Tropicalities

Written for The P.I.M. by Sea Serpent.

A PRIVATE resident of Apia, in a letter to us, comments severely on some of the attacks which Mr. O. F.

Nelson is making in his newspaper (published in Auckland) on the Sa moan Administration. The reduction of the very heavy fine imposed on Mr.

Nelson’s firm is generally approved, says this writer, but he is losing sym pathy by his irresponsible newspaper criticism. “To bring up, in a news paper, the most trivial incidents of pri vate life, in order to attack officials, is not a good method of fighting, and will not benefit a political cause,” is the concluding remark in this letter. * * * THE construction of the Maui Pom are—the steamer owned by the Government of New Zealand, which maintains more or less regular com munication between Auckland and Samoa—was a faulty job. The rivets in parts of the vessel were not prop erly inserted, so that the least tension drew them out of their sockets. Other grave constructional defects were dis covered after the vessel was put into commission and, before she was run ning satisfactorily in the Island ser vice, many thousands of pounds were spent on overhauls and repairs. It is now being very pertinently asked why the large sums lost on the Maui Pom are since she was put into commission have all been charged on the Cook Islands Department of the New Zea land Government, while the vessel is used almost exclusively in maintain ing communication between Auckland.

Samoa and Niue. It seems tough on the Cook Islands even although lonely Niue, which is equidistant from the Tongan. Samoan and Cook Groups, is sometimes described as one of the Cook Islands. * * * THE Sunday Sun, of February 7, contained some appreciative re ferences to Sir Hubert Murray’s work in Papua. The story written around his achievements was quite interesting, but the newspaper man, with the aver age Australian journalist’s usual know ledge of the Pacific islands, persist ently referred to Papua as being held under a Mandate.

The following extract from the article is interesting: “Sir Hubert says that there is a picture show at Port Moresby but he has been forced to forbid nat ives to attend. Pictures too often show white women in undignified roles and wearing a minimum of clothing, while the aim of his administration is to set white women on such a pedestal that natives will think of them as beings apart.”

Incidentally, we apologise to Sir Hub ert Murray, on behalf of newspaper dom, for the black and white sketch of his genial self, which was published with the article in question. No one could possibly have recognised “the dic tator of Papua”; and for some reason best known to himself, the artist placed

upon his victim’s face an extraordinary expression, which one might see there only once in a lifetime —if Sir Hubert Murray came unexpectedly upon a Daru sorcerer gnawing the shin-bone of his mother-in-law, for instance. And did anyone ever see Sir Hubert Mur ray wearing a topi? Or cream trousers? * * * SEVERAL months ago we expressed the opinion that the fine of £5,600. imposed by a Samoan Court upon Messrs. O. F. Nelson & Co. Ltd., for trading with the Mau (the firm claim ed that all it did was to receive from the Samoans small debts due to Mr. O.

F. Nelson, now in exile) was an ex ample of sheer savagery, not justified by reason or common sense, even if permitted by law. It is interesting to note that the New Zealand Supreme Court of five judges, just before Christ mas, gave a decision in Messrs. Nel son’s appeal against the Samoan ver dict, by which it reduced the fine from £5,130 to £470. That is a big conces sion; yet the firm still has to pay £470 plus huge costs —a very heavy punish ment for breach of a law that has no thing to do with criminal intent. The Supreme Court verdict amounts to a censure of the Samoan Court; and, as the latter has given a number of deci sions which do not suggest that neces sary tempering of justice with mercy, it might be worth the while of the Dominion Government to look into the whole subject of legal machinery in this mandated territory.

ISLAND medical officers are occasion ally called out to deal with some queer cases of sickness. It is reported that Dr. Ellison, the chief medical officer in the Cook Islands, in response to an urgent call for medical atten tion, found on his arrival that the patient was a horse! The doctor sank his professional pride and prescribed successfully for the animal, much to the relief of the native owner. * * * RESIDENTS of New Guinea, who pay substantial taxes, but have no voice whatever in the government, watch the increasing administration costs with a certain grimness. The story of how “mother welfare” is being introduced to wild bush mothers has been told elsewhere. The critics have other things to complain about. “Three years ago, we had three white police men in Rabaul,” writes one gentle man. “Now we have seventeen! And we have hundreds of native police— all decked out now in dinky blue and red uniforms. It makes us feel mighty important—but who’s paying for it all?

A little less spent on the things that the officials think are important, and a little more spent on developmental works would make those of us with a stake in the country feel a little hap pier about the country’s future.”