Coloured Sea"

"White Islands in a Coloured Sea"

THE future of the Pacific Territories in relation to the post-war settlement in the Pacific, was interestingly dis cussed by Mr. Percy Spender, KC. MP. at a meeting of the Pacific Islands Society, on March 29.

Mr. Spender made a good point when he roundly condemned Australian and New Zealand people for their insularity and pointed out that these two countries, in a racial sense, were simply white islands in a coloured sea. Australia, with only 7 million people, and New Zealand, with less than 2 million people, were half surrounded by the races of SE Asia and Indonesia, of which there were popula tions totalling almost 1,020 million people.

Australian and New Zealand people must in the future—if they are to sur vive—take a different viewpoint in rela tion to Pacific affairs; and must accept the clearly established— that the United States of America will dominate Pacific affairs for many long years to come. This was in no sense to be regretted: on the contrary, it was providential, because the Americans are our friends and relations, and our way of life is their way of life. If it had not been for the Americans, the Anglo- Saxon communities of Australia and New Zealand and the South Pacific undoubt edly would have been enslaved and prob ably exterminated by the hordes of Asia.

Mr. Spender visualised a closer and «. more cordial relationshin in the future between the British Empire and the United States; and he believed that the machinery through which that relation ship would be developed and cemented would be provided by Canada on the one side and Australia on the other.

Death Of Mrs. Edna Snell

MANY people outside Fiji will learn with keen regret that Mrs. Edna Snell, wife of Mr. H. E. Snell, general manager of Morris, Hedstrom, Ltd., of Suva, died in Suva in February, after a long illness. She was Mr. Snell’s second wife, and they were married in 1931, and had one child. She was a clever woman, of bright, vivacious temperament, and she had numerous friends, in New Zealand and Australia. Much sympathy has been extended to Mr. Snell, who is one of the leading figures in Fiji com mercial life.

"McDonald's Corner"

rOOPS in Papua gave the name of “McDonald’s Corner” to the place where they left settlement to plunge into the jungles of the Owen Stanley Range (says a “Sun” war cor respondent) .

Here is the home of Lieut. Percy John McDonald. He sent his wife and child ren to Queensland when the Japs threat ened and remained to join the Army, supplying urgently needed timber for roads and buildings.

Now that some of his native labourers have been returned, he has resumed work on his rubber plantation.

McDonald has been in New Guinea just over 20 years, saw-milling, shipping, and general contracting.

A little over 12 years ago he decided to open an area which he fancied at Holo. He built his own road and car ried his equipment and supplies on foot with native carriers, thereby hacking out the first important link in what was soon to become the Australian line of communications over the Kokoda trail.

For New Guinea, now that other men have seen its potentialities, he predicts a great future.