Tropicalities

APPARENTLY, the bureaucrats of New Zealand can be as difficult as they are in Australia. This is from a valued subscriber in Wellington: “I wish to say how much I appreciate your magazine. Its forthright articles are most refreshing in these days of so much mealy-mouthed journalism. ... It has been a day’s work to get a permit to send you a postal note for 15/- sub scription.” * * * ACCORDING to press reports, New Zealand imported in March 21,000 cases of oranges from Jamaica, in the West Indies—a large proportion of which were rotten on arrival. Early in 1947, NZ was experimenting with shipments of oranges from Palestine, Yet, within the South Pacific, are several Islands groups capable, under encourage ment, of producing all the oranges New Zealand heeds. And why cannot New Zealand consume oranges grown in Australia, where recurrent gluts give a poor average return to the Australian citrusgrower?

Presumably, it is all a matter of ex change; and New Zealand has very little that Australia wants to buy. Jamaica and Palestine wants NZ foodstuffs, thus providing a basis of exchange. If only there were adequate trans-Tasman ser vices, New Zealand could sell Tourism to countless Australians; but at present the Australian tourist traffic to NZ is the merest trickle. * * * AFTER roosting among the Torres Strait crocodiles for six days, Mr.

John Spiers, of Mandated Airlines, New Guinea, was rescued by a pearling boat on May 19.

He had left Lae in a Dragon plane for its annual airworthiness test in Australia.

He met bad weather and the petrol ran out. He therefore set the plane down on Turnagain “Island” which is little more than a mud bank covered by water, except at low tide.

He had no food or water on board and, because the mud-bank is infested with crocodiles, could not hunt sea-food or crabs. He caught a little water from passing showers.

He stayed most of the time in the plane’s cabin although that too after being buffeted by the tides for six days began to break up.

Then he was sighted by a RAAF Cata lina. The Catalina landed near him; but, when the sea became rough, it had to take off—leaving the co-pilot with Spiers. Both men were finally rescued by a pearling boat from Thursday Island. * ♦ ♦ THE “school cinematograph,” so long awaited by Mangaia school pupils, who had bright hopes of the film fare it would provide, has at last arrived.

But it is not a movie projector and there is apparently a difference between the New Zealand Education Department’s idea of what constitutes an evening’s en tertainment and that of the young people of this island.

The latter, thirsting for pistolic cowboy films and similar worthwhile entertain ment, have found close-ups of the manu facture of shoes in New Zealand fac tories. or the assemblv of motor-cars very tame. If the show had not been free in the first place they would probably have demanded their money back.

It is all progress, however. The school now has electric light, also, and the next

development seems to be radio. But there again, a spirited description of tripe-scraping or the canning of tomatoes is not likely to interest native youth very greatly, even if rendered in local Maori. —E.G. * * * HERE are some Howlers from Poly nesia:— ■ Charles Lamb wrote the “Essays of Elijah” in the Bible, and he also took lamb’s tails from Shakespeare for the children. ■ King Henry VIII was a bad man because he got a divorce from the Pope and married seven more wives. ■ The Cook Islanders put up the British flag in Rarotonga because the French did not get here in time to make us subjects of France. ■ Mr. Winston Churchill saved the British Empire because he smoked cigars and it made him think. ■ The laws of the Cook Islands are better than those of New Zealand, be cause if you are out after nine you will be fined one pound, but there is no harm in it. ■ Copra is a very good and useful product because we sell it to Europe and they make it into scented soap which is very nice for us, then we "sent them some more. a The Resident Agent is a very good man because when we drink orange-beer he puts us in jail. ■ In the heathen days the people ate each other but now Jesus has shown them the wav to eat tinned meat and be good. * * * VISITORS to Rose Bay flying-base, Sydney, can witness the melancholy sight of the old “Coriolanus”—until last January well-known on Pacific air routes —drawn up on the beach. She is a mere husk now; little remains but the fusilage and her name. She is being broken up for scrap.

“Coriolanus” was* one of nine Short Empire flying-boats. All did noble war service and she alone survived after logging more miles than any commercial air-craft in existence. Her log books, records and official nameplate have now been handed over to the managing director of Qantas and join the com pany’s other historic relics.

Her four engines will probably end their days as the power units of speed boats; even her towering hull and wings are now being cut up for her nine tons of aluminium. * * * THE book which we have been promised from Florence, daughter of Robert Dean Frisbie, was published by Macmillan’s towards the end of March.

Florence, who was about 16 at the time she wrote her book, is better known to readers of her father’s South Pacific stories as Johnny; and Johnny she prob ably will remain to her Islands friends, in spite of the fact that she has now become an important young person with an American public.

Her story has been called “Miss Ulysses from Puka Puka,” and has created a lot of interest in the United States. The Chicago “Tribune” gave it a front page in colour, in their book section; and the Boston “Globe” a review and a feature story. Over 3,000 copies were sold before publication.

A copy of “Miss Ulysses” has been pro mised the “PIM” and a review will ap pear when it comes along.

from Hongkong:— There is no such thing, in China, as a used cigarette. Scavengers make a liv ing by collecting butts from the streets and selling them to manufacturers who then make up fresh cigarettes from the discarded tobacco. Made into packages which closely resemble Luckies, Camels and other well-known US brands, they are popular with coolies at a nickel per.

