Tropicalities

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

I HEAR that one of the first acts of the new Administrator of Western Samoa, General Hart, was to take definite steps to open up friendly communication with the Mau. The Samoans, after a decade of friction and misunderstanding, are now sullen and suspicious, and much more inclined to sit in their remote villages and brood over their wrongs, than join with a new regime in bringing peace to their territory. General Hart will certainly try to gain the goodwill of Mr. O. F.

Nelson, still an exile from his country, and now resident in Auckland. But what chance is there of co-opting Mr.

Nelson, whose influence with the Mau is paramount, when that tragic man’s firm has just been fined £5,600 by a New Zealand judge in Samoa? Still, General Hart is working along the right lines, and all who want to see real progress in the Pacific will wish him luck. * * * APROPOS of the prosecution of O.

F. Nelson & Co. Ltd., this journal remarked last month that the fine had about it “a suggestion of sheer savagery.” Further particulars show a remarkable state of affairs. The firm has been doing a banking business for many years, and, in that connection, had sent money abroad on behalf of certain Samoans, long before the Mau was declared a seditious organisation.

These Samoans, who in 28 instances were members of the Mau, repaid the sums, ranging from 4/- upwards, to the firm. The transactions were quite open and above board there was no at temnt at concealment. The judge held that this was aiding and abetting a seditious organisation, and imposed the maximum fine of £200 in each of the 28 cases! The iudge, apparently, was influenced by the fact that most of these sums were sent abroad to Mr.

Nelson, to reimburse him for heavy ex penses incurred in carrying on his legal and propaganda campaign against the Administration. One sees the iudge’s viewpoint. But the maximum fine on every one of 28 concurrent charges!

Whew! * * * ONE planter-trader in the Solomon Islands, who has just completed his quarter-century in the group, is pulling the ends together with a view to trying his fortunes down south and intends leaving his plantation in the hands of natives, since there is not sufficient in copra to warrant pay ing a white man. He contends that there will be no worth-while improve ment in the copra industry until the world’s politics have been spring cleaned and that this is going to take years. * * * THIS from one of the most compet ent commentators in the South Seas, is much appreciated: “We are all very grateful for the articles on copra position, whale oil, etc.

“You also strike a, true chord in suggesting that critics of the big firms are too apt to condemn the

whole firm on the doings of the indi vidual. Those of us who know our ‘minnies’ at all now mention ‘The Big Three’ in our prayers—they come in after the price of copra! I may say that Unilever is not mentioned — for it seems to me that this last drop in copra is largely due to the knock they got over the whale oil contracts.” * * * THREE years ago a Sydney news paper was heavily funny at the ex pense of Norfolk Island, because an ordinance to regulate the use of “the three motor cars in Norfolk Island had occupied eleven pages of the Commonwealth Gazette. But times have changed. Last year, the little territory imported no less than 39 mo tor vehicles; and, although N.I. is only five miles long by three broad, there are now so many cars and trucks there that it annually purchases £3,000 worth of benzine and oils. The figures suggest that N.I. requires, not a motor ordinance, but a few traffic policemen. * * * IN his book, “Soldiers of Misfortune,”

P. C. Wren has this to say of plan ters as a class: “Planters are cheery birds as a class, and to vary the metaphor, are of the earth as well as priceless old beans, great nuts, stout fellas, some lads and sound sportsmen. Some times other elements under false pretence of being priceless old beans, intrude and cause friction, until self-revealed for what they are, respectable, prudent, virtuous and narrow or perchance Bumptions and bounderish.”

Present writer would like to meet the coconut planter who can remain a cheery bird, a priceless old bean and a stout fella, with copra at £10/5/- per ton. * * * THE Sunday Island Settlement As sociation has been formed to ac quire 275 acres of freehold in the centre of Sunday Island from the New Zealand Government and settle 14 fam ilies there. Dr. A. J. Ross, of Brisbane, is financially backing the scheme.

There is considerable argument as to whether 275 Sunday Island acres will support 14 families. Sunday (or Raoul) Island is the largest of the Kermadec group, lying about half-way between Auckland and Tonga. It is 20 miles in circumference and contains 7,200 acres, most of it extremely rich volcanic soil.

It rises, at one end to a height of 1,700 feet. When I was ashore there, in 1914, there was a New Zealand fam ily named Bell in occupation; and I have never seen finer vegetables, nor larger and more luscious oranges than those of Sunday Island. The main handicap is lack of a suitable anchor age in stormy weather. Given a regu lar steamer service, the possibilities of maintaining a prosperous, happy community on Sunday Island should be very bright; and, as the island is practically on the direct route between Auckland and Tonga, communication should not be an insuperable difficulty.

The other islands of the group are not big enough to be worth worrying about.