Newspaper Rubbish

AS an example of the kind of rubbish that is published in responsible newspapers as authentic news of the Pacific Islands we commend the follow ing, which appeared in the “New Zealand Herald” recently. The article said, among other things:— 1. —That the United States has made plans to colonise Christmas Island, be cause it regards the harbour there as having considerable strategic value. Ac tually, Christmas Island has been occu pied and developed by Britain and Brit ish interests for at least 50 years; and there is no harbour there —there is only “a safe anchorage at the main settlement in calm weather”. 2.—lt said that there are “persistent rumours of Western Samoa and Apia be ing turned over to Germany in a Brit ish Colonial deal”. The distinction be tween Western Samoa and Apia is quaint; and the statement itself is with

out the slightest foundation in fact. 3.—lt was stated that American offi cials in March “met members of the Brit ish Geographical Society solar eclipse ex pedition on Enderbury Island”. There was no such expedition, in any shape or form, in the South Seas in March, and there have been no British officials on Enderbury Island for some time. What probably happened was that the Ameri can officials, when they visited Canton Island, met the two Fiji officials who are stationed there under orders from the British Colonial Office.

The “New Zealand Herald” is a sober and reliable newspaper, and it ought to have known better.

Mr. W, G. Higgs, well-known in the Western Pacific as inspector for Messrs.

W. R. Carpenter and Co., Ltd., took over the duties of manager of the Rabaul branch of the firm in New Guinea in

mid-April.