THREE men recently entered Tong Sap’s fortune-telling establishment, shoved a gun in his face and made off with his watch, gold ring and about 10 dollars.

About three hours earlier, Tong told police, one of the men had come to him as a customer. Tong predicted that he would shortly come into some money.— McC.

EVIDENCE in the New Guinea Timber Case indicated that association with Mr. Ward, Minister for the Austra lian Territories, is a good thing for the persons concerned. .

Mr. Jock Garden was a very close political associate of Mr. Ward during a couple of decades. Away back in the early twenties, Mr. Garden was a poor functionary around the Sydney Trades Hall. But when Mr. Ward became Minis ter for Labour and National Service, in the war period, Mr. Garden was ap pointed to a Government job as a sort of Liaison Officer connected with that De partment, in close contact with the Minister. Giving evidence, in 1948, Mr.

Garden acknowledged the possession of considerable wealth—he said he paid £2,000 per annum in income tax.

Mr. W. M. Urquhart was a close per sonal friend of Mr. Ward. A few years ago he was a humble Government clerk.

When Mr. Ward became a Minister, Mr.

Urquhart became an officer in Mr. Ward’s Department. Then, on Mr. Ward’s nomi nation, he got a £2,000 per annum job in the commercial world. When giving evi dence in 1948, Urquhart acknowledged that he had had half a dozen bank ac counts, and that £29,000 had passed through them in two years.

Mr. J. R. Donovan became Mr. Ward’s private secretary, when Mr. Ward became a Minister. Mr. Donovan was one of the gentlemen selected for appointment as Conciliation Commissioners, at £1,500 per annum.

A man worth knowing, this Mr. Ward.

A CORRESPONDENT writing to the Auckland “Star” in May, savs that there is a price-spiral in isolated Pitcairn Island also. Ships on the UK- Panama-NZ route occasionallv call at Pitcairn. This gives the passengers a welcome break in the long ocean voyage and allows the Pitcairners to sell island souvenirs, fruit and stamps to the passengers.

The “Star” correspondent writes: “The crew of the ship which brought me to New Zealand were not too happy about it. Some had a few hard names for the islanders. They put it this way; ‘We used to trade our old clothing arid underpants for fresh fruit or anything in the souvenir line we fancied to take home as presents. They were only too glad to get them and to give us what we wanted in return. Now thev demand cash payment—and the price is getting as bad as almost anything at home Oranges at threepence each! They used to give them away by the dozen to us.

“ ‘But it cuts both ways. When they want anything from us we put our price up in proportion.

“‘They used, too, to be given a few stores from ships. This is all stopped now. One reason, of course, for this is that ships haven’t got stores to spare these days. But when we can raise any

we charge for them now to balance the prices the islanders want for fresh fruit’.

“What knowledgable passengers des cribe as the island’s biggest racket is their sale of postage stamps. With the face value of less than 5/-, the full set of current stamps is sold to the unsus pecting souvenir hunter, or one wishing to send a set home to a collector friend, for 10/-. The same stamps are readily obtained from any stamp dealer in Britain for about 6/- unused and 7/6 used, and for little more than this in New Zealand.” * * * WHO says Sydney officialdom cannot move fast?

A Tongan seaman from the French steamer “Polynesien” was fined £2O in Sydney recently for being found in pos session of two ounces of opium. The opium was found by Customs officers in a glass jar in the crew’s washroom. A specially convened Court was held at the Customs House where the Tongan fire man was promptlv fined and returned to his ship in time for it to get away only two hours after the drug was first dis covered. * ♦ * IT was time for the Governor from NZ to visit the Islands and all the vil lagers were practising their songs and dances and preparing to show their loyalty in the traditional way. In due course the “Matua” arrived and a bevy of beautiful island maidens, complete with leis of all hues, guitars, and ukeleles assembled in a double line along the wharf to welcome His Excellency, as he stepped ashore.

Unfortunately no one had checked up on the song which the welcoming chorus girls were to sing and so he was greeted with the latest island “hit” of the moment which happened to be; “Show me the way to go home.” —PERETI. * * * THIS is an exact copy of a letter re ceived recently by a Levuka (Fiji) trader from an Indian farmer;— “Sir,—l am sending copra by SS and as I am awfully necessary for the money, apd hope your achievances would meet at the nearest opportunity.

“I beg to request the favour at granting me an aid through these affairs, if you do, Sir, it would be an act of benevolence on your part.

“I am expected to marry two of my boys some times within the following month. And the guests of the District will be enormous, and abundant, where fore I wishes your favour would by cer tain artifice be able to send me (order for foodstuffs follows).

“I will linger there with my launch to catch the goods and the cash.

“With kind regards to you and humble thanks. I have the honour to be Sir.

Your most obedient Mr. Gordon Thomas, a well-known New Guinea resident—he was editor of the “Rabaul Times” for many years—has entered the Repatriation General Hos pital (Ward 28), Concord, Sydney, to undergo a course of treatment, Mr.

Thomas was caught up in the Jap in vasion of Rabaul and, out of some hun dreds of Europeans, he was one of the half-dozen or so who escaped with their lives. As a result of his long imprison ment, he has suffered a great deal of pulmonary trouble and has now to have a spell in hospital. Innumerable friends will wish him a speedy recovery.