Pacific Islands Year Book

Available This Month

THE 1950 edition of the Pacific Islands Year Book will be available in Sydney before the end of July.

It was scheduled for publication one year ago in July, 1949. The far-reaching industrial dislocation of May-June, 1949, threw that plan out of gear. Power for all publishing was extremely limited.

Inability,; of printing-houses generally to pick up the lag, and the increasing shortage of skilled staff, caused post ponement of publication, until it seemed that the book would never appear.

Finally, printing, was finished, and it was the bookbinders’ turn. Then Aus tralia’s eastern coast was swept by phenomenal storms. Colliers could not carry coal from Newcastle to Sydney; so Sydney’s coal-gas supply was rationed— and still is rationed. The binders are not allowed to use gas, to heat their glue pots, to make book-covers; and so again publication has been delayed.

However, gas-rationing is about to end.

Nothing much else is left to happen. If the Russians do not drop an atom bomb on Sydney, the Year Book should be out, as indicated above.

New Flying-Boat

For Suva Service

While in Suva after its inaugural flight from Auckland in June, the TEAL flying-boat took parties of Suva citizens for courtesy flights.

Top photo shows a party, in flight.

In lower photo, Mrs. Dave Butler (striped frock), wife of the Suva manager of the Union SS Company, is leaving the plane holding one of the souvenir ash-trays which were given to guests.