Tropicalities

Written for The Pacific Islands Monthly by "Sea Serpent

THERE has been much interest ex pressed in the article, in last issue, dealing with the lack of a road from the New Guinea coast to the goldfields in the interior. We have heard, unofficially, that there is likely to be very early co-operation between the Government and the mining com panies, to build a road along the Markham Valley-Wampit route. This is longer, and more expensive, than the direct Sheldon route, Salamaua- Wau, but it will permanently open the rich agricultural country in the Mark ham Valley, as well as providing access to the goldfields.

Meanwhile, as evidence of public in terest, we have received the following unsigned letter, which is published for what it is worth: Regarding your article “Goldfields Road,” further points which may be investigated by you are: (1.) Regarding the many thousands of pounds of plant and materials which must have been abandoned as a result of the stop page of road construction. —Was this disposed of? And who were the largest buyers? (2.) Was it a fact that certain mining in terests offered to continue the construction of the road, and that such offer was refused? (3.) It has been ascertained that a Public Works organisation exists in the Terriory, and that same was carefully excluded from report ing on the proposed road and abandonment of same. Why? (4.) Was the road, as far as it went, car ried out by and advised upon by qualified men? It is understood that all organisation, hiring and firing was done by the clerical staff of the Administration. Is this correct?

MUCH rubbish about the Pacific Is lands is published in the popular press; but, for what a pressman I know would call “sheer unutterable tripe,” commend me to some of the recent articles in the Sydney Sunday newspapers. Two come particularly to mind. A ship which had called at Palmerston Island, in the Cook group, arrived in Sydney; and the crew pulled a reporter’s leg with their usual gusto.

The result was a feverish story about a patriarchal gentleman who visited the ship and who had founded the island community, with the aid of sundry Polynesian belles, and was either the father, grand-father or great grand-father of all of them. It read splendidly; but its value as a historical document was destroyed by the fact that the well known Marsters, of Pal merston Island, who did have some such romantic career, died many years ago.

Only the other day, the steamer Newton Elm arrived from Nauru, and a Sunday journal had a story, decor ated with typographical shrieks, about the Nauru natives—how they own the land, and do not work, and drive about in motor cars, and smoke expensive cigars. The reporter commented on the “ludicrous spectacle of a native, dressed as ordinary kanakas dress, driving an expensive car.” If this newspaper wishes to meet land-owning, non working, car-driving natives, “dressed as kanakas dress,” it is invited to call at 90 out of any hundred populated islands in the South Seas.

THIS, from a subscriber in remote Aitutaki, in the Cook Islands, is the sort of thing that makes editorship a pleasure; ‘‘Enclosed please find N.Z. postal notes for 6/-, being another year’s sub. to the P.I.M.

Shall always try and raise this —even if copra has ‘gone west.’

“My humble opinion on the copra position is this; The chemists got us into this hole, and it is up to them to get us out. Find new uses for coconuts!

“The P.I.M. is always a welcome little visitor to the home of, Yours very truly, That suggestion about the chemists is worth attention. The Norwegian whalers, faced with a vast over-produc tion of whale oil, recently set the best chemists in Europe at the task of find ing new uses for whale oil.

IT appears, after all, as if the name of the new goldfields port, in New Guinea, is to be “Salamaua.” There has been quite a lengthy battle be tween the official spelling and the sim pler form of “Salamoa.” Many people preferred to spell it as it is spoken— and the common, European pronuncia tion is “Salamoa.” But, it is argued, that is not the native pronunciation.

The final syllables are nearer “ooa” than “oa”; and as this is best spelled “aua,” as it was originally written, the official form has won out. There is also a danger of confusion between “Salamoa” and “Salamo,”' a port only a little distance away, on the Papuan coast. Sydney Morning Herald, the other day, introduced variation by spelling it “Salamua.” Everyone con cerned had better agree on “Salamaua” —particularly as officialdom has de cided that way, and officialdom, in these matters, likes its own way.

SOME people, both whites and nat ives, have the sort of brain that seems unable to keep them from being run over in the street. The hero was a Papuan walking down the beach road on Thursday Island, and behind him a motor-car, travelling about two miles an hour, was raising Cain with its hooter. The Papuan could not decide which side of the road to go and, while he was making up his mind the mud guard caught him on the stern and sent him sprawling. To the consternation of five 12-stone men sit ting inside, the wheel went right over his stomach. Out hopped the owner driver. “Are you hurt?” he shouted, as he dragged the speechless victim out from under. The others waited in suspense for his answer. It came in the form of profuse apologies as soon as he was capable of speaking. “Oh, Boss, I very sorry, I too sorry!” which was a very nice way of putting it, under the circumstances. It appeared that the native from the Fly River was very conscious of having com mitted a “faux pas” by getting in the way, but was otherwise unhurt, and that all he required was a new shirt and trousers, which were duly bought for him.

The sequel to this accident throws a light on the queer, secret ways of the Papuan mind. The car-owner rang up the Papuan’s employer and re ported that he had run over one of his men and had bought him a new outfit, but he had not learnt the fel low’s name. Next day, the employer, anxious to find out who it was, lined up all his New Guinea boys and asked the name of the “boy” who had been run over. No one owned up and to this day the victim has remained un identified.