Tropicalilies

ANEW Guinea ADO, well-known for his quiet humour, had a well-known cl f™. Mr. x > associated with him on the goldfields. Mr. X was very keen on cricket and loved to discuss the game at every chance. One day, he was leaning on the counter, explaining to a caller how Warwick Armstrong used to trick ’em with his bowling. The ’phone rang, and the ADO answered it.

A voice enquired if that was the District Office. Told that it was, the voice said: “Well, look! Does X work there?”

The ADO glanced towards the counter, where Mr. X had just explained how Warwick did the hat trick in a test match. Then the ADO smiled slightly and replied: “Well, no, he doesn’t!” 1™ . , T is not generally known that the little island of Takutea, about 16 miles distant from Atiu was a gift to the British Government by Ngamaru Ariki (husband of Makea Takau, of Rarotonga) shortly before his death in 1903.

There was no doubt as to Ngamaru’s ownership. But, realising that he was not long for this world, he had the title investigated that year, and the island was legally awarded to him. When the decision was made in his favour Ngamaru, in the presence of Makea, Parurangi, Rongamatane and other arikis, declared: “This island I hand over to my Ariki, King Edward VII, for the benefit of his subjects in the Cook Islands”.

Of Ngamaru fwho was over-lord of Atiu. Mauke and Mitiaro) it was said by the then Commissioner (the late Colonel Gudgeon); “He possessed power that no other Ariki has, or is likely to have in the future”. The island, which comprises 400 acres, was planted with coconuts by

Gudgeon’s orders, and, at one time it was suggested as a penal settlement for the Group. However, it is exposed to tidal waves, and, for that and other reasons, it is uninhabited. From time to time the people of Atiu visit it. The prized red feathers of the bosun bird (tavake) are of more interest to them nowadays than Takutea copra.—“Vakatini” * mHF mnct i

T**pvp? In wedding cake

A St cl ? c .T as prob_ KirSnSSSI! tt N ? £? r the H 1^ 1 ' of (father AuiSwi S ’ f designed by an mmJf’nf een a 5 - the I ?l tt^ r was at school in that city. As is well known, the King’s selection of a bride occasioned some heartburning in Tonga, and many months elapsed before the monarch made his final choice in 1899. King George was then 24 years’ old, about 23 stone in weight, stood 6 ft. 4 in. in his stockings, and measured 52 in. round the chestin’ every respect a descendant worthy, physically, of the splendid race oi Tongans. It was related that at first the King cast eyes beyond Tonga, even as far as Hawaii, for a wife; but, finally, the selection narrowed down to two ladies of ancient lineage of his own land. Eventu ally, the lady known in history as Queen Lavinia became his choice.

A correspondent in Nukualofa remarked at the time that the making of the Royal wedding garments was entrusted to two Europeans in the capital. “Rumour hath it”, he said, “that their instructions are to make them so that they can be readily altered to fit the bride whom the King finally selects. The wedding cake, which came from NZ months ago, and

which has since nourished some millions of ants and copra bugs, is in the hands of a local confectioner, who is busily re pairing their ravages. Meanwhile nobody, apparently not even the bridegroom, knows for whom the dresses and cake are intended!”

When the King did marry, Nukualofa residents were worried for a time by a series of mysterious fires—apparently, some Tongans who were annoyed with their monarch for his choice expressed their feelings that way!—“Moaroa”.

“ VTEVER in the history of the world has there been a conflict on whose outcome so much is at stake; never before has our Empire, or any other Empire, been to the same extent the shield and buckler of human civilisation.” —A passage from a stirring address to the Fiji Legislative Council by Sir Harry Luke. ♦ IN 1914, after German atrocities had been committed in France, a portrait of “All Highest” appeared in “Pear son’s Magazine” (says a New Guinea correspondent). And, under it, were lines, something like this:— Some say there is a Mongol strain persists in Prussian blood: When bursting from the crowded East there came that evil flood, Of flat-faced, lusting devils, spawn of Hell’s own womb, Who entered Rome with Attica, and left of Rome—a tomb That when the Hunnish tribesman went a raiding in the West, They left an ugly Hunnish babe at many a German breast.

