Red Cross

Papuans' Gift To

FRIENDS from Misima might be in terested to hear that on my return to Adelaide in August I had the pleasure of handing to the Red Cross Society the sum of £25 (writes Rev.

Harry K. Bartlett, Burra, South Aus tralia). .

This amount, which had been sub scribed by the natives, was passed on to me by Rev. Isikeli Hau’ofa, who was left in charge of the Methodist Mission at Misima from the time of the evacuation of the whites in January, 1942, until Rev.

E. A. Clarke and I returned 22 months later. Subscriptions came from as far away as Rossel Is. Actually, not much money was contributed, but skirts, baskets, mats, seashells and other curios were brought for sale.

FROM 7/6 to £5.

Isikeli introduced the Tongan type of skirt, made from the bark of the wild hibiscus. ANGAU fixed the price of skirts at 5/- each. Isikeli pointed out that the quality of these “ramis” was far

superior to the usual “grass” article.

Furthermore, stocks of costly pre-war dyes had been used. He was given per mission to charge 7/6 each.

American officers told me that they had paid £5 each for similar articles in Milne Bay.

Later, at East Cape, Americans told me that they had paid a native “a florin” to climb a palm, and a “florin” each for the nuts thrown down!

Mons. and Madame Vernier, highly esteemed residents of Tahiti, were in formed in October that their youngest son, Andre Vernier, had been killed in action in July. He was fighting with the Maquis for the liberation of Prance. “He died for liberty, for France, and for his honour as a Christian,” said the Governor (Colonel Georges Orselli) in the course of an eloquent tribute to all Frenchmen who

had given their lives since 1940, in re sisting aggression.

The Colonial Police and Fire Brigade Long Service Medal has been awarded to Sergeant Yadram Maharaj and a first bar to the medal to Sergeant-Major James Brown, of Fiji.