Tropicalities

PEOPLE who live in the Pacific should paste this in their hats. It is a para graph from a news despatch from Tokio, dated November 16: “Vice-Admiral Sankichi Takahashi, who yesterday succeeded Admiral Suetsugu as commander of the combined battle fleet, which has been reorganised and now in cludes new and powerful aircraft and de stroyer divisions, declared there was not the slightest question of Japan giving up her mandated interests (Marshall and Caroline Islands) regardless of whether she left the League of Nations. If the League or anybody else tried to recover an island they would find the Imperial navy fully prepared for every eventuality.” * * * THE following is from the Melbourne Herald of November 28: “Mr. C. W. C.

Marr, Minister in Charge of Royal Tour, and recently the Minister in Charge of Australian Pacific Territories, has been offered a directorship on the Australian board of a mining company now being floated in England. Mr. Marr, it was stated to-day, refused recently the post of Administrator of New Guinea.”

It was announced, on December 10, that Prince Henry, before sailing for N.Z., has conferred a Knighthood on Major Marr, who had been in charge of the Australian programme for the Royal visit. * * * THE 20th of August is remembered in England and Scotland as “Mosquito Day”—the anniversary of which the late Sir Ronald Ross (a poet as well as a medical scientist) celebrated privately for many years in a spirit of thankfulness.

It recalled to him that on August 20th, 1897, laborious years of research in India were rewarded by his discovery under the microscope of malaria parasites in the stomach tissues of a mosquito.

This discovery, subsequently confirmed and elaborated, solved the mystery of the transmission of malaria, yellow fever, and other deadly tropical diseases. Mos quito control measures resulting from this knowledge have transformed rich tropical lands and saved millions of lives; but the future possibilities of tropi cal hygiene are enormous, thanks mainly to the knowledge of what Ross called the “million-murdering” cause.

In his last years this “Mosquito Day” developed into a semi-official, quite cere monial, luncheon party at the Ross In stitute at Putney, and eminent admirers of his genius, such as the late Sir Wil liam Simpson, Sir Arthur Keith, Sir Aldo Castellani, Mr. John Masefield, and others delivered eulogies. It was the Prince of Wales who opened the Institute as a na tional memorial to this great benefactor, and last August Mr. John Masefield spoke eloquently in St. Martin’s Church, Tra falgar Square, on Ross’s life and work, his address being broadcast by the B.B.C.

—H.J.B.

. * * * WE unwittingly did the Lutheran Mission of New Guinea an injustice when we stated, in November, that “three separate influences supported the German shipping line—the Lutheran (German) Mission Stations, etc.” It is pointed out that the Lutheran Mission Stations belong to two different and separate societies, one German (Finschhafen) and the other American (Madang). These stations try to divide their copra shipments fairly be-

tween the N.D.L, and the other shipping lines. Roman Catholic missions (at Ko kopo and at Sek), whose copra output is many times that of the Lutherans, also use the N.D.L. ships for a substantial portion of their product. * * * THE danger of poisoning by bush ticks, which kill large numbers of dogs in Australia, is being mitigated by dusting the coats of the dogs with powdered derris root, which comes from Malaya. Dr.

Clunies Ross, director of the McMaster Animal Health Laboratory, University of Sydney, said that plants containing the same active principle as derris have been received from New Guinea. Although they were less effective, for the reason that they do not grind up so finely, it might be possible to improve the method of using them, and so establish a small trade for New Guinea. * * * A CORRESPONDENT in the Solomon Islands writes to correct a wrong im pression that might be given by a para graph in the October issue of the P.I.M.- It was stated that native wages in B.S.I. had been reduced to 10/- per month for general labour and 5/- per month for light labour, and that this reduction brought B.S.I. rates into line with New Guinea and Papua, From this it might appear that wage rates had been fixed at the figures quoted for the period com mencing December 1. This is not the case. The rates stated are minimum rates —employers may pay any higher rates that they wish. Our correspondent urges us to appeal to B.S.I. employers to co-operate and, by working together, to establish wage standards that will be equal to the standards in the adjoining territories and which will not be much in excess of the amount provided under the new regulations. This matter is regarded as one of considerable importance, as the

British Solomon Islands in the past have been under a severe handicap in that the wage rates fixed there have been exces sive.