Month In Fiji

New Suva-Nadi Service

From Our Own Correspondent

Suva, Aug. 28.

IT is expected that the new Fiji Airways service between Nau sori and Nadi-Lautoka will be operating from September 1. Two flights per day will be made and an eight-passenger plane will be used.

The company’s senior pilot, Cap tain F. Ladd, arrived from NZ in mid-August and the company’s engineer Mr. F. Murphy, from Aus tralia, shortly afterwards.

The Lautoka terminal will be for the present at Drasa, where there is already an emergency airstrip.

Later, the base will be established at Namoli (Lautoka,).

The airstrip at Labasa is under construction. Earthmoving equip ment has already arrived, and it is hoped to have it ready for use in November. For the present, it is proposed to run two trips per week on each route; but, so far as Labasa is concerned, this would seem in adequate, The TEAL Solent, ac comodating 32 passengers, is nearly always overbooked both ways now.

Plane is a twin-engined de Havilland Rapide; fare from Suva to Nadi is £3/12, 6 and to Lautoka, £4. All bookings are to be made through Hunt’s Travel Agency.

Taxi hire for the same trip is approximately twice this fare, about four times longer and not even the most anti-airminded can insist that road travel in Fiji is particularly comfortable.

The flying time between Nadi and Nausori is one hour—and the only catch is that it takes a further hour by bus to reach Suva (several miles from Nausori).

Dry Season

SUVA is enjoying one of the coolest and driest dry seasons for years. A few weeks ago residents were wearing sweaters and sleeping under blankets. Suva has been without rain for over a week, which constitutes something of a record —but there has been sufficient moisture up to date to keep gardens bright and grass green.

Further afield the position is more serious. Some of the islands of the Lau Group have had practically no rain for three months, and plan tations are beginning to suffer.

Suva has been obscured by a thick haze in recent weeks, particu larly towards evening when the mountains and off-shore islands are blotted out. There are several local theories to account for it—one being that it is bush-fire smoke from the bush fires in Queensland.

Mercy Ship On Aitutaki

Reef

THE Alexander, formerly an Anchor Line ship which was Salvaged from the Nelson (NZ) mud-flats some months ago, and was reconditioned for the Islands trade in time to help out in the recent NZ seamen’s strike, ran on a reef near Aitutaki, Cook Is., in mid- August. It is believed that she may become a total loss.

She is owned by three young men and became known in NZ as the Little Mercy Ship, when she was the first ship to take much needed food to the Islands in the recent strike period.

Fiji Aerial Survey

THE Hunting Aerial Survey has practically completed its Sur vey of Viti Levu, and Vanua Levu. The whole of both islands base been covered except for filling in patches that were missed owing to bad visibility. The main out lying groups remain to be done.

This work, when finished, will be of great service in the future dep velopment of the Colony.

Well Known In Sport

A RECENT arrival is a well known New Zealand identity in the person of Mr. Sam Hol lander, who has joined Northern

Hotels, Ltd., as assistant general manager.

Mr. Hollander, from Christchurch, is one of New Zealand’s leading chess players; a Rugby Union referee of some note; a keen bowler; and in his younger days he represented Canterbury at Cricket, Rugby and swimming. By way of hobbies Mr.

Hollander collects ivories, chess sets and stamps.

The Pineapple Cup

rpHE Championship of the South JL Seas,” for which the famous Pineapple Cup was presented many years ago by the Pacific Biscuit Co., was again competed for during the holiday week-end, August 4-6. Open to all Clubs in the South Pacific, this competition is always a gala day at Suva and this year

was no exception. Very keen play brought the finalists, Messrs. Geo.

McKitterick and veteran W. (Bill) Thompson to meet on the main green on Monday before a large gathering. After some really first class bowling by both contestants, McKitterick was the winner on the 25th head, 22-18. It should be mentioned that “Bill” Thompson won this Cup away back in 1935.

The Radio-Telephone

ONE of the notable advances made ; in Fiji during recent years is; the establishment of radio telephone services to outlying • centres.

Even on Vanua Levu there were; many places which had no means< of urgent communication—Dreketi,, for instance, a large centre only 50( miles from Labasa, but with no road! leading there. A messenger om horseback took a full day to get tot Labasa, while a fast launch trip took: six hours. For outside, messagesc were sent over the broadcasting? system, for all and sundry to hear..

Now all this is changed. Out lying districts are now in frequent} and speedy touch with the centres..: This applies even more in the cases of the smaller groups.

Last year stations were opened ati Lomaloma and Lakemba, while re cently others were opened att Oneata, Fulaga, Moce, and Naitaubas in the Lau Group. Before the endfc of the year it is hoped to have readyv for operation stations at Moala, Totoya, Vatoa, Naiyau, Vanua VaUu Namuka-i-lau, Ogea, and Komo.t This will mean that most of thes Lau group will be in communications with Suva.

The service is also being extended on the main islands and vicinity,' Beqa opens tomorrow and Koro and) Gau will be on the air next month.

Is He An Indian?

AN interesting case was heard be-; fore the Chief Justice thisj week. Four electors of the; Northwestern Electorate sought to unseat the recently elected Indian member of the Legislative Council! on the grounds that he was not an Indian under the Letters Patent!

The actual claim was that the; member, Mr. Tulsi Ram Sharma s was in fact a Nepalese, his fathers having been of that nationality, al-I though Mr. Tulsi Sharma was borer in Fiji.

The Chief Justice, in his reserves decision, made no reference to thin point; but he held that the petition.; was vexatious and frivolous owing: to the delay in presenting same.

Mr. Tulsi Sharma was recently ini England, with two other electees members, as the guest of the British Government at the Festival o;o Britain.