Do You Remember?

TWENTY years ago . . . and as lv e l0( ?TM aC f ? n these fo X £ aOtS from PIM of January, 1932, W 0 reflect that, although in some instances, we have changed our views, in others we are still fighting the same old dragons: Australia should take steps to end the New Hebrides Condominium and bring the Group under Australian Administration and so protect her considerable land interests. ... It is desirable, from points of view of administration, defence and trading, that the Commonwealth’s tropical service should be extended from Papua and New Guinea over the Solomons and New Hebrides. * • • „ , Everyone was genuinely sorry to say farewell to Mr. Ben Chifley, the Federal Minister who had charge of Pacific Islands affairs, and who lost his seat in the political debacle. (There had recently been a Federal election in Australia.— ED.). Mr. Chifley’s strong and genial personality won him many friends among Administrators and residents. Unlike some members of his party, he never allowed political prejudices to colour his decisions—he was a just, fearless, farseeing and a hard-working Minister who earned the respect of everyone with whom he came in contact. It is a pity that political ties should sweep out of office a man who is so well qualified to give good service to his country. m m ' Mr. Turnbull, then secretary to the Western Samoan Administration, was reported as on an official mission to Weilington where he would try to raise a loan to tide the Territory over its “difficult financial position.” Sir Hubert Murray, of Papua, was on a mission to Canberra, pleading on behalf of Papua’s rubber planters for retention of a 4d. a pound preference on rubber. (Papuan rubber was admitted to Australia duty free; foreign rubber carried 4d. per lb. duty). The preference, said Sir Hubert, was just sufficient to allow rubber planters to survive.

But ’ , he said, the dut y need not always

would"; Absurd°for°Papua*to

expect any assistance. The duty might be made a sliding one so as to ensure a price of, say, Bd.” • • • There are few signs of improvement in the political situation in Western Samoa.

Efforts of the Administrator, General Hart, to bring about a meeting with Mau chiefs have proved unavailing. ... A pe tition of Mau leaders recently dispatched to Britain, America and Germany (signa tories of the Three Powers agreement) attacks the NZ administration, * • • M r. C. J. Levien, one of the most famous of New Guinea goldfields pioneers died in Melbourne on January 20, from meningitis. * * , . , , .. „ In , our Timetable section there were no a,r s " vlce . sc * e * ule * llsted ph ?

“ c * lon show f* “iat Burns had ™ a 4 taram T . on * h . e Sydney-Solomons service; Matson Line Sierra Sonoma and Ventura ?? ere ° n trans-Pacific service; Messagenes Maritime had Laperouse on Sydney- Noumea-Vila service and the Strasberg, Recherche and Esperance on Dunkirk- Noumea via Panama route, Bu ™ s ’s Morinda was on Sydney- Nf w Hebrides service (she still is) but ™ ade a , call , , at Auckland > NZ, also, Macdhui and Montoro took care of Sydney-P-NG route and the USS Co. had Niagara and Aorangi on trans-Pacific; Tofua on Auckland-Fiji-Polynesia service; Makura, Monowai on Sydney-Tahiti ser vice, via NZ and Rarotonga. E&A Line ships Nankin, Nellore and Tanda traded between Sydney and Hongkong via Rabaul and Manilla; the Dutch Royal Packet Navigation ship Le Maire ran a service from Sydney to the NEI via Rabaul, Samarai and Moresby.

In Fiji Makatea, Makoa, Adi Keva, Sir John Forrest and Adi Rewa maintained inter-island service. Papuan Chief and Matoma performed the same service for Papua, and in NG, Maiwara, Mirani, Durour and Durambah took care of round the-islands communications.