Pacific Islands Year Book

Next Edition

IF conditions permit, a new edition of the Pacific Islands Year Book will be published in 1946. On present in dications, however, publication in 1946 is unlikely. The last edition (1944) was produced in the middle of the Pacific War: and most references to the various Pacific Territories, and a great deal of the descriptive matter were necessarily affected by war conditions and rules. This means that the next edition, covering the return to peace conditions, demands a great deal of revision. Much of that revision has been done, and the balance of the work is comparatively simple. The chief difficulty in the way of early pub lication is connected with the Australian

printing industry.

For many months, at the end of 1945 and early in 1946, Australia was con vulsed by industrial troubles, and the printing industry had its full share of strikes and dislocations. Consequently, all printing contracts are months behind schedule. They are being overtaken and —if there are no further industrial dis locations —it may be possible to publish late in 1946 books which were due early in the year.

Planters’ Handbook

rE foregoing applies also to the Pacific Planters’ Handbook. It was scheduled for printing early in 1946; but there now is little prospect of the work being completed until late in the year.

Miss Joan Voelcker arrived in Suva on February 26 to join her father, Lieut.- Colonel Frank W. Voelcker. They both left Suva by the “Matua” on March 4 for W. Samoa, where Colonel Voelcker assumed his duties as Administrator.