“Devilish”

Melbourne Woman’s Visit to Pago-Pago

ATTRIBUTING her experiences to “the super-imagination, if not the menda city,” of American advertising propaganda, Miss Vida Lazarus, who returned in the Mariposa early in January from a holiday visit to Pago Pago, described the accom modation there as “perfectly devilish,” (says the Melbourne Star).

Miss Lazarus is the managing law clerk for her father, Mr. Mark Lazarus, and is well known in Melbourne.

“We were told by advertisements that there was good hotel accommodation at one of the most wonderful tourist centres in the southern hemisphere,” she said.

“What we found was a badly kept hut, swarming with ants and adjoining a native hut, where we were obliged to sleep in considerable discomfort and lack of privacy.

“I was thankful that we only spent one night there. Women visitors had no choice but to put up with the prying gaze of curious natives. There were 24 Australian tourists visiting Pago Pago at the time, and all were obliged to endure abominable treatment.

“At Leone, 15 miles from Pago Pago, which is a marvellous place, the condi tions were even worse. Unless naval offi cers took pity on visitors they were sub jected to treatment that was not fit for white people.

“Some of the natives who came into close contact with the visitors were suf fering from disease, and the hygienic conditons were thoroughly objectionable.”

Miss Lazarus expressed a desire to dis sociate from responsibility for such misleading advertising the names of the Matson line and its Australian agents, who, she said, had given wonderful ser vice throughout the voyage.

She added that Pago Pago had lived up to the reputation suggested for it by Somerset Maugham in his book “Rain," which, she believed, had been written in the “hotel” to which she took so much objection. While she was there it had rained in true style, and she was very glad to leave.

Several other passengers in the Mari posa supported Miss Lazarus in her com plaints about the accommodation.