The Editors’ Mailbag

That Raluana Line-up

An old resident of Rabual says the litigation over the refusal of the Raluana villagers to line, at the order of an official organising village councils (Jan. PIM). really had nothing to do with lining, but was closely connected with the current war between District Ser vices officials, and the European police (nearly all ex - Provosts).

He says the Raluana natives “are a lot of semi-educated big-heads,” who defied their own Paramount Luluai. Instead of getting out of the prosecution, they should have been disciplined; and there would have been an appeal to the Supreme Court if “Moresby Brass” had not become scared of certain possible reactions.

He adds that “this Raluana mob” are partly out of control; that they have an underground government of their own, with their own tax system, courts and standover men.

“One of them was a Kempi Tai and is the cheekiest coon I’ve ever met,” says our correspondent, who pleads for more, not less discipline.

Hirstein, NOT Nordhavet

The name of the Norwegian ship which was lying in Rabaul in Janu ary, 1942. and which could easily have taken the Rabaul civilian men to safety, had Australian officialdom permitted, was the Hirstein, and not the Nordhavet, as stated in January PIM.

The error is pointed out by Mr.

R. T. Bruce, of Kikori, Mr.

Bruce was one of the four Euro peans who were engaged in load ing copra onto the Hirstein when she was bombed and destroyed on January 23, and one of the very few who escaped, with their lives, from the Japanese invasion.

RLS Book Through London

A note from J. C.* Furnas, of Lebanon, New Jersey, USA, in forms us that his invaluable Bio graphy of Stevenson, entitled “Voyage to Windward/’ is being published by Faber and Faber, of London, for British distribution.

Most British folk could not get the new book, in its American form, because they cannot get dollars.

Police Bigheads

“I am sorry young Sid Smith has experienced trouble in his handling of Papuan native police” writes a former Papuan official.

“He is such a good bloke, and an excellent officer . . .in fact, one

of the best of the younger men in the field ...

“The present-day crop of police boys contains too many who are arrogant and big-headed—they are a menace to any officer who has to depend upon them in the bush.

The fault lies with the divided control: there are now too many police-masters who never leave the station, and the police get the idea they are solely responsible to these gentry.”

She Had Steam Up

“It is true that the Calliope was burning Westport coal when she saved herself from the hurricane in March. 1889,” writes Keast Burke, editor of Photo-Review, apropos of an article in November PIM. “But there is one important point omitted from your account.

“This was that the Calliope had steam up, whereas the other vessels had not. In those days, it took time to get up steam; and it was in this direction that the seaman ship of Captain Kane was de monstrated.”

Tomb Completed

Anent “Rapa for his Kingdom” (February, page 66) our Tahiti correspondent sets our minds at rest:— “Jimmy Paul completed his con crete tomb. He died at Rapa on September 20, 1946, aged 78, about a year after undergoing a serious operation at Papeete. He was buried at Turangainunu, near Ahurei village, on Rapa, and was given military burial honours, as a returned soldier of the first World War.

“He first came to Papeete as a boot-maker shortly after the first World War.”

King's Death In A

Condominium

Side by side from the Residencies and their Offices, public buildings and commercial houses, the Union Jack and the Tricolour flew to gether, half-mast.

Lowered together at sunset they all re-appeared the following morn ing at full mast to commemorate the proclamation of the new Queen.

At the designated hour, all flags in unison descended again to the half. —From a Vila, New Hebrides Correspondent.

“British" Pacific islands

From the British Commissioner.

Canberra, comes a copy of a Colonial Office production a

copiously illustrated, beautifully printed, attractively-arranged (j far as it goes) little book of I pages, entitled “The British Pacif Islands.”

It may be recommended for a hour’s pleasant reading, but, as work of reference, it is complete useless.

It purports to describe the Brith Pacific Islands —bu't it ignore Papua, New Guinea, Norfolk Islan Nauru, Western Samoa, Niue, ar Cook Islands. Presumably, becau the latter are Australian and Ne Zealand Territories, or Trust* Territories in the care of tho Dominions, they are, in the opinic of the high-nosed gentlemen i Whitehall, not “British.”

If one took this book as a guid one would believe that the on Territories of the South Pacific ov which the Union Jack flies are Fi Solomons, Gilbert and Ellice, Ne Hebrides, and Tonga.

There is no index; and “Coi tents,” being more literary the factual, are useless for quick ar easy reference.

A little thing: but an indicatic of one of the reasons why tl British Empire is sliding towan disintegration.

‘Metho V Possibilities

“So the P-NG natives are st drinking methylated spirits,” r marks Sydney H. Chance, retin Papuan magistrate. “They were d< ing it 20 years ago. Certain Eur< peans, too.” He becomes amusing reminiscent.

“A pious ex-mission-boy co( once told me that a certain trad' was no longer persona grata wil his mission chiefs because^—and h voice dropped to a whisper—‘l savvy kaikai lamp mura-mura.’ Th: is what they call medicine or ir toxicant in Motuan.”

