Hurricane: A Near Miss

Heavy Rains in NE Districts of Fiji

Suva, Feb. 9.

WHAT might have been a bad hurri cane disturbed us last week here in Fiji, but it fortunately spent its force at sea.

What it did leave behind in the Colony, however, was a distinct impression of excellent service given us by the Meteoro logical Office.

Fit.-Lieut. Ralph Dyer and his assist ants continually broadcast weather re ports, and their frequent, and regular, bulletins kept everyone posted. They in spired a general feeling of confidence, and we felt that if the worst were to occur we should at least have good notice of it.

Although the hurricane passed to the south of the Colony, its passing was fol lowed by severe rain and subsequent flooding in the north-east districts of Viti Levu.

Several villages have been damaged as

a result of the torrential rain and an estimated £5,000 worth of damage has been done to the King’s Road between Lautoka and Raki Raki. Approaches to bridges have been washed away and there have been landslides on other por tions of the road.

The sugar industry (which has not had a capacity season since the 1943 strikes) is likely to be adversely affected. Both the 1946 and 1947 crops have been dam aged by river silt and flood waters. Cane farmers may, however, have a chance to replant the 1947 crop if the weather re mains fine for the next couple of months.

Miss Nita Inman, a well-known mem ber of the staff of the New Guinea Mis sion in Papua, died in Sydney on Decem ber 23. The Rev. James Benson, lately released from a Japanese prison camp, was able to be present at the burial ser vice, and paid a striking tribute to her life. Miss Inman remained behind at her mission station for about a year after the general evacuation of women from Papua and had many adventures at the time the Japanese attempted to establish a base in Milne Bay.