Tropicalities

THIS happened recently at an Aus tralian port.

The fuselage of a new plane—which cost about £40,000, and which is designed for use on the Sydney-New Guinea ser vice—was being unloaded from a ship.

It was an awkward lift, and the man in charge was worried. He sought for something to ease the strain on the lift ing gear.

His eye fell upon two huge planks, part of the equipment of a building con tractor. He grabbed them and put them in place. Nothing like being careful, when £40,000 worth of irreplaceable machine is at stake.

The planks were bending under the weight when the building contractor arrived on the wharf. His eyes popped out of his head.

“Hey!” he bawled to the disembarka tion men. “Look what you’re doing to my planks. Have a bit of heart! Them planks are worth fifteen bob each!” * * * WHEN Charles B. Nordhoff, the Ameri can novelist, was in Sydney in 1934, he inspected the collection of Pacific material owned by Dr. George Macka ness, the authority on the Bligh period, and the novelist and the historian have been friends ever since. Dr. Mackaness was delighted to receive a cablegram from Mr. Nordhoff recently saying that the sender, and his literary partner, James Norman Hall, proposed to dedicate their new book, “Botany Bay”, to him. * * * CAYS a Noumea correspondent :— What an innocent race are the Japanese! Not only have we here a Japanese taxi-driver who has never heard of Hitler’s new order (“Jap. radio”, he says, “he not ever speak of that”), but there blew into Noumea the other day a Jap. cargo steamer which had been shadowed through the Solomon Group by a British patrol. The latter politely but firmly persuaded the captain to give his name, address and destination. On arrival in Noumea, the captain went to

see the British Consul (Mr. W. Johnston) and said:— “Me innocent Jap. captain. Your people follow me about, make me give name where going. Why?”

The British Consul: “But haven't you heard about those German raiders who attack shipping while painted in Japa nese colours and flying the Japanese flag, against all the rules of inter national war?”

The Jap. Captain: “No, me no hear of that. What a wicked thing to sink ships under such pretences!” ♦ ♦ ♦ RESIDENTS of Rarotonga who can understand Tahitian have found a new and amusing pastime.

Apparently, a native Tahitian boy, who is serving in the French navy, is now stationed at Saigon and, every Saturday night, he talks over the air to friends in Tahiti, telling them the news a la Vichy Government, and what said Government thinks of the officials now administering French Oceania.

Regularly, every Tuesday and Friday afternoon, the announcer at the Tahiti radio station replies to this propaganda, and points out how mis-inlormed and ignorant is his dear friend now serving at Saigon.

A wordy battle in a language that they can understand somehow makes people in Rarotonga understand that they are a part of this crazy white man’s world after all. * ♦ * THE birth of a son to Te Rakahaerea Pomare, the only surviving son of the late Sir Maui Pomare, and of Lady Pomare, of Lower Hutt, Wellington (NZ), is interesting news to the many friends of the Pomare family throughout the Islands—he is the first grandson of the late NZ Minister. It has been decided that his first name shall be Maui. On his maternal side he is a great-grandson of the Hon. J. D. Ormond, one-time Minister in New Zealand. His mother comes from the Mahia Peninsula branch

of the Ormond family. The young man, on his Maori side, can claim descent from the leaders of the Great Migration of 1350, through the Taranaki tribes of his grandfather, and he has an equally distinguished descent from the chiefs of Ngati-Kahungunu, through Lady Pomare.

When Sir Maui Pomare met the late Prince Hinoi Pomare in Tahiti many years ago they compared their respective genealogies, and decided they were kins men.—“Eriki.” * * * Appreciation of the good work done by Sir Harry Luke (Governor of Fiji and High Commissioner for the Western Pacific) in connection with the recent political crises in New Cale donia and New Hebrides, was expressed in the annual report of the Pacific Islands Society. On the motion of the President (Mr. A. E. Stephen) it was decided to write to Sir Harry and thank him for his efforts to secure a good and permanent understanding between the British and the Free French estab lishments in the Pacific.

Rev. W. S. Pidgeon, of NSW, has been appointed to the Lau (Fiji) Circuit, by the Methodist Missionary Society.