Mr. Chance says that in 1937, oi Dimi of Suau visited friends at tl Bank’s headquarters in Moresb A cocktail (metho diluted wit siporo—the local lime-water) par was on, and Dimi was given £ extra big shot. Dimi passed out ar was carried down to Tom Gough office, Dr. Williams was called, ar Dimi regurgitated the lot. “Go* —l’m glad no one lit a match!” n marked Tom. Next day, the cod tail shaker, one Tau of Kapakap was before the Court, and was fin< £2O, or two months. Mr. Cham proceeds; “Apropos of what Dr, Gunth said (Feb. PIM). that metho ca be bought anywhere. I rememb* that I asked Dr. Williams to rea aloud the Spirituous Liquor sectic of the old AL & OP Ordinance. Ws metho spirituous liquor. Doc sa: it was.

“Only a few days later, I read i a Sydney newspaper that a magi; trate had ruled that metho was n< (Continued on Page 119)

uor within the meaning of the t. Confusing! ‘Why not stain the metho purple ih the same nauseating agent they id in the 1914-18 War? ‘For a choice recipe on how to ; metho as an ‘ingrediment’—old puans will understand the spell ;! —I commend an article by ika in a 1939 PIM. He described Daru variety in which tan boot ish was used. He called it an seover cocktail’!”

lucate Slowly

tote from a missionary on a ely station in the Northern omons: What you have said concerning ; queer and confused mentality the coloured people is all very e, especially for our blacks here Bougainville. The Government is a little too fast for these pri iive people. I refer to ‘The Isles Unwisdom’ (Dec.. 1951. p. 51): t the Administration forget all »ut . . . higher education. The t native is he who stays at home . The missions do a better job educating the natives than any school.’

Very true. The main reasons are the missionaries go slowly; (b) natives being naturally a ‘reli cs’ people, are not deprived of a ef in the supernatural. If this ef is taken away from them, y will become dangerous Bol viks,”

rewell: Madge of Ushers

Pandering lads from the Pacific nds are losing their treasured, unofficial news exchange. I am >rmed by Alan Pagett, of NG vicemen’s Club, that “Madge of iers” is about to be married, and boys from over and beyond are ipping in” for a presentation and. or years, the foot-loose Terri an in Sydney, wanting to make tact with friends, left word with right lass in Ushers Hotel; and course of time it came about t, failing other places, one could ays track down the elusive tor through Ushers, hen some hotel czar quarrelled i the lady, and she went else sre; and Ushers lost a valuable ie. But another bright lass tdge) came in some four or five rs ago, and recaptured the bar’s friends, to everyone’s pleasure profit. Now Madge moves on. o’s next?

iy M. Jacquier?

[ith innuendo and expressions irritation cut out, here is a er just received from a valued scriber in Tahiti: Recently, a conference on Tour

isme was held in Honolulu, Tahl was represented by a M. Jacquie a pharmacist. He travels back an forth, between Papeete and Horn lulu, at the expense of someoi else. He is not back yet—he hj gone to the United States on bus ness.

“What does M. Jacquier kno about Tourisme? I am not awai that he ever has taken any pas in the organisation of this indut try.

“But M. Georges Pamhun, manj ger for M. Jacquier, is an influe 1 : tial member of the Assemblee R 2 presentative, and it was the priv lege of that body to nominate somr one to attend the Honolulu Con ference. Perhaps M. Pamhun con explain why, of all the peon available, the Assemblee nomliJ ated M. Jacquier”

Is A Swop Dishonest?

“It seems to me that quite an uj necessary fuss was made about thr exchange of canned meat ai, canned fish, between Wilkinson ai.

Bock,” writes “a former Pub( Servant.”

He says that similar transactioc have occurred many times, tt tween administration officials ai, traders. He quotes cases, with; his own knowledge, of officig. selling such things as tea and bos oars to traders. Every field office some time or other, has repaid debt of borrowed rice with cans fish.

“I once took over a station,” says, “and found that my pn decessor had been swopping cas. of fish for rolls of transluc© ‘Windowlite.’ He urgently needt something like that, which couldn’t get; while he had bee supplied with far more tinned fir than he needed* “An old friend of mine—a hii official, now dead —used to send I labour to help a sawmiller ft trees, on condition that he receiw urgently-needed sawn timber to ft same value. A bit irregular to ft stern official mind; but, fund) mentally, what was wrong with I never heard of dishonesty; a* the officials were thus able to g on with their jobs.

“I know nothing of the bao ground of the Bock-Wilkins case; but I should like to meet t 3 field officer (serving or ex.) w/ hasn’t at some time or other heln along the good work with a tinw swop.”

Miss K. Vellacott Jones, ABC 1 porter, of Port Moresby, left : North America by the Mair Aorangi, on long leave. She e pects to return to the staff of 1 ABC radio station in Port Moreaj in November.