Norfolk Is. Notes

By Vernon Wheatley

Chapter Of Accidents: When The

“Morinda” put in her very welcome appearance, the occasion was evi dently too much for some of the lads. In the excitement of the moment, the bull dozer inadvertently found its way onto the rocks at Cascades; and later, when the “Morinda” steamed around to Kingston, the portable crane was accidentally driven over the side of the pier—to land in a whaleboat! Fortunately there were no casualties.

In view of the lack of a harbour, and considering the exposed anchorages both at Cascades and Kingston, it is a wonder that there are not more casulties, as the trip from ship to shore can be hazardous, especially when the whaleboats are laden and the weather is tricky.

Maybe there will come a day when the Administration will consider an improve ment in the landing facilities. Maybe.

Did I Step On Somebody’S Toes?

In the February issue of the ‘ PIM, I briefly discussed the high price of butter.

Since then, I have had an admonitory finger waggled at me. I seem to remem ber that I have had the same linger waggled at me by personages ranging from Air Vice-Marshals, downwards.

It was suggested that I knew nothing about freight and storage charges. Maybe so; but one does not have to be an econo mist to realise that if the above-mehuoned charges amount to 1/7 on a pound oi butter, there is something wrong some where.

It was also suggested that I am ready to report increases in prices but never decreases. To give the lie to tnis par ticular allegation, I am only too happy to announce a reduction in the price of pork sausages—the price having fallen from 2/9 to 2/6 per pound.

DOUBLE SLUG: I could never navigate my way along the quaint and often am biguous path that is the Customs Rules, Regulations, Edicts, Charges and what have you. Under the Socialist regime we have all become familiar with double and even triple taxation, but a case in point has me more or less stumped. English cigarettes are on sale in Australia. As I understand it, duty was paid on these cigarettes when they arrived in Australia, before they were displayed for sale in the stores. So far so good. I recently re ceived a small parcel of these cigarettes, purchased in a well-known Sydney store; but before I could take delivery of them, I was slugged the sum of 3/-.

They said it was “duty.”

We had another name for it in the Services.

GET RICH QUICK: The Whaling Company cl hope to do an article on their activities shortly) which has only recently commenced operations, received a stiff jolt from the Powers That Be.

The Company enjoys no privileges. It has no all-weather anchorage, no road way or any other normal facility. It has to put up with official indifference, lack of essential materials and Lord pnly knows what else. But they have received a demand for a licence fee running into a few hundreds of pounds, together with the usual tactful list of penalties if the fee is not paid before they kill the first whale.

All that the Company gets in return for the princely fee is a further list of penalties should they kill whales under a certain length, whales with calves, and so on. Presumably, the prohibited whales are clearly placarded or fly banners.

The “Bulolo,” which left Sydney on March 5, carried 176 passengers, 35 of whom were “round-trippers.”