The Editors' Mailbag

leaking Sartorially

1 