The Missing 5,000

Latest Development of a Press- Made Mystery

THE story of the missing 5,000 natives in the Solomon Islands—see PIM of July—is still circulating among the news agencies of the world and causing further absurdities.

It will be remembered that, about June last, a party of geologists returned to Sydney from the Solomon Islands. One of them remarked to a reporter that they had found interesting mineral specimens upon a small island called St. George— and he added that at one time there was a population of 5,000 or 6,000 upon St.

George whereas now there are none.

The reporter asked him what had be come of the 5,000 people, and the scientist replied that he had no idea.

Thereupon the reporter wrote some thing about the disappearance of 5,000 natives from the island of St. George.

By the time this had been cabled to the United States it had developed into a first-class mystery; and, within a week, the editor of the PIM had received mes sages from New York, from London and from Johannesburg asking if he could supply any further details about the miss ing 5,000.

The PIM informed the newspapers that it was Mendana who, in 1568, reported some 5,000 or 6,000 people upon the island of St. George; but that when European explorers next visited the place, some 250 years ago, there were no people upon that island. Perhaps Mendana got his islands mixed—we shall never know. That was what the geologist was referring to when speaking to the Sydney reporter.

But, in August, several weeks after PIM had broadcast the explanation of the mystery, there was another cablegram in the Sydney evening newspapers.

It was to the effect that certain dele gates of the United Nations, who are passionately interested in native welfare, are taking steps to find out what had be come of the 5,000 natives who were re ported missing from the island of St.

George in the British Solomons. They evidently believe they are about to se cure more evidence of capitalist ex ploitation!