Tropicalities

OUR friend, “Logui,” of Salamaua, T.N.G., sent this “for the house keeping page”; but it will do here: From time to time, we have read with interest the various ways of cooking yams, taros, etc. The following is the recipe for cooking kau-kau, proven by far the best method in the Morobe district, and invented entirely by that celebrated Edie Creek chef, Mr. Ernest St. Laurence Bowden —“Peel the kau-kau, and cut into thin chips, and place in pan of very hot tat. Fry till a golden brown. Take the chips from pan and dry, then place on hot plate, and then throw them as far as pos sible out through the back door —over a precipice, if there is one handy.” ♦ ♦ ♦ 4S an example of the “tripe” which some newspapers publish as news about the Pacific Islands, the following is taken from a Melbourne newspaper; For the whole year that Mr. S. H. Gander, Seventh Day Adventist missionary, his wife and 11-year-old daughter have been at Upper Ramu Island, New Guinea, the natives of the different villages have been fighting constantly.

Mr. Gander, who arrived in Sydney by the Tanda to-day, said his only white companions be sides his family were 120 miles from Samarai.

The cannibal tribes further north of his district ate men who were killed in fighting, but never anyone dying from sickness, he said. The natives among whom he worked were more peaceable, but rats, snakes, lizards, and grubs were their common diet.

The fighting was mostly dancing and shouting, said Mr. Gander. In a battle of 250 aside, for example, the total casualties would probably number about nine.

Eleven-year-old Gwen said black babies were her only playmates, but all native children were terribly dirty until brought to the mission. She shared their games, but not their snacks of grubs, and had seen native wounds caused by arrows.

The bit about “Upper Ramu Island” and “120 miles from Samarai” will be read with interest by residents of Morobe. Mr. Gander did good work in the Ramu region, and was not responsible for the article—he, obviously, was the unfortunate victim of a cub reporter and a busy telegraphist. * * * lON IDRIESS came in the other day with two books under his arm— totally dissimilar in appearance but, at heart, the same. They were the Dutch and the Scandinavian editions, respec tively, of Idriess’s successful New Guinea book, “Gold Dust and Ashes.” The Dutch have made a particularly attractive job of their edition —good paper, fine print, a most artistic and striking cover, and the best picture we have yet seen of Cecil John Levien.

“About half the old hands of New Guinea have been in to see this edition,” said Idriess, with his characteristic grin.

“They all wanted to see what their names looked like, in Dutch!”

The Australian editions of “Gold Dust and Ashes” have sold 40,000 copies. There was some talk of filming the book: but Idriess says that no agreement has been reached yet. There is a great film story in the book, with the long-visioned Levien as the central figure. * * * ONE result of the advent of the Labour Party to political office in New Zealand has been to upset speculations as to the new Administrator of Western Samoa. The office has been vacant since the retirement of Sir Herbert Hart. One of the first statements of the new Prime Minister (Mr. Savage) referred to this post.

No decision had yet been arrived at, he de clared, but a man would be appointed who

would be conversant with the customs and traditions of the Samoan people. If such an appointment had been made years ago it is certain that recent chapters in Samoan history would have been presented in a very different light. One thing is certain—no military official will get the job. Incidentally, Mr. Savage has followed the precedent of the ex-Prime Minister (Mr. Forbes) by taking over both the Cook Islands and Native (Maori) Affairs portfolios. Also of interest to Pacific readers is the fact that since his assump tion of office two of the four Maori mem bers, both Independents, have applied for admission to the Labour Party. * * * THE world does not change much. This was written by Alexander Brome about 300 years a.go: I have been in love, and in debt, and in drink, This many and many a year!

And those are three plagues enough, any should think, For one poor mortal to bear! ’Twas love made me fall into drink; And drink made me run into debt!

And though I have struggled, and struggled, and strove; I cannot get out of them yet!

There’s nothing but money can cure me; And rid me of all my pain! ’Twill pay all my debts; And remove all my lets; And my Mistress that cannot endure me, Will love me and love me again!

Then I’ll fall to my loving and drinking again.

Alexander Brome (1620-1666)

\ KEEN student of Polynesian affairs, Dr. Ivan G. Sutherland, of Victoria College, Wellington, New Zealand, is now visiting Western Samoa, His main object is to recuperate after a serious illness, but it is more than likely that he will obtain first-hand information there concerning the political situation. A brilliant scholar, for years he has been closely associated with Sir Apirana Ngata, M.P., and has made present day conditions among the Maoris

his particular study. “The Maori Situa tion,” which he published a few months ago, an exceedingly able survey of the Ngata administration of communal land settlement, has run into edition after edition. Dr. Sutherland has travelled ex tensively in Eastern Polynesia. To the Maori people he is known as “Paikea,” a name that is familiar in many parts of the Pacific. In Polynesian mythology Paikea was famous for his rapid transit across vast distances on the back of a whale. At the gathering of the tribes at Waitangi last year, Dr. Sutherland experi enced some difficulty with his motor-car.

“Poor old Paikea,” murmured a sym pathetic Maori. “His whale is no good!”

On that occasion, incidentally, he was at tached to the Rarotongan delegation at the special request of Sir Apirana Ngata, then Minister for Native Affairs and the Cook Islands. * * * UNDER the heading, “Inaccuracies in the P.1.M.,” the “Public Service Bulletin” of New Guinea re-publishes a letter which appeared in the Rabaul Times of Novem ber 15, and to which we referred in our December issue. We showed then that the letter, which obviously was written by a public servant with a grievance, was itself a tissue of inaccuracies, distortions and exaggerations: and the circumstances of its re-publication bear out the truth of our statement. The editor of the “Bulletin” is no sport. He re-published, with manifest glee, a letter which attacked the “P.1.M.”; but he did not re-publish a much less wordy letter published in the Rabaul Times only a week later, which defended and praised the “P.1.M.”

ISEE that Lord Moyne (formerly Sir Walter Guinness) has gone in a luxurious yacht, with titled companions, to explore New Guinea,” writes a cor respondent, A.J.V. “On behalf of a grate ful Territory, I move that the name of New Guinea be changed forthwith to New Guinness!”

Mr. Dave Lyall, of Wau, New Guinea, expects to obtain his air pilot’s license shortly. He has now almost completed his course at Mascot, N.S.W.