thankf the’ native Tace for thereat

Tropicalities

rE mystery of Amelia Earhart Put nam’s disappearance may have some light thrown upon it if the story of natives in the Marshall Islands is true.

Reports • from Washington, USA, on March 22, quoted two Navy lieutenants as saying that natives in captured Mar shall Islands told a story of a white woman who crashed in a plane there several years ago.

The natives said that the woman had been taken to Japan by Nipponese who picked her up. It will be remembered that at the time of her disappearance, the Japanese Government refused permission for search parties to enter the Jap-man dated , islands, saying that the “natives were too wild.”

The aviatrix disappeared on July 2, 1937, after leaving Lae, New Guinea. Her last message was that she was over the Pacific with a half-hour’s fuel supply and not in sight of land. * BOYS” are still very much “boys” in New Guinea, when it comes to kai kai (if not other things) in spite of Mr. Eddie (Fuzzy-Wuzzy) Ward’s appar ent urge to bump up their vitamin intake with canned tomato juice, three pounds of meat per week, etc., etc.: — “Old-timer” was in charge of a small patrol boat off the coast of New Guinea.

His crew consisted of five Navy lads, one of whom acted as cook. One dawn the lookout sighted a canoe containing two natives who were duly picked up. It transpired that they had escaped, by aevious means, from the Japs.

The crew was about to sit down to breakfast —boiled rice and prunes, fried potatoes and bacon —so “Old-timer” instructed the cook to “give the boys a feed.” The cook set up a table on the hatch, with all the trimmings, and put the food down. The boys looked it over for a long time and then gingerly picked the piece of “pig” off the plate and ate it, leavihg the rest.

“Old-timer” took it all in; he got up, collected an enamel wash-basin, then to the galley, emptied the rice-pot into the dish, plus a tin of “Libby’s best,” shoved two spoons in the rice and handed the lot to the boys.

A short while later the boys brought the empty dish and spoons back to “Old timer,” who asked, “Kai-kai enough?”

The boys answered, “Yes, master. Bell ’e full up true. Number-one kai-kai too mus!”

The Navy cook was heard to mutter in his beard: “Well, wouldn't that rock yer!”—“TEX.” ♦ AND talking of food! Due to the rigid line of demarcation between Euro pean and native eats, in the days along before, even the most gem-like cook-boy was liable to commit harassing culinary faux pas, with somewhat mixed results. Recently a resident of New Guinea, who possessed (1) a Buka cook boy who allegedly “understood almost straight English” and (2) an all-purpose recipe for batter which went variously round banana fritters, apple ditto, fried fish, etc., told us the following story: Buka’s memory had momentary break downs, so it was her custom to make him repeat precisely what he intended to do in the cooking line. However, one day an unexpected visitor turned up at lunch-time and hurriedly she went into the store, dug out a tin of whitebait and said to Buka: “Make ’im all the same banana fritters —you savvy?” Yes, Buka savvied; so she returned to her guest.

Half an hour later, lunch was served.

The platter was placed in front of “missus”—a mound of fluffy, white, mashed potatoes and golden-brown frit ters. The guest was served and the meal began But-Buka had got his wires crossed again. He had made up the whitebait “all the same banana fritters” —but had clean forgotten to leave out the bananas! * IIIE can vouch for the authenticity of ?? that one; but maybe not for the hoary old Salamaua “sausage” story, which, however, might bear repeating here: • After the first freezer came to the dis trict, a resident bought some sausages and took them home to the cook-boy.

These were the first un-canned sausages the boy had ever seen, so the “master" thought a few instructions were called for; briefly, therefore, he told the boy to get a pan and “work ’im all the same fish.” Some time later the meal made its appearance—vegetables and a pile of frizzled sausage skins.

“Master” called the boy to him and asked him what in heaven’s name he’d done.

