Tropicalities

NOW that, under war conditions, the production of cocoa beans in New Guinea is likely to become a profitable industry, it is worth recalling that a very useful pamphlet was issued m 1934 by the Department of Agriculture, New Guinea. It was “Bulletin No. 2 Leaflet 70—The Possibility of Developing an Economic Cacao Industry in the Man dated Territory of New Guinea, After a Study of the Industry in Trinidad, and a Suggested Policy for that Development”.

The writer was Mr. E. C. D. Green, HD A who spent some time at the Im perial’ College of Tropical Agriculture, Trinidad. Every aspect of the suggested New Guinea industry is dealt with in this 72-page pamphlet. * * * THE crop of native complaints at the Port Moresby Magistrate’s office is often heavy after the Christmas inter regnum.

An alleged house-boy, more sophisti cated than experienced walked into the office on the morning of December 27.

“I want finish”, he announced trucu lently.

The Magistrate sighed wearily and asked him what the trouble was.

“Taubada, you savvy this one Kismis.

Mv boss he give me one white rami one belt b’long Kismis. I no want im this one I want ’im led rami an tin wiss (whistle). This fashion no good. I want finish.”

The Magistrate sighed wearily and and the unhappy native left the office convinced that there is no justice in the world, and that Christmas is an over rated festival. —L. * * * MR. MARC T. GREENE, American world-travelling journalist, arrived in Auckland from Tahiti in December.

“I have offered my services to the New Zealand Government for any sort of war work”, he c ays in a letter to the editor.

“I do not know whether anything will come of that; but I am determined to get to Europe as soon as possible and do something, if only to hand out sand wiches across a Y.M.C.A. counter some where. For I feel that in this great and climactic ideological struggle there is not, and ought not to be any such thing as neutrality. All of us must be on one side or the other; and, if we are, we should—barring such kind of personal responsibility as demands all our en deavours otherwise —take up some sort of work.” * * * WE have received a copy of a five-page statement which apparently has been widely circulated in Fiji, and which is entitled “An answer to the publishers oi the Pacific Islands Monthly”. It is pro duced by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society (otherwise, Jehovah’s Wit nesses —otherwise, the disciples of Judge Rutherford) and it commences: “This is a reply to the article published in your October issue concerning what you term ‘A Minor War in Fiji’. We know that you will not have the courage to print this reply in your columns.”

The interesting point, as reflecting upon the methods of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, is that we were, not given the opportunity of printing the re ply in our columns. The first we saw of it is in this copy of the Fiji circular. We would not have printed the circular, but

not through lack of courage—only through lack of space. The statement consists mostly of very long-winded interpreta tions of the Bible and equally wordy re flections concerning the “Fiji Times”, the Roman Catholic Church and the “Pacific Islands Monthly”.

We attacked the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society because we cannoi imagine how any good can be achieved by admitting so hoi«y -a sect to the al ready over-crowded field of missionary activities in the Pacific Islands. * * * Administrative officials on lonely islands stations develop some queer hobbies; but we nominate that of Mr.

Sydney H. Chance, Resident Magistrate at Kokoda, Papua, as the queerest. He collects waterfalls. He discovered the Beaver Falls, 600 feet, on the Mobi, a tributary of the Kikori, in 1926, and he claims this to be the highest in New Guinea. Pilot Aubrey Koch thinks there is a bigger one “somewhere on the Upper Strickland”, but Mr. Chance won’t even regard it as competitive. Away back in 1920, a party led by District Officer Joe Kenny, and including Police-Master “Ted” Taylor, “Liklik Doctor” Joe Drury and Topographer S. H. Chance, saw a big waterfall inland from Wide Bay. in New Britain: but this is not re garded as competitive, either. If editorial blandishments succeed. Mr. Chance will write an article for this journal about the waterfalls of New Guinea. « * • NAZI impudence and arrogance are well illustrated in a broadcast an nouncement from Berlin on January 1, to the effect that Germany will hold Britain, Prance, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa responsible for any damage done to the former German colonies arising out of the present war.

The Nazis insisted that the mandatory powers have no right to impose war conditions upon the mandated territories —that, under the mandate, they are

obliged to maintain neutrality ; in the territories concerned.

