, who will housekeep for him.

A Good Bean Crop.

Bananas are on the up grade and re ports per wireless state that the banana area of Queensland is being swept by floods. This should be to our advantage. We are also agreeably en gaged in harvesting a bumper crop of Canadian Wonder Beans, which are fetching the splendid price of £2/5/per bushel paid over the counter by any of our local storekeepers, who, by this means, are also enabled to recov er amounts that were beginning to look as though they were lost beyond re call.

On the whole we are an honest and admirable crowd. Our local agents and storekeepers carry us and trust us in the lean times, and the instant we have money we hurry in and gratefully pay up.

Fatal Motor Accident.

On January 14, on the joyful occa sion of a wedding and two birthdays in his family, a fatal motor accident took place and young Richard John Evans, son of Mr. Andrew Evans, of Cascades, was instantly killed. He was a splen did boy, 23 years old, a most capable member of the Norfolk Island Boating Company and popular with all who knew him.

In discussing the tragedy I heard an older man say: “He was one of the finest boys on the island; nothing was a trouble to him, and he would go out of his way to do anybody a good turn.” That is a fine memory to leave behind him, and we hope it will be some small consolation to his family and the little mainland girl to whom he was shortly to be married.