Tropicalities

Written for The Pacific Islands Monthly by “Sea Serpent.”

THE following paragraph appeared in the February issue of this journal: “The Montoro had sailed on the previous day with more passengers than berths; this means that some thirty odd passengers were accommodated in the steerage, whilst a fur ther number had to be content with shake downs in the public rooms.”

A student once told a professor that “a crab was a red fish that walked side ways.”

“Your statement,” said the professor, “is perfectly correct, except for three things. A crab is not red, it is not a fish, and it does not walk sideways.”

We are advised by Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd. that the quoted paragraph is like the student’s answer —it is perfectly correct—except that the Montoro did not have more pas sengers than berths, thirty odd pas sengers were not accommodated in the steerage and others had not to be content with shakedowns.

We are advised that berths were more numerous than passengers and there were actually four empty deck cabins. The only white passenger in the steerage was a convicted criminal being taken to Sydney to serve a sentence in gaol. * * * THERE has been correspondence with our Rabaul representative on this matter, which has developed into an argument concerning what is “first class accommodation." However, as our correspondent has explained, the object of the paragraph was not to be little the service given by Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. —neither was it written in a spirit of adverse criticism. The ob ject was solely to draw attention to the policy adopted by the E. & A. Line in refusing to carry passengers to and from Australia, and to emphasise the fact that there are times when extra passenger-carrying vessels are needed. * * * * So much advertising space has been bought in this issue that several regular newsletters have been crowded out. Also held up is a very fine article by our Thursday Island Correspondent on Dr. James Chalmers, one of the most notable Pacific missioners, who was killed in Papua 30 years ago—on April 8, 1901. We regret the postpone ment of good literary matter—but these are hard times, and offers of advertis ing business must be treated with re spect. * * * * A CONFIDENTIAL memo., to hand from the North, reports a rumour there that the League of Nations con templates the cancellation of the New Guinea Mandate held by Australia.

This may be completely discounted — the condition of New Guinea at the present time is a credit to Australia and the Administrator. It is much more likely that Geneva will reconsider the mandate given New Zealand over Samoa, where the position is still most obscure and generally unsatisfactory.

An Auckland clergyman has been writ ing to the London newspapers, vigor

ously attacking New Zealand’s admin istration of Samoa, and declaring that officialdom leaves no stone unturned to prevent the truth reaching the pub lic ear. But what is the truth? * * * * THERE have been interesting de velopments following upon the article, by our Norfolk Island Corre spondent, published in our December issue, and commenting on the difficulty of selling N.I. passion-fruit. Mr.

Frank Edwards, the alert secretary of the Sydney Chamber of Manufacturers, sent copies of the article to several manufacturers, and subsequent in quiries showed that the whole trouble, so far as N.I. is concerned, is a com mon one—namely, the inability of the buyers and sellers to make contact with each other. N. 1., next season, will have no lack of buyers—thanks to this jour nal and its energetic N.I. correspondent. * * * * A CORRESPONDENT, writing re cently in this journal, said that the kauri forests of New Caledonia were, until very recent times, unknown and unexploited. We have had since a dozen communications, to state the contrary. We are advised, for instance, that Mr. A. C. Mac Kay, F.R.G.S., of New Guinea, has personally known these fine timber areas for 25 years, and he saw the timber being worked, in dif ferent parts of the island, in 1917. The depression has affected this industry, like many others; and the biggest saw mill in New Caledonia at present is closed down, with a large accumula tion of sawn kauri on hand. * * * * LEADING out from, one of the out ports of New Guinea, there are three miles of good road. In all that district, to use the road, there is only one motor vehicle—a motor lorry. Re cently, the owner was prosecuted, and fined 10/-, for failing to have a tail light on the lorry! * * * * THE wife of a Chinaman in Rabaul recently brought a fine baby boy into the world. The Chinaman knew that the occasion demanded a formal registration, so he sent this note to the Lands Department: “Please give bearer one form for birth control.” * * * * A FIJI magistrate imposed on a ras cally Indian, guilty of a calculated assault on three native girls (whom he had enticed away with a promise to train them as hospital nurses), a fine of £5 in one case, and two months’ gaol in each of the other cases. When a primitive Solomon Is. girl tried to steal a £10 note left in her way by her mis tress, the same magistrate fined her £10, or two months’ gaol. The contrast is rather remarkable. * * * * A FEW answers to correspondents: P.D.G. (Rabaul) : Looks as if your device is worth inquiring into. But more particulars are wanted. What is it you claim that your device does? Why cannot the gramophones play the records?

Toga (Nukualofa) : Will probably use in next issue.

Pair Play (Port Moresby) : The competition of the Government with private enterprise in this way certainly does seem to need atten tion. May publish next issue. * • * * EXAMPLES of “pidgin” given in an interesting article by Mr. Gordon Thomas in The Rabaul Times: What better description would you wish for a “kiss” than that of the house-boy who told the cook: “Two-feller he kai kai mouth.” Or the depth of disdain expressed by the blonde-haired New Ireland woman as she squatted at the corner and watched the approach of two Manus youths regally attired in their beaded “pas-pases” and high combed hair, when she grunted: “Something nothing!” Or, again, the apt definition of the youth who was wandering aimlessly about: “He jews harping about nothing.”