The Goering-Goebbels Gangster Gov ernment does not seem to realise that so long as the Nazis rule Germany there is not the slightest prospect of Germany having any interest in the Mandated Territories. * • WRITING to the editor from England, Mr. Henry Dexter, formerly of Papua, comments with regret upon the recent death of two Samarai men whom he knew and esteemed—lrvine and Small.

“I knew Small well when we were both was sitting on my verandah in Papua, says Mr. Dexter. “Small handed in his checks to Whitten Brothers in order that he might go sailing with Captain Voss, who had made a lot of voyages in single handed craft. That was in 1914. When they (Small, Voss and Eric Bomgreen) got to Brisbane, war had broken out.

Small joined up and the next I heard of him was that he had been blown up in a mine sweeper in the English Chan nel.

“The years passed, and one night I was sitting on my verandah in Papua reading. Suddenly, without any warning, a face appeared at the end of the ver andah—there, looking at me, was Small, whom I had long believed dead.

“When I had recovered—he must at first have thought that I was having a fit —I told him about the report of his death and he plagiarised Mark Twain and said that it was grossly exaggerated.” • • • GUINEA Airways, Ltd., have conducted a large aerial transport service in New Guinea for 13 years, with remark ably few serious accidents, and none due to engine failure. Yet, during the two years they have been running trans continental services in Australia, they have lost two of their best machines (one in December) as the result of engine failure. Commenting upon this, an exe cutive of Guinea Airways supplies an in teresting note: “Our clear record of engine failures in New Guinea, as against our mishaps in Australia, is almost wholly due to the damp atmosphere in New

Guinea, which makes dust and grit practically unknown. This has a tre mendous effect on the costs of spare parts and replacement. For instancy cylinders in New Guinea practically don’t wear at all, whereas in Australia the rate of wear is very high.” • • * THE island world of the South Pacific is a vast whispering gallery.

This is no new thing, for Ro’o (rumour)—“born of the cloud and who feeds upon the cloud as he travels on, grows and travels on”—was one of the principal gods of the ancients.

The other great deities of the pantheon have passed into the twilight of forget fulness; but Ro’o survives, and has added European jewels to the splendour of his diadem.

It is extraordinary the transfigurations and transmutations the simplest bit of news or morsel of gossip will undergo during transit through the Islands. The miracles of invention and marvels oi adornment can be attributed only to some divine intervention. Therefore one must believe that Ro’o still “feeds upon the cloud as he travels on. grows, and tiavels on”. —A.C.R. * * * ON the subject of Pidgin, and the effects being made in Papua to teach the natives to speak English, Mr.

G. Auerbach, of Muwo, Trobriand Is lands, Eastern Papua, sends the fol lowing letter. It was written by a 10years-old native boy in the Catholic Mis sion, Samarai, to his father, who is em ployed by Mr. Auerbach, in the Tro briands. The letter is reproduced ex actly as written, in a round clear hand:— Catholic Mission, Sideia E. Papua, April Bthe, 1989.

Dear Kaka. How are you. I hope you are better and 1 write this little letter to you in Trobriand Island. How is my Mother getting on and my Sister. I hope their are better. In Sideia he dede one Father name Father Tomlinson because no money in Sideia. Please Kaka will you sent one blue rimi for me.

Please Kaka will you sent one bag of Kaibai for me in Sideia. How is Auerback. I hope you are better. Please write a small letter for me in Sideia. This all I say. Good bye and God bless you. I am your son Albert Pipi, Sideia School Boy. * * « A REPORT that the 250 people on Pitcairn Island were seriously short of food, as the result of war-time diver sion of shipping, has been flatly contra dicted, and a silly statement, originating in Australia, that the removal of the population of Pitcairn Island would be necessary has been challenged and de precated by the Pitcairners themselves.

The people of Pitcairn Island are quite able to provide themselves with all the necessaries of life, from their own is land—as they have done for 150 years— but when ships do not call regularly they may run short of such articles as sugar, oil, kerosene, matches. The radio transmitting set on Pitcairn broke down in November, but now has been repaired, and the island again is in touch with the outside world.

Mr. T. B. D. Edwards, manager in Fiji for Cable and Wireless, Ltd., during the past two years, left Suva for Sydney on leave on December 19. On the completion of his furlough, he will be transferred to another station. He has been relieved by Mr. L. Cottew, from Southport (Queens land), who previously served in Fiji from 1911 to 1913 with the Pacific Cable Board,