Tropic Alitifs

IN a paragraph on page 8 of the Sep tember issue of “The Pacific Islands Monthly” it was stated that “A rep resentative of a company called Fed eral Taxation Pty., Ltd., of 77 King Street, Sydney, has gone to Papua to investigate sugar-growing possibili ties.” We are informed that this state ment is untrue —that no representative of the Company named has gone to Papua to investigate sugar-growing possibilities, or for any other purpose, and the Company is not interested in any project having reference to Papuan sugar, or to the formation of a company in regard thereto. The report came to us from a source apparently reliable, and was published in good faith; and we now hasten formally to contradict it, and to express regret for any annoy ance its publication may have caused. * * * AN unusual request was contained in a telegram received in Thursday Island from the skipper of the oil steamer “Turbo,” as that vessel was about to leave Melbourne. He asked that a live turtle be captured and that he would collect it when he passed T.I. at 12 o’clock on a certain day. On the date given, the vessel showed up promptly to time, and the turtle, caught a few hours earlier, was duly placed on board. * * * MR. N. HAGEN, of Noumea —one of the best-known men in the Pacific Territories sends along a note that is very welcome: “I again take the opportunity of con gratulating you on your interesting pub lication, which binds the South Sea interests of both nationalities in a cement of friendship * * * MR. J. WARD WILLIAMS, on his re turn to Port Moresby, Papua, from the Yodda goldfield, told of the un usual manner in which the new Kokoda aerodrome was dried to allow the first ’plane to successfully take-off from this ’drome. The surface was rather soft, due to heavy rains, and the ’plane at its initial attempt was unable to leave the ground. The next day, Mr.

Rich, A.R.M., paraded police boys, prisoners, and miscellaneous villagers, who had been attracted to the spot.

They were marched up and down the centre of the field under the command of the native sergeant, who, upon his own initiative, would halt his “troops” on the softest patches. He would then order them to “mark time.” After about an hour of this human rolling, the ground was considered suitable for a take-off. This was successfully made at the first try by Pilot Denny. Three quarters of an hour after leaving Ko koda, the ’plane landed at Port Moresby. * * * AN interesting innovation has been made by Mr. W. R. Carpenter in connection with the feeding of his labour corps at his desiccated coconut factory at Pondo, New Guinea.

For a long time the factory and plan tation managers fed the 500 natives

employed there in the usual way— namely, with issues of rice, meat, fish, etc., together with the usual mixture of native-grown foods. Some time ago, however, when it was found that the exchange position was against the im portation of Asiatic rice, Mr. Carpenter decided to test Australian flour. He purchased well-known brands of Aus tralian flour and established a bakery in one corner of the factory. Good quality white bread is produced here which is issued to the labour line in place of rice, etc. The experiment has been quite successful. The natives are enthusiastic about the new kind of kai —they much prefer white bread to rice —and they have apparently thrived on it, because when the present writer saw them a few weeks ago, they had as well-fed an appearance as any labor line in the Territory. The flour used in this way is actually no more costly than rice—probably it is less—and, above all, the issue of this class of food to the natives is giving employ ment to an Australian wheat farmer, rather than an Asiatic rice grower.

The attention of Pacific Islands em ployers and Australian flour millers is invited to this subject. Breadbaking in the Pacific Islands is easy. No better heating fuel for the oven can be found than the shell of the coconut, which is discarded in the process of copra making. * * * NEW GUINEA continues to be the happy hunting-ground of the world of anthropology. Field work is being extensively undertaken there at the pre sent time. Mr. Gregory Bateson, who has been carrying on anthropological research in the Territory for some years, is at present busy on the Sepik River, and is being assisted there by a young lady, Miss Stephenson, who joined him in Madang last July. Mr.

W. C. Groves has established a camp in New Ireland, and is carrying on re search work under a special grant from the National Research Council of Aus tralia and New Zealand. Inland from Aitape, two other famous anthropolo gists are working—Dr. Fortune and Mrs. Fortune. Mrs. Fortune is better known as Dr. Margaret Mead, who has published one or two successful books — “Growing up in New Guinea,” being a particularly notable work. Attached to the New Guinea Public Service is Mr.

E. W. P. Chinnery, who is also a famous anthropologist. Incidentally, it has been reported that Mr. Chinnery is to be given important administrative duties in the near future.

AN amusing instance of the effect of semi-education among the natives was told to me the other day.

A local missionary visited a village in the Solomons and found a boy, who had only lately returned from medical training, sitting in his house looking dejected and miserable. ‘What is the matter with you?” asked the missionary.

“Oh, I am very sick,” answered the boy, “I am suffering from acute nervous strain. I am going to see the doctor."

Later the missionary revisited the village, and again found the boy looking sad and doleful.

“What is the matter with you this time?” he asked, “did you not get any medicine from the doctor?”

“No, the doctor said no medicine will cure my sickness.”

“But that is terrible, my poor boy,” said the missionary. ‘What did the doctor call your sickness?”

The boy moaned slightly. “The doc tor,” he said feebly, “told me that I was suffering from im-ag-in-ation! ’’ * * * A TOURIST whose sympathies were evidently inclined in an anthropo logical direction stepped off an Is land steamer the other day and passed along the street with an observant eye upon the various types of colour. Meet ing a schoolgirl outside one of the Chinese shops, he asked, “What races have you got in this place, girlie?” The answer, coming from a mind full of the forthcoming aquatic meeting, was: “Well, swimming and boating, mostly!"