Teopicalities

COPRA bugs,, common enough pests to most Islands residents, agita tion in some Auckland suburbs in February when a plague of them issued from sheds in which copra was stored and, flying with the prevailing wind, took possession of suburban homes in swarms.

The “New Zealand Herald” says that it is assumed that the bugs, being tropical creatures, will die off at the first cold weather. But householders suffering from the invasion are not heartened by that, and are inclined to take a gloomy view of the situation, ♦ MOSQUITO nets, repellants and other primitive means of fighting off insect pests may soon be a thing of the past in the Pacific. * Dr. Kahn, an American scientist, has announced that he has invented a “love lure” trap for mosquitoes which will revo lutionise mosquito control. The “love lure” consists of records of the female mosquito’s love call to her mate; and when Mr. Mosquito hears same he heads for it promptly—and falls into a trap Dr. Kahn hopes that traps will be working all over the South Pacific shortly, with consequent reduction in the numbers of malaria, yellow fever, dengue and elephantiasis-carrying mosquitoes.

AT least one member of the Australian public is having heart-burnings at the way the members of the Royal Papuan Constabulary Band, now touring Australia in support of the Third Victory Loan, are being treated. She is Daisy Young, and she wrote to the Sydney “Daily Telegraph” about it. This is what she says; “I was impressed with the very fine appearance and bearing of these people and the spirit of splendid co-operation which prompted then- visit. But while I watched the picture, at the back of my mind lay the knowledge that someone in authority had placed a ban on these people. ' “These Papuans are permitted to assist officially in the business of the war loan, but when it comes to common courtesy and hospitality, that person responsible for the ban errs to the extent of betray ing, consciously or unconsciously, Fascist tendencies.

“These are apparent in refusal to allow them to be waited on by white women in restaurants, to swim at our beaches while white women are in attendance, and by placing them under special super vision for the duration of their visit.

“Papua and the Papuans are another bulwark in the fight against Japanese Fascism, If we are to win the confidence and respect of the Papuans, our treat ment of their people who are on a good will mission to Australia must show friendly co-operation.

“The Federal Government should im mediately inquire into this disgraceful situation and make amends to our allied neighbour visitors.”

No one has seen fit to explain to Daisy that the Papuans would not be one jot happier if waited on by European women in restaurants—they would probably just feel silly; and that the reason why they do not swim with the thousands on Syd ney beaches is not to protect the suscep tibilities of beach beauties but because it is considered bad for the Papuans to see 50,000 flappers in brassieres and briefs and gentlemen in trunks locked in ten der embraces on the burning sands of Bondi and other surfing resorts. * BEFORE the war, Tom Ellis was a well known young officer in the New

Guinea Medical Department. To day, Flying-Officer Tom Ellis flies Beau fighters in the South Pacific area, and in this capacity recently figured in an RAAF rescue story.

After completing a successful attack on Japanese positions in the Amboina- Ceram area, a Beaufighter was forced down just off the coast and in range of enemy guns. The crew of two took to the rubber dinghy, and another Beau fighter, flown by a pilot called Sounness, stayed behind to radio for help and to provide cover. The message was picked up by a New Zealand Catalina, which replied that it could not be there for three hours. Sounness remained on, pro viding cover, although his fuel was run ning low and in the meantime two other Beaufighters, one piloted* by Ellis, were roaring to the rescue. When these reached the position, Ellis took over from Sounness who, escorted by the other plane, limped home to base, Ellis remained to cover the rescue, although his plane soon had one engine out of commission. Finally the Catalina arrived, landed and picked up the crew within three minutes —although one of the crew was wouilded and the ship dam aged during the process—and then, together with Ellis in hist damaged Beau fighter, the two planes, returned to their base together. * A RECENT issue of the official journal of the RAAF, “Wings,” tells the story of Squadron-Leader A. N.

Pentland (known to most Territorians as “Gerry” Pentland). - “Wings” does not reveal Pentland’s age—probably “Wings” does not know, as it appears to be a secret which is closely guarded from nosey officialdom, but it is pretty safe to assume that he is the oldest RAAF pilot still flying.

He joined the Royal Flying Corps from an Australian Light Horse Regiment

in World War I, and in 1917 won the MC and in 1918 the DFC—and World War I finished 27 years ago! This definitely dates Mr. Pentland, but that appears to cause him little or no worry.

With Peace I, Pentland became asso ciated with the late Sir Charles Kings ford Smith and Charles Ulm in the ori ginal Australian National Airways and later, in New Guinea, he joined Stephens Aviation Company. Like Ray Parer, in New Guinea, he combined mining with flying.

When World War II began he joined the RAAF and, after the Japs came in, he organised his own rescue squadron— flying small planes into clearings and other inaccessible spots in the New Guinea mountains and jungle to rescue Allied and Australian pilots who had been forced down. He is credited with saving the lives of over 200 airmen to date. ♦ EVEN should the post-war Pacific sink back again into its pre-war sleep, spread of Polynesian and Mela nesian culture will still be considerable.

Never has there been such a boom in curios; model “lakatois” from Port Moresby have found their way into the Bronx; grass-skirts from Rarotonga and Samoa into Salt Lake City, Utah. Now the British Fleet has come to collect and transport the “genuine” artifacts of the South Seas to Birmingham and Glasgow and Leeds and London.

One aspect of this curio trade which brought such welcome dollar-prosperity to the islanders, is the phenomenal rise in the prices of tortoiseshell and the oval green shells commonly called cats’eyes.

The tortoiseshell is, of course, used for jewellery and other oddments; the cats’eyes for rings, necklaces, etc. Cats’-eyes in Fiji are now bringing as much as £5 per hundred; before the war they were worth about Id. each.

Tortoiseshell is now almost £7 per pound. The top price before the war was 35/-; much of it sold at 5/- per pound.