The Seven Wonders

Of The Islands

By G.R.

‘l. The man who owes money every where. He can sneak off to Sydney, where he rents a flat (£lO/10/-, lux. furn. tel. radio), takes a large interest in the hotel business (saloon-bar trade), graces the paddock at Randwick, runs a streamlined motor car (drive-your self, 6d, mile), plays Santa Claus to the girls, borrows a tenner from an Islands pal—and gets away with it all. . 2; The woman who journeys South for a change, has her photograph in the newspaper, a par. in the society column and buys half-a-dozen copies and leaves them around, open, at the appropriate page, in various rooms of the board— sorry—guest house; runs amok with a credit account in the most exclusive emporium; travels three months before her husband—and returns some time after him. 3. The child who runs the house-boys, knows all about plantation work, en gines, motor trucks, speaks two lan guages (including “pidgin”), says the smartest things, doing very well at school (correspondence course, taught by fond mother). In short, he promises to cut quite a figure in the world—and somehow doesn’t. 4. The planter whose property ie the finest for miles around, who raves about

unit cost (freight, non-effective units, etc., omitted), never has any labour trouble, gets more work from his boys than anyone else —and everybody knows darn well he doesn’t. 5. The warriors in the smoke-room of the steamer. This is where all the doughty deeds are done. They’ll give you all the gory details as the spirit continues to move them. Note: There are more “boys” taught a lesson in these confessions of the happy warriors than the whole native population of the Pacific—and then some. 6. The mining engineer. Some years ago, this profession was almost unknown in the Islands. An ordinary miner is hard to find, so the mining engineer runs down to Sydney every second trip, apparently in search of them—and re turns with another two shillings paid up on the shares, but no miners. 7. The miser who saves every bean for two years, lives on boy’s meat and rice, indulges in a little quiet trading, takes the boys’ photos at one shilling a time, stacks them on their edges— and then spends it all on a doctor’s bill.

The following mining concerns have been struck off the register of New Guinea Companies:—British New Guinea Gold N.L., Equatorial Gold Explor ation (New Guinea and New Britain) Syndicate N.L., Barola Gold Reefs N.L., and Mineral Exploration Syndicate, Ltd.

Unless cause is shown to the contrary before May next, Edie Options, Ltd. will also be removed from the list.