Norfolk Island Notes

By Vernon Wheatley

NEAR FATALITY: The Whaling Com pany’s new chaser uses an electrified harpoon —the whale is electrocuted instead of killed by an explosive head — ■ and Captain Hansen had just fired and missed. As he was hauling in the line, , the mechanic accidentally flipped the ; energising switch. Fortunately, Captain j Hansen had momentarily relinquished his ; grip on the line and and thus narrowly T escaped certain death. As it was, a fair ' sized hole was blown in the side of the ; vesseL-and this was speedily repaired 1 upon return to base.

In spite of many obstacles the Company * has given a lead as to what to expect next J season. Now that many difficulties have j been ironed out, the Company, given i merely the elements of luck, should get d at least a whale a week.

BOUQUET: At long last the Adminis- tration has made a serious attempt to c transform the cattle tracks humorously \ termed roads into at least a semblance of I real roads. The Department of Works a and Housing is performing the task, as a the Administration does not possess suit- able plant or equipment. In the past, the Administration has been unable to o pay good wages and thus could not at- tract labour.

LUXURY: Poor Phyliss has been dis-charged, sacked or what-have-you..i Phyllys or Phyllis—it’s all one to me—wasa, an ancient Chev., sans everything, buti still filled with the determination there at all costs. She was a grand pldb l a( jy—her canvas top lashed with wires and old bootlaces, her doors flapping inn the wind of her own velocity, heri; mechanical roar unstifled by either muf-fler or exhaust pipe, and her windshieldb screen opaque with a perpetual mist. Shee bore her name proudly—painted inex pertly on the bonnet —but the Anglicann minister found the going too tough. The9j old lady was sold and her place is takem by a sleek young wench of this years' vintage. An interest-free loan, plus as few raffles and functions, enabled thoi change to be made.

WHISPER: If anybody with enterprises —plus a bit of capital, of course—likess to ship a few small boats to Vila, he willb find a ready sale for them at almost any: price he cares to ask.

ANGUISH: A visitor was heard to com-o ment somewhat bitterly: “I don’t know about Norfolk being called ‘The Madeira*! of the Pacific’—it should be called thee ‘Bahamas of the Pacific.’ ” The Bahamasj as you know, is a millionaires’ playgroundb We are inclined to agree. With tinn freight skipping up £1 every time a boae calls, cement at 25/- a bag, and increases, in prices all along the line, the brassed!) off housewife is wondering when anm how it will all end. We could tell her. .

SHIPPING; Since the Holmburn haa. indicated that she will call regularly her©*! there has been a sort of rush from NS> First the Monique, and, later in Decembers the Rosalie. BP’s are the agents for thrt latter vessels.

Hospital Handicaps: An Ovens

worked doctor and matron do a wondens fully good job at the NI Hospital, under adverse conditions. The Admimstratiooj offers only 25/- per week ° r 5/ - P er j for Probationer Nurses, and of there are not enough apphcants. Voluffii tary workers are appealed for, and mapjj

public-spirited women respond; but■ J®

Administration will not provide transooio for them. If the matron wants an artic.oj for the hospital, she bas tomakea public appeal. There is no X : Ray Piant. one requiring that service, must take till

pfane to Auckland or Sydney Samtarj

conditions around the hospital are veie

bad. The Administration’s unwillingness to spend money on this institution is pub licly condemned. (Editorial Note—Nl has very limited revenues. Therefore, if NI is to be sup plied with anything out of routine, the Australian taxpayer must foot the bill.

There seems nothing wrong in the Ad ministration’s obvious policy that the un taxed Norfolk Islanders should pay for Nl’s public services—by voluntary labour, or in some other way.) The Ven. Archdeacon Romney Gill of the Anglican Mission, Papua, and very well known in the Territory, was recently married to Dr. Olive Buckley.

Mr. Allan Russell, with his prize bull Amethyst, at his plantation at Siumu, Western Samoa.