Bung

Even Prices at the Bung Are Going Up and Up

IN Rabaul, on Saturday, all roads lead to the Bung. (Pidgin for the local native market.) There was a time when all you needed was sixpence in your pocket, and a strong pair of elbows to push your way through thronging natives. To-day, you need considerably more in your pockets if you want to do more than look.

For sixpence once, you could buy things which would have astonished the Southern housewife: A delicate piece of coral, sun dried to brilliant whiteness; a sheaf of galup nuts (and until you have tasted the galup you have never eaten a delicious nut); a bundle of fresh young corn; a basket of tomatoes; a pumpkin; a comb for your hair; a broom for your floor; or even a pair of brilliantly plumed love birds, or a cocky “guaranteed” to talk. Of course, you had to realise that the Pidgin word “behain,” was much the same as “manana,” and might never come, but you were assured that your bird would talk — “behain’’!

Mostly, payment for goods was ten dered in the form of sticks of twist to bacco, one stick of which was equivalent to sixpence. But to-day there is a marked tendency among the natives to ask for “marks” or silver, in preference to tobac co. This is part of the growing sophisti cation of the native who shows an increasing preference for the white man’s tobacco and cigarettes.

To-day there is a great discontent among the European shoppers at the Bung, who feel they are being greatly overcharged. Where a basket of tomatoes or a bunch of spinach was once only six pence, to-day the native will sell nothing under one shilling—except, of course, native betel nut, which remains at its old price of sixpence. For sixpence the native can still buy enough betel nut to chew his way to a kanaka heaven.

On a green sward the Bung is set pic turesquely among trees, with long open air counters, laden with produce. Lorries, filled with native goods start rolling in from Toma, in the mountains around Rabaul Harbour, from early dawn. Many of these lorries are native-owned, and also carry native passengers at 2/- per head.

Those who do not have the price of a ride will walk, sometimes leaving the pre vious dawn and sleeping along the road side, in order to arrive in time for the Bung. For the native it is the great social occasion of the week when “one-talks” meet and exchange the gossip between town and village.

The prevailing feeling to-day amongst Europeans is that the natives have put up their prices in order to “get some of their own back” on the Chinese, who are pro digious shoppers at the Bung. Chinese shopkeepers consistently overcharge the natives and the latter feel that this is the one way they can retaliate. The un fortunate European, as usual, falls bet ween the two.

In a recent letter to the Rabaul Women’s Club, one European woman put forward an excellent suggestion, which, however, the Club considered too big for them to handle. She suggested that Europeans start a market garden of their own in the mountains, import a qualified agriculturist, and until such time as the gardens were self-supporting, to pay this expert and staff by public subscription.

The produce thus supplied would be sold in a similar market to the present native Bung, but only Europeans would be the salesmen and customers. Her husband

offered to donate the heavy agricultural equipment necessary to the project.

As it is, with the high cost of living in Rabaul, crippling to most of the white population, and with the announcement of higher import duties on so-called luxury goods, most Europeans are saying wearily: “Oh Lord, Oh Lord, where will it all end!”

Roberta M. Rhodes.

Mrs. Metcalfe, wife of the Rev. J. R.

Metcalfe, of the Methodist Mission in BSI, recently visited her parents in New Zea land. She has now returned to the Solomons.

The Tongan Crown Prince and Premier, Prince Tungi, will make a business trip to Australia in October. He will be ac companied by his wife, Princess Mata aho. They will travel by air.

The Hon. Tualaulalei, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Western Samoa, was in Wellington, NZ. in September. He visited Parliament, then in session, and was given a seat on the floor of the House during a debate. During his stay in NZ he had interviews with the Prime Min ister, and the Acting Minister of Island Territories.