Tropicalities

A NOVEL scheme for raising money for patriotic purposes has been evolved by the Free French Government In Tahiti, Raffles are now being held, for Joyrides in the Government aeroplane, the six prize-winners of each raffle being taken on an aerial tour over Tahiti and Moorea.

In more normal times, such a scheme would have presented a wonderful opportunity to an enterprising aeroplaneowner. In most cases, introducers of the motor car to Pacific islands made small fortunes out of selling joyrides on the “pereoo karotini” (kerosene buggy).

In Rarotonga, for instance, an ambitious young Euronesian from Papeete used to charge 5 - per soul for a ride of about a quarter of a mile. The incredible excitement of going round the whole island (a distance of 21 miles) cost the unfortunate traveller £5. • THE following appeared in “Rabaul Times” of March 14: — Personal-Two girls wish to correspond with two planters, view matrimony. Reply: Miss MacMillan, c 'o London F urs. 155 King street Sydney.

The “PIM”, much intrigued, sent a reporter to call upon London Furs. It was sheer mischance that the lad was young and handsome. When he mentioned the advertisement, and stated that he would like more details, he was quickly appraised by two or three pairs of sophisticated eyes, and the atmosphere was friendly, if not embarrassing.

So he hastily explained that he was not a tropical coconut-grower—he was only an ordinary reporter. All trace of hospitality disappeared immediately, and the unhappy youth was driven out by something colder than an Antarctic blast. There definitely was nothing for the press. If the gentlemen of New Guinea want to know anything more about the easily-panicked ladies of Lon-

don Furs, they must find out for them selves. , * . ...

M R ' Ken ' Garden ' formerly with Mr. 111 Ward Williams in Papua, and later a pilot in the Guinea Airways ser vice, is doing notable work, now, in fly ing big bombers from San Diego, USA, to the Atlantic, for delivery to Britain, He is described as “a wizard pilot, who will be heard of after the war”, It was Ken. Garden who received a white feather from a girl in a West Eng land city. He was flying “buses” from South Africa to England for Imperial Airways, and had just come in from a particularly bad and risky trip, when the lady passed along her chosen insult, The angry and exasperated Ken. did not hesitate. He slapped her face, The lady resented it. She charged him, before a magistrate, with assault.

The magistrate wasted no words. He complimented the airman on his prompt action, and dismissed the charge. Then, looking over his spectacles at the female patriot, he said:— “And if vmir fnfhpr dopq nnt thnr- J OUr I^ me .V l 0068 no \ “l°r oughlv birch you, I will come and do it myself!” * AMONG a recently-discovered tribe in Central New Guinea was found a custom calling for the women to carry the smoke-dried heads of their husbands for a year after death. These gruesome relics were slung around their necks as a reminder of their wifely obli nations—not even death releases them from their ties.

The wearing of human bones as orna ments is not uncommon in several dis tricts in both Papua and New Guinea, In the Samberigi Valley. Western Papua, the hands of dead relatives are smoke-dried and suspended from the neck. The women of the Bara tribe wear the skulls of their dead babies as mementoes. In the district at the head

of the great Fly River, fingers are threaded on lengths of cane to form necklaces worn by the semi-nomadic tribes there.

Jaw bones do not lend themselves to

the European idea of adornment, but they are worn in memoriam by the natives of the Middle Fly, while those of enemies killed in battle are worn as trophies by some of the warlike moun tain people.

Perhaps the most grotesque ornament of all is the human thigh bone rubbed down to the thickness of an inch and worn as an ornamental hairpin by men on the Wharton Range in Northern Papua.—M.L. * RECENT reports from Hollywood indi cate that Nordhoff and Hall, the talented American authors who now reside in Tahiti, are “in the money” again. Paramount Films have paid them

60,000 dollars for the film rights to a story called “Botany Bay”—and some indication of the story is given by the fact that a newly-arrived film actor named Hayden is to play in “Botany Bay” the part of an adventurous Ameri can sea captain of the 1780 period.

