Tropiclities

ONCE, when Great Britain and Japan were officially friendly, we had only to express a wish for a copy of the annual report relating to the Caroline and Marshall Islands (held by Japan under mandate) and Tokio most cour teously complied. But, for several years now, we have not been able to obtain any information from Japan in regard to the administration of that Mandated Territory, and we have to depend upon all sorts of more or less unofficial sources for details. But the United States seems to have succeeded where all others have failed. Washington recently kicked up a row, and pointed out that Japan had committed a breach of her undertaking to the League of Nations by failing to issue an annual report relating to the Caroline and Mar shall Islands. It was reported from Tokio, on March 5, that the Japanese Government now has handed to the American Ambassador reports covering the years up to and including 1938. ♦ ♦ * EITHER the magisterial authorities are becoming callous, or the imagina tion of the Papuan labourer is beginning to fail. One native, challenged on the possession of a new rami, said that he found it in the rubbish tin at a board ing-house. Another, charged with stealing a piece of timber, could only plead that he wanted it to build a kit chen for himself. A third, caught with an assortment of nail-bits and knives, could think of nothing more convincing than that another native had given them to him. Then a taxi-driver, in whose quarters two bottles of beer and two tins of cigarettes were discovered by the inquisitive police, explained that the items had been left in his taxi the night before by two passengers, and that he had not had time to pass them in to the management before the police nosed them out. None of these explanations was accepted by the unsympathetic magistrates. Penalties ranged from a £5 fine to a month’s I.H.L. * * * THE “P.1.M.” representative knocked on the door of an office in Castle reagh Street, Sydney.

“Come in!” howled a voice—and, as he opened the door, he heard someone snarl; “Another blank-blank typewriter salesman, I suppose.”

Within, there was a certain amount of confusion. Miscellaneous papers and books were piled on tables; objects of an exotic appearance festooned the walls; tin boxes labelled “films” occu pied spaces under desks and chairs. In the middle of the floor stood a big man, attired in trousers, shirt, and a feroci ous glare. It was obvious that he had been interrupted in the middle of dic tation. At the desk, pencil poised, and likewise appearing impatient, was a pretty stenographer.

Thus did the “P.1.M.” track to his hid den lair District Officer J. L. Taylor, who returned recently from his famous patrol oyer the unexplored and unmap ped region between Mount Hagen and the headwaters of the Sepik River, in Central New Guinea. He now is engaged in the heavy task of compiling a detailed report which will be of value to the many interests represented in the patrol.

It is a colossal task, and Mr. Taylor is tackling it as he tackled his famous ex ploratory enterprises—by going straight at the job and keeping at it until it is

finished. His assistant at the moment is his sister, who acts as stenographer and soothes him when he is beset by inopportune callers. He presently will be joined in Sydney by his partner in the patrol, Patrol Officer John Black, and the two hope to get the magnum opus finished some time in April. They have been energetically pursued by Sydney luncheon t clubs, and other Syd ney people who like to entertain heroes in public—but, so far, they have insisted rather fiercely on privacy and anony mity. “See us after the report is fin ished,” is all that Mr. Taylor will vouchsafe. * * * SAYS the official correspondent with the A.1.F.: “Every country district of New South Wales is represented on this ship. . . The Northern Territory and New Guinea are well represented. In the ranks are prospectors, buffalo shoot ers, miners, planters, etc. Even distant Norfolk Island sent a man—a direct descendant of one of the ‘Bounty’ muti neers. One hundred and fifty years have passed since the historic mutiny, but a Quintal from the ‘Bounty’ is serving with the flag again.” * * * WE learn from the “New Yorker”, of January 6, that Doctor Sylvester Lambert, who left Fiji last year, after 21 vears’ medical work in the South Seas, has settled down in East Setauket, Long Island, U.S.A. The doctor is en gaged in writing his memoirs, and they should be more than a little interesting.

The copy of the “New Yorker” from which we obtain this information was sent to us by some friend in Canada who, judging by the marginal annota tion, does not like some of the state ments in the article in which the fam ous periodical sketches the activities of Doctor Lambert in the South Seas.

However, we must be tolerant with American journalism and not blame Dr.

Lambert. If, by adherence to the truth, an article is likely to be dull, the aver age American writer just puts in a few

startling and exciting bits (such as that the Lamberts’ youngest daughter “amazes her class-mates in East Setau ket with her command of Fiji dialects”) —and there you are. ♦ * ♦ THIS is the sort of note that makes an editor feel good all through.

“I did not renew the subscription for my brother this year, as he is in France, and his future address is very uncer tain. I am sending him my copy, for he, like myself, is a great admirer of your magazine, and we both read every word, even including the advertise ments. —Isobel Field, Serena, Carpin taria, California, U.S.A.”

Mrs. Field is the step-daughter of Robert Louis Stevenson, and she acted as the secretary of that famous man, and was with him when he died in Samoa in 1894. • • • THE announcement made in London, on February 21, that the British Government is providing £50,000,000, to be spent over the next ten years in the development of British colonies, has created a flutter of interest in such British Pacific territories as Fiji, Solo mon Islands, Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

New Hebrides. It is confidently expected that some small nortion of the huge sum will eventually reach those terri tories for expenditure on such items as agriculture, education, health services, housing, etc. The Australian territories of Papua and New Guinea, and the New Zealand territories of Cook Islands and Samoa, cannot be blamed if, in view of this rich gift from the Mother Country

to her small dependencies, they now sit up and look expectantly towards the Dominions which are responsible for their good government and future devel opment. * * ♦ SOMETHING seems to have profoundly disturbed the meteorological ar rangements of this old planet. While, in Europe, the people of the centre and north of the Continent have been suf fering the most severe winter known for one hundred years, Australia, at the other end of the world, has been in the grip of a severe drought. The posi tion in New South Wales, early in March, was becoming desperate. At the same time, Samoa and Fiji say “this is the driest wet-season known for fifty years.” There should have been copious rains there in December, January and February; but, in Samoa, there actu ally was a severe drought, and water ceased to flow in most of the rivers. * * * ISLANDS philatelists, that lynx-eyed tribe of microscope -wielders who minutely examine every square milli metre of each new stamp issued, gave a whoop of joy some time back when they discovered in the current pictorial Fiji series two faulty designs. In the lid. value a canoe is shown apparently sailing along without an occupant; and in the “Map” design for the 2d. and 6d. values the figures, to indicate the 180th degree of meridian, are missing.

However, the “Australian Stamp Jour nal” now reports that the British authorities responsible for printing Colonial stamps have corrected the errors—a figure of a Fijian is shown sitting in the canoe; and the 180° has been placed against the relative meri dian. Fiji’s honour is satisfied, and the soul-stirred philatelists may now sleep soundly o’nights. * ♦ ♦ FOR long years, Lord Howe Island had a monopoly of the Kentia palm seed trade; and the islanders (about 100 descendants of Europeans who set tled there long ago) were economically comfortable. But now other places, like Norfolk Island, are producing Kbntia palms and seed, and Lord Howe island ers face an economic crisis. Nominally, the island is part of New South Wales, and that Government now is trying to plan another industry. The tourist traf fic has great possibilities; but that means ships—and the shipping services, for the moment, have been knocked cock-eyed by the war. * ♦ ♦ “mHE Papuan natives play soccer foot- X ball very well, and at cricket they invariably rout every white team they meet,” said Rev. Father Bryson, Samarai missionary, to a Melbourne newspaper.

Father Bryson added that he is think ing of trying to bring a team of Papuan cricketers to Australia, later on, to try conclusions with some of the Australian experts, who have tied knots, on occa sion, in the tail of the British Lion.

Sister M. Moore, who returned to New Zealand from Fiji in the middle of last year, after serving for two years at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital in Suva, is now a member of the medical unit attached to the N.Z. Expeditionary Force in the Middle East.

Rev. W. Burvill, 8.A., Sub-Dean of the Quetta Memorial Cathedral, Thursday Island, recently arrived in Australia on a visit to his son Hugh, who has joined the Second A.T.F.