Tropicalities

A NOTE from Daru, in Western Papua:— “One month—no option,” decreed the perspiring officer. The disgrace did not hang heavily on the prisoner. To him the distant “town”, with its few stores, boats and whites, was paradise. But a prisoner? Who cares! Plenty of good food, plenty to see and hear, and every thing new, and certainly not hard labour. So he went.

Returning two months later, he came to see me, loud in praise of the Gov ernment gaol, and, above all, “The Sina bada”. His gaol work was to weed and water the official’s garden, and “Sina bada give me f’nour (bread and cake) every day, and some day ginger beer.

Gaol finish, I work two weeks for one man, two weeks for company, then I come home.”

Went for punishment, came back richer by a few calicos and some (probably stolen) wire and iron. And now my gaol friend is making no effort to raise his tax money. It is “tax or gaol”; but who would pay taxes? Only white men and fools. * ♦ ♦ BECAUSE he is Governor of Fiji, Sir Harry Luke is exempt by law from the payment of income tax; but, soon after the outbreak of war, he arranged that, as from January 1, until the termination of hostilities, he would pay income-tax on his salary, as Gov ernor, to the general revenue of Fiii, at the rate fixed for individuals. Sir Harry Luke is also paid as High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, and there is no income-tax in the fortunate territories governed by that Commission. So Sir Harry Luke is paving, also, 7i per cent, of his salary as High Commissioner into Government funds, for the same period.

It was noted recently, in the London “Daily Mirror”, that Sir Arthur Rich ards, now Governor of and formerly Governor of Fiji, is similarly donating a percentage of his salary to wards the cost of the war. * ♦ * mHE old group photograph of the First X Fiji Reinforcements, in the 1914-18 war, which was reproduced on page 28 of the April issue of the “P.1.M.” (and which, it was explained, had been found by the Rev. Harry Bartlett on the wall of the mission house in Misima, apparently ownerless) was recognised, with surprise and delight, by Mrs. Allen Innes, formerly of Salamaua, New Cuinea, and now a resident of Vaucluse, Sydney.

“The photo was presented to me when the first Fijian reinforcements were leaving Fiji.” says Mrs. Innes, in a letter to the editor. “I was then on the nursing staff of the Colonial Hos pital, Suva. Many of the contingent had been patients of the hospital, and all the men were well known to us.

The photo was autographed, and framed very handsomely in yacca, when it was presented to me, and I valued it greatly.”

Mrs. Innes explains that the illness of her son caused her to leave Misima hur riedly in 1924; and subsequently, owing to the transfer of her husband, she was not able to return to Misima and claim the photograph. Certain articles were left with Rev. J. R. Andrews in Misima and, apparently, had been lost sight of

by the owner. Mrs. Allen Innes expresses her grateful thanks to Rev. J. R.

Andrews and Rev. Harry Bartlett for taking care of the photograph, and thus bringing it under her notice. The valuable memento has been sent on to Mrs. Innes. * • * THE Ngapuhi tribe of North Auckland (New Zealand) now possess a canoe that will seat 150 men and is 117 ft. in length. This is claimed to be the largest canoe ever built in Polynesia. It was a gift from King Koroki, of Wai kato, to the Ngapuhi, who were hosts at the recent centennial celebrations at Waitangi, and the canoe will be housed there. The name, Nga-toki-mata-horua, was given to it because one of the canoes of Kupe, the famous voyager from Tahiti in the 10th century, was so called. There is no doubt that it is big ger than any craft ever made by Poly nesian craftsmen at that period. It is problematical whether Tahiti ever had timber to eoual the New Zealand kauri (of which the new canoe is built).

Samoa, however, can lay claim to some large craft. In 1893, a perfect mania for boat-building seized the natives there. The correspondent of an Auckland newspaper reported that the competition to possess the biggest craft went to extraordinary lengths. Boats from 40 to 70 ft. long were compara tively common. One man built one of 100 ft., and another of 110 ft. was fin ished. “A third is now being built no less than 200 ft. in length,” it was stated, “which will pull upwards of 100 oars.” If this craft was ever finished, it would make even the Nga-toki-mata horua look rather small! —E.R. ♦ * * THE annual reports of Sir Hubert Murray, Lieutenant - Governor of Papua, were always noted for their unconventional character amusing, scholarly, gossipy, and informative—and as the years passed they were quoted with increasing relish by newspapers all

over the world, and became famous.

During the past month, several weeks after Sir Hubert had been laid to rest, his last report on the administration of Papua, for the year 1938-9, was presented to the Commonwealth Parliament, and formally published; and; again the newspapers quote from it freely—but this time sadly. “Sir Hubert Murray’s last report on Papua carries on the tra dition’’; “He is dead —but his work for Papua lives” —these are two of the striking newspaper headings with which his last annual compilation is greeted. * ♦ ♦ THE correspondent of an Islands newspaper, describing a wedding reception, waxed lyrical. “To the incessant tune of popping corks, the breakfast proceeded merrily,” he said.

“After the toast of His Majesty the Kink, the toast of ... ” etc., etc.

Now, was that unfortunate “k” put in by a careless printer, or did the gentle man react in proper fashion to the pop ping of corks, and write as he felt? Did you ever try to say, “Gentlemen, the King”, when you were more or less pickled?