A few years ago, after Nordhoff and Hall had made a very pretty clean-up on their three books dealing with the mutiny on the “Bounty” (“Mutiny”, “Men Against the Sea” and “Pitcairn Island”) Charles B. Nordhoff came to Sydney to dig out some further material relating to the career of Captain Bligh —who, it will be remembered, became Governor of NSW after the mutiny of the “Bounty”. This new book and film by the collaborators suggest that Mr. Nordhoff’s visit was not unprofitable. * POINTED and pithy paragraph from a recent issuer of “Rabaul Times”:— Teapot, a familiar figure in the din ing-room of the Rabaul Hotel, was found out when he purloined a dollar, belong ing to one of the guests of the hotel; he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to receive six strokes in private. The case was heard at 10 a.m. and the lad was back on his job at noon, all legal tech nicalities having been conformed with.

That is what we call justice administered as it should be. No long, drawn-out pro cedure; no loss of time to the emplover and the delinouent satisfied that he has paid for his offence. ♦

Hell In 1941

A grower stood at the Pearlv Gate, His face was worn and old; He meekly asked the Man of Fate Admission to the Fold.

“What have you done,” Saint Peter asked, “To seek an entrance here?”

“Grown coconuts—that was my task.

For many and many a year.”

And then the gate did open sharp, As Peter touched the bell.

“Come in,” he said, “and take a harp— You’ve had enough of Hell!”

ANON —Papua. * rE analogy of certain customs of the Middle Fly River natives in Papua and those of the aborigines of North Queensland has been remarked upon more than once by travellers and writers; and an incident related in a diarv of the famous nrospector Christie Palmer ston, published in the “Queensland Figaro” over 50 years ago, gives evidence of this similarity.

After a raid, the Papuans of the Middle Fly decapitate their victims and sever the lower jaw bone; they also cut off the hands and feet. Palmerston’s diary re corded that while prospecting Wairambar Creek, off South Johnston River, on Sep tember 7, 1886. he and five of his abori gines came upon a cannibal feast, in which the bodies of the victims had been decapitated and the lower jaws severed, while the feet and hands were also missing. It appears that a distant tribe had killed two of his “boys” and carried their bodies away, and it was while tracking down the attackers that Palmer ston surprised them cooking portions of the bodies on heated stones.

The diary also tells that a few days later Palmerston met G. E. Clarke and W. Joss, who were prospecting the dis trict. Clarke was the well-known miner who, with Mosman, opened up Charters Towers, and who was murdered by na tives of the Mambare River in Papua in Julv, 1895, while leading the first pros pecting party up the headwaters, above

the rapids.—“Kiribisi.”

IT is announced that canteen orders for the benefit of troops overseas may now be purchased at post offices in Papua and New Guinea, in denominations of 2/-, 3/- and 5/-. They are accepted in all AIF canteens abroad, and this means of transferring credit from the home-land to the boys overseas is a welcome way of sending appreciated gifts to them. The canteen order was introduced in Australia about the middle of 1940. and the ‘‘Pacific Islands Monthly” then pointed out to the Com monwealth authorities, in forthright words of one syllable, that it was very unfair that the canteen orders were not available in the post offices in the Ter ritories, which had been just as loyal and generous as the mainland in supply ing men for the AIF. It is satisfactory now to see that the canteen orders are available in the Territories —but the time it has taken to extend the arrange ment from the mainland to the Terri tories is a pretty example of how slowly and how cumbersomely these Govern ment departments work. * ' T>LAIN English” says a few words, in i season:— We are continually being reminded of the paper shortage, and the need for economy. Newspapers and other users have complied; but not Government de partments. If ordinary language and English were used, three pages could be condensed into one; but not with offi cialese. This is for people with plenty of time and paper at their disposal.

Here is a choice sample from the New Hebrides.

Regulations 1, 2 and 3. 1941, all deal with straying cattle, and fencing, and boundaries, and if nlain English had been used, they could have been easily

condensed into one regulation. Regula tion 3 is simply used to interpret Nos. 1 and 2; and Clause 3 reads: — ‘‘For the purpose of this Regulation (‘this’ should have read ‘these’) cattle shall be held to mean any animal of the equine, bovine, asinine, porcine, ovine, coprine or cervine breed, and any cross between them.”

Incidentally, the too frequent use of the phrase ‘‘up to £2O fine, and one month’s imprisonment, or both”, for purely civil offences, is in bad taste in a community of freemen. It savours too much of Nazism.