Laka’S Letter
p. 77 · Read in the full issue
DOES anyone in Papua know Francis Emanual Laka?
A man unpacking bales of rubber in a Melbourne factory found a letter, addressed simply “Working man,” and dated January 13.
“Dear Sir,” it ran, “on Sunday morning we got 13 bales. We got plenty rubber trees here in Papua. We got plenty stations in Papua. Some B.P.’s and some stations far away from bush. Some white men live in the bush. That’s all. —Francis Emanual Laka.
“I am working in Hikinumu.”
Mr. Charles J. Thompson, assistant en gineer in the Fiji Works Department, died at Lautoka in June, from heart seizure following influenza. Joining the department in 1914, he served at Lautoka, Ra, and Suva, where he was in charge of the construction of the Colonial War Memorial Hospital. He was appointed as sistant engineer in 1927; but recently had been acting as assistant to Mr. A. A.
Ragg (Assistant Director of Works).