Tubuais Charms

And a Scientific Mystery

From Our Own Correspondent

Papeete, May 14.

little time ago a young man appeared at Papeete and announced lie was a scientist from a certain museum in the States and that he was on his way to Tubuai for the purpose of geographic research.

We thought we had not heard aright and asked him if it were not geological research. But he insisted it was geogra phic, and we have been wondering ever since what it was all about, for the young man was very reticent and de clined to give details of his objectives.

What geographic mystery may reside in Tubuai has been a matter of discus sion ever since. We remembered finally that Tubuai sits astride the Tropic of Capricorn and it has occurred to us that maybe the young scientist was commis sioned by his museum to ascertain whether the Southern Tropic line traver sed the island through a tunnel under tne mountains, or follows the contour of the peaks after the manner of the Great Wall of China.

Someone else suggested that he might be working on electric tests with a col league in South America to find out if the Tropic of Capricorn has been warped or cracked by the violent volcanic erup tions and earthquakes in the Chilean Andes during recent years.

Tubuai is too far south and the climate there is too cold for coconuts to'mature —so there is no copra to export. The inhabitants apply their energies to the raising of pigs and cattle and turkeys and fowl.

The local schooner Teheiporoura, on her long voyages northward to Tahiti is, therefore, redolent —not with the acrid smell of copra, but with the odours of the barnyard which increase in violence as she proceeds under the heat of a tro pical sun, until the fabled stench of the Augean stables becomes as a faint and gentle zephyr compared with the Tehei poroura when she finally arrives at Papeete.

But to us who are accustomed to this signal of her arrival it heralds toothsome turkey meat, tender fowl and fat pork in the market on the morrow.

Mr. R. J. Wilson, joined the April Mon toro at Cairns on his way to Misima Island, Papua, where he took up a posi tion with Cuthbert’s Misima Gold Mine Ltd.

Miss F. J. Pearce, a Methodist mis sionary, returned to Kiriwina, Papua, by the Macdhui on April 28. Miss Pearce, who has been doing missionary work in Papua for 21 years, was accompanied by her friend, Miss C. Coulson, who assists in her work.

Sivami Avinasananda, a Hindu priest,

of Ramakriskra Mission, Belur, Math,

India, arrived in Sydney in May by the Mooltan en route to Fiji to minister to the Hindu population there.