Do You Remember?

TWENTY years back! Days of

“Depression” but the £1 was

worth 20/-. Life was tough,

we hadn’t yet heard much about

Adolf Hitler, Uncle Joe was not

even a red shadow beyond our

horizon and we were not so down

and-out as we believed.

These extracts from PIM of Feb

ruary, 1932, will enable you to make

comparisons with the state of the

nation to-day:

From Our Rarotonga Corres

PONDENT: Lady passengers coming ashore off the mail boats treat us to glimpses of what we take to be advanced ideas of fashion. Plus-fours raged for a while.

After we came finally to accept these as recognised “going ashore” dress we were at once astonished and delighted at the appearance of “shorts” with a kind of singlet, as the upper garment! * * > * The Secretary to the Western Samoan Administration, Mr. Turnbull, has re turned from New Zealand. His mission has not been successful.

There seems no hope whatever of financial assistance from New Zealand and local retrenchment will start in earnest. Wages of local Samoan officials will be cut by 10 per cent. * * * Chairman of Oil Search Ltd. reports that: Much valuable oil prospecting has been carried out in the Matapau dis trict (west of Aitape, near the Dutch border) on the New Guinea mainland.

That extensive oil seepages have been found to exist in the district, that struc tures have been located and that the key to the oil series has been discovered, justifies the further work to be under taken. * * * Several months ago we expressed the opinion that the fine of £5,600 imposed by the Samoan Court on Messrs. O. F.

Nelson & Co. Ltd., for trading with th€ Mau (the firm claimed that all it did was to receive from the Samoans siflall debts owing to Mr. Nelson,, now in exile) was an example of sheer savagery not justified by reason or commonsense even if justified by law. The New Zealand Supreme Court has now given a decision in Messrs. Nelson’s appeal against the Samoan verdict and reduced the fine to £470.

The Union SS Company’s Tofua (4,3 tons and built in 1908) which has f many years maintained regular montl passenger service between Auckland, Fi Tonga and Samoa, is to be withdrai from service. She will be replaced Waipahi, a cargo ship that carries or four passengers. The falling away passenger traffic between Auckland ai the Islands is, it is understood, the reasi for Tofua’s withdrawal. * * * Samoan banana growers are complai ing at the contract made between t Administration and the NZ Governme for the supply of bananas. The contra is for only 4Vz months and the price pa to growers will be 3/6 per case 1c freight to Apia. * * * A remarkably fine range of timbers h been brought down to Sydney by M Charles Booth, one of the pioneers of t Morobe goldfields, New Guinea. Tht are samples of hoop and bunya pii cedar and Pacific maple. Mr. Booth a: his associates intend to form a compa: and to float the timber down the Bul< and Markham Rivers to the coast. Thi plans are being held up because timl leases covering the area which were a plied for in 1926 have not yet be supported by an official licence, reason for the delay has been given the Lands and Mines Department. * * * The discovery of a new electro-plati process, which is claimed by the invent to be epoch-making, has been made M. Henry Coporn, of Santo, New Hebrid* It is claimed that with the process woe fabric, glass, as well as metals, can plated with a surface of non-corrosi metal. * * * In advertisements in that February iss stainless steel dinner knives were offer at 8/3 per half dozen; hair clippers 3/6; alarm clocks at 4/6. The sing bed-and-breakfast rate at Clifton Garde Hotel, Sydney, was 35/- per week; Glo brand assorted beef, 12 oz cans, was 2( per case of 4 dozen; 16 oz, fancy me; 38/- per case; 1 lb cans of red salmc l/iVz a can or 16/- a dozen; coffee, cans, 2/9 per lb. Wool gabardine rai coats (men’s) were 67/6; drill shorts, 4> wool sports coats 24/6 and flannel trousc 18/6. You could buy a Chapman P marine engine for £l4 and, what is moi the first edition of the Pacific Islan Year Book was 8/6 and a yearly su scription to the PIM, 6/-.