Tropicalities

AN interesting feature in the Aus tralian Broadcasting Commission’s Walkabout session on October 4, was called Plumed Shepherds of the Wahgi— which told primarily of the Hallstrom sheep experiment at Nondugl, in the New Guinea Central Highlands, and something of the history of the valley and the people who live therein.

Much of the feature was recorded by ABC’s Colin Simpson when he visited the area recently with a party that in cluded Mr. E. J. Hallstrom, William Dobell, the Australian artist, and Sena tor Armstrong.

For once, the ABC was historically correct and gave the credit of European discovery of the valley where it was due —to the Leahy brothers who were prospectors, and to Mr. Jim Taylor, of the New Guinea Administration who made the difficult journey in the early thirties. This fact got barest mention (although it is one of the most fascinat ing stories in British colonial history), but it may correct the general belief of Australians that the New Guinea High lands were discovered by Mr. Hallstrom, of refrigerator fame. * * ♦ THE Nondugl sheep experimental sta tion is in charge of Mr. N. Blood, an old Territorian, who has his wife and young daughter Susan with him. Interviewed by Simpson, he told the story of how he first saw the High lands during the war when he brought a party, who were getting away from the Japs, over the mountains from the Sepik country. One of many interesting

points that emerged from his talk, was that kunai grass, which so many Terri torians have gazed at in the past—and said: Ah! The beef it would raise! —is no good for stock raising. The Kunai at Nondugl has been rooted out and kikuyu, perennial rye and clover grown in its place. Mr. Blood did this by divid ing the grazing area up into one acre plots, arid calling tenders among the local inhabitants for getting the kunai out. He was rushed by eager natives who accomplished the job with nothing more elaborate in the way of equipment than pointed sticks. They were paid in shell money.

The original 300-odd sheep (Romney Marsh, to withstand the wet climate— the Highlands get about 100 inches of rain a year) have now become, with the recent lambing, 1,400.

Mrs. Blood, who was born in Apia, Western Samoa, and lived most of her life around Sydney until she went to New Guinea about 14 years ago, told something of their interesting life in the Wahgi Valley, and the natives’ re action to her year-old Susan. Pressed by Mr. Simpson, she admitted that she liked the local natives well enough and added “. . . and that, considering I have lived 14 years in the Territory, is something! ”

It was a good feature, notwithstanding the fact that Senator Armstrong was served up at the end as the piece de resistence, to speak his bit about the sanctity of trusteeship and that there must be no exploitation, etc.—J. * * * FROM Daily Mirror, Sydney: Philan thropist E. J. Hallstrom is delighted that a new species of parrot, Psittacus Hallstromi, is going to bear his name. He’s an amateur parrot expert.

Leader of the expedition which recently captured the new birds in New Guinea, Captain Neptune (“Nep”) Blood, also has a species of bird named after him.

The Museum authorities named the lucky creature, a brilliant Bird of Para dise, “Paradisia Bloodi” (careful with your pronunciation!) ♦ * * 11HE rationing of petrol in New Cale donia was abolished in September.

In Australia, however, it has been re-imposed at the urgent request of Prime Minister Chifley. The system was wiped out in June last, on appeal to the High Court. There is held to be significance in the fact that the only big communities in the world which now have to suffer petrol-rationing are the Socialist governed countries of Britain, Australia and New Zealand. * * * ONE of our more advanced Native Medical Orderlies in Central New Guinea was determined to give his first-born a European name. As the time drew near, he still hadn’t decided on a name and he approached the Medical Assistant who rattled off all the Christian names he could think of.

None suited, however, and the NMO left for his outstation. A couple of months later he was back, and when asked what he had finally called the child, replied—“ Vaseline.” Probably that can be counted as at least appropriate for a NMO’s offspring—“A.”

THE limited English vocabulary of teachers in the outer Cook Islands, and their incapacity for assimilat ing any word or phrase not within their previous experience, have often been a source of innocent merriment to visitors.

The story is told of a lady visitor to one of the islands who was much in trigued by the pulchritude of a little native girl, who had her hair done in “corkscrew” ringlets, once the favoured coiffure of a youthful US film-starlet.

The white lady visitor had with her the usual interpreter—to wit, one of the island school-teachers.

Beaming upon the mother of the at tractive village infant, the tourist turned to her interpreter: “Tell her that her little girl looks just like Shirley Temple,” she said to the Man of Letters, a dungaree-clad youth of 20.

The interpreter, after a moment’s hesi tation poured upon the proud dame a string of Polynesian syntax. The proud mother, instead of beaming back, favored the white lady with unloving eye-daggers; which, after the procession moved on, gave her, as the French put it, furiously tg, think. It was plain that the compliment had not made the hit expected!

“Did you tell her just what I said?” asked the bestower of compliments.

“Yes, missis,” replied the Master of Arts.

“And what did you say in Maori to her?” the tourist-lady next wanted to know.

“Oh, I say her the same you tell me.

I say her, ‘The missis she say youlr daughter look like a surly, damn’ fool!”

Moral: When in need of interpreta tion, seek, in the Cook Islands, a Maori speaking European for your guide! * * * A HALF-PAGE of photographs of scenes in and around Port Moresby —photographs taken, apparently, to show native progress under Ward-ism— was published in the Adelaide News on September 28. One picture is entitled; “Native boys work beside white girls in the Port Moresby telephone exchange.

This is part of the Administration policy to make Papua and the mandated Terri tory eventually independent of outside labour.” The photograph shows five persons sitting in a row, shoulders almost touching, before a switchboard —two white girls and three native men.

It was too much for one former resi dent of the Territories —Dr. C. M. Deland, of Adelaide. He wrote a scathing letter to the newspaper, and asked “how are they going to stop undue familiarity by natives towards white women if they allow this sort of thing?” •i* H* *l® THE New Guinea Administration is finally doing something about hous ing its personnel in the Central Highlands.

Pre-fab. houses of the Bulolo type have recently been flown into Kerowagi for erection in the Chimba Sub-District and others have been erected already at Goroka and Kainantu.—“W.” ♦ * ♦ JAMES CAMERON, of the Camerons of Lochiel, lives the life of a king on the island of Kitavo in the Trobri and Group (Eastern Papua). He has a small lighting plant using about half a pint of petrol a week. A few days ago 500 40-gallon drums of petrol landed on his beach. They’d been jettisoned from a ship in distress.—Sydney Sun.