This maybe is a legend. But, if that tale be true, How proud to-day would Attila, All Highest, be of you!

If (says our New Guinea friend) you put the words “All Lowest” in place of “All Highest”, and placed them under a portrait of the gentleman “with the brow of a Christ and the moustache of a Charlie Chaplin”, it would exactly ex press our viewpoint of to-day. * HUMAN freaks are occasionally re ported, but it is seldom that one is found in Polynesia. A curious case was reported, however, from Raiatea, in 1867. A native child was born that year, on this island, with two heads, four arms and four legs. A medical official was despatched from Tahiti by the French Government to report on this case.

Eventually, both the infant and its par ents were brought to Tahiti, the intention being to exhibit the freak of nature. The child lived for a time. —“Eriki”. * THE Fijian crew of the cutter were talk ing. That unending topic, war, was the subject, and talk drifted to what they would do to Hitler if they caught him. Various boys had a stab at the mouth-watering idea; then Jone, the shameless, raised his voice.

“If I catch, I would eat him”, he de clared emphatically. “Yes”, he went on, “eat him, but not ‘Vakadua’ (right at once) but bit by bit.” Then, his eyes glazing with anticipation, he continued.

“On Monday, I eat his little finger, on Tuesday his third finger, on Wednesday his big finger, then on Thursday his index finger . . .”

The rest of the tale was an orgy of blood-thirsty imagination. By the time Jone got to the Fuehrer’s shoulder-joint, I gave it best; acting as chairman at the hideous banquet, I sharply rapped the hammer. —“Rox”. * ONE of the prized exhibits of the Dominion Museum at Wellington (NZ), is the axe called “Te Toki a

Rei Meitei”, which, according to Moriori tradition, was brought by the chief Moe from their original home, in the canoe Oropuke. This weapon, and another of equal importance historically, was found at the foot of a tree in the Chatham Is lands.

Both axes are regarded as evidence that the Moriori people originated in New Zealand. As they were in those islands prior to the Maori invasion of 1836, they must have been brought by the original Moriori migrants. It is believed that the Moriori migrated to the Chathams from New Zealand about 1150 —200 years be fore the main migration of Tahitian voyagers from the Society Group to New Zealand. When certain Taranaki (NZ) tribes invaded the Chathams in 1836, there were at least 1,800 Moriori then living. But, from that time, the race de clined rapidly. Tommy Solomon, the last Moriori (who weighed 30 stone) died in 1933.—E.R.

THE Burns Philp Trust Bill, which is a measure designed to give a proper legal standing to the Trust Company, established in recent years by the big firm to handle trustee business and manage estates of deceased per sons, passed the last stage in the NSW Parliament in the dying hours of the

session on December 5. It was cease lessly and bitterly opposed by the two great Sydney trust companies, which now have a kind of monopoly of that kind of business in NSW —so much so that they hold virtually a controlling inter est in several leading Australian cor porations. They succeeded in having the Bill held up for special examination, and they even briefed counsel to state argu ments against it. It is a curious and in teresting fact that this measure, so bitterly opposed by people representing

monopolies and money power, was op posed also by the Labour Party. How ever, the bill was carried eventually by a majority of 5 votes.

The Bill was altogether 14 months in the legislative machine, and the fact that it finally went through is a tribute to the tenacity and patience of BP’s gen eral manager at headquarters, Mr. C.

H. Chester. Night after night, month after month, he could be seen sitting quietly in the public gallery of the NSW Parliament, waiting for the occasional appearances of his long-cherished mea sure. Through all the weary months he beamed pleasantly through his spectacles at friend and foe alike; but, if one only could have read his mind, and learned his real opinion of Parliamentary processes, his thoughts might have been worthy of publication in the “PlM”—which is said to be notorious for its loathing of poli ticians and all their works. * A SIGN of the times was noticed in the ports of Fiji last month, where

a five-masted schooner from over sea was seen loading sugar. It is nearly 25 years since a similar sight was seen —when then, as now, war had destroyed so many steamships that it was neces sary to bring the old-time sailing ships into use as freighters.