The boy replied, “You talk-talk work ’im all the same pish. Alright, me work ’im all the same pish. Me catchim’ knife, now me cuttim skin, now me rouse ’im bel belong ’im, now me cook ’im skin —all the same pish!” • an article by Harold Cooper, Jf describing a journey by PT boat in Solomons waters; “After a while I went below. Like Miss Garbo, but for ’somewhat different rea

sons, 1 wanted to be alone. 1 half walked, was half thrown, into the bunk the skip per had said I might use if weariness (to give it the least humiliating description) rest of that niaht mare ioumey clutching a wooden bar whlch a thoughtful designer had Glared alone the wall iust above mv head and SSS* ut the LchorLf of which I should have been,flung at frequer^inter vals aga i ns t the roof “ Th fate of the * boat had ceased to concern me. For once in my leftish life j felt a cer t a i n kinship with General Franco He too knows what it is tn he so pre-occupied with threatened internal convulsions that one comes to listen with jaundiced indifference to the thunder rolling and crashing in the world Gut side” * OAID Ratu J. L. V. Sukuna, CBE, Sec- O retary for Fijian Affairs, addressing the Governor of Fiji in February, during the debate in the Legislative Council on the new Native Affairs Bill, which aims to give Fijians a bigger share in their administration: “Across the sea, beyond the Lau Islands, there lies the Kingdom of Traga. For nearly 40 years the Tohgans, with a more democratic form of govern ment than the one provided for in this Bill, have carried on their government with credit to themselves and with suc cess to their country and I see no reason why, with the goodwill of the Indians and the Europeans, the sympathetic co operation of this Council, and the benign control of the Government, Fijians should not succeed in the same . to vou sir T wlsh to exDress the

thankf the’ native Tace for thereat

tnanks 01 native race for the great

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part you have taken in introducing this measure. You framed it; you looked after it in its early stages; you are greatly interested in it. I have to thank you, too, sir, for the trust you are placing in the chiefs and for your faith in the devotion and loyalty of our people.”

WHEN the Governor of Fiji, Sir Philip Mitchell, was in New Zealand, in mid-April, he told Press representa tives that the patriotism of the native Fijians had been so intense that the Government had had to go into “reverse conscription” and ban further enlist ments, after they had formed a brigade and a labour corps.

“One of the best stories of the recruit ing period,” said Sir Philip, “concerned three grey-haired residents of an island some miles to the south of Fiji. One day they arrived on my doorstep, demanded to see me, and indignantly inquired why they had not been asked to join the labour corps. They pointed out that they had been members of the Fiji labour corps in France in the last war. They made light of their grey hairs, and pointedly suggested that the corps could not function without them. They were duly enlisted.” * ALL Territorians of late thirties vin tage, in the Wewak area knew Dr. and Mrs. C. M. Deland and their fine brood of young sons. European children in that part of the Territory were rare, and of educational facilities there were none; so *Mrs. Deland held “school” for her children each day. It is interesting to note therefore, that Raymond Deland—now 16 years old — appears to be on the threshold of a bril liant scholastic career. He was recently awarded a bursary for four years at the University Adelaide; a year ago he was awarded the Angas Engineering Exhibi tion; and in the Intermediate, Leaving and Leaving Honours examinations he obtained honours in mathematics and physics. •

T Leut.-Colonel G. Warner

NICHOLAS, provost marshal with the US forces in Fiji since Novem ber, 1942, has received from members of the Fiji Police Department the “tabua” or whale’s tooth, as a mark of esteem.

The presentation was made by Sub- Inspector Ratu Bosi, who fought with the Fijians on Guadalcanal, and in the presence of Fiji Police Commissioner Col.

E. J. Workman, European, Indian and Fijian members of the Force, and US Army and Navy officers. Following the presentation, a Fijian dance was executed.

According to ancient Fijian lore, the “tabua” was used on all special occasions such as the acquiring of property, win ning the hand of a girl of high birth, at the birth of a child and to honour noted visitors. It was also used at the installa tion of Fijian chiefs and was sometimes thrown at a certain tree near the entrance to the . spirit world.

The “tabua” presented to the Ameri can colonel was approximately five •by two inches and suspended from a decora tive rope made of coconut fibre.

Americans consider that they have had splendid co-operation from the Fiji Police Department, and this was referred to by the colonel in his speech of thanks.

—H.E.L.P.

Mr. Harold Cooper, of Fiji, has been appointed Acting Assistant Colonial Secretary (War) for the Colony. As a Rehabilitation Officer, he also becomes a member of the War Pensions Board.