"Curse Of The Pass"

Letter to the Editor.

YOUR contributor on “The Curse oi the Pass”, in the August issue of the “P.1.M.”, does not appreciate what the natural outcome would be, should his sneering remarks upon the subject of “white prestige” gain him a following.

In more settled countries a common sight is the baker’s roundsman, the butcher’s bov. and the grocer’s assistant, collecting orders and delivering parcels from door to door. We at Wau, (despite your contributor’s views on “prestige”) do not consider this desirable in a native community, and have voluntarily provided natives to do this work, thus leaving the store assistants with less degrading tasks to perform.

I think the svstem at present in vogue is better for all parties concerned, even although this mav entail criticism from the very people we are trying to help.

I am, etc..

A Wau Housewife.

Wau, September 1.

The statement made in Australian newspapers by the skinner of one of the Dutch steamers, in August, that there was no reliable chart of Salamaua avail able. and that he and other navigators in New Guinea waters were obliged to make their own chart* in order to get in and out of the goldfields port, caused quite a stir in Australian official circles. Mr, Hughes, Minister for the Territories, said he -was enquiring into the matter The incident has piquant interest because Mr Hughes’ selection of Salamaua as the New Guinea capital has been under fire lately, and it was amusing to find that there is not even a good chart of the selected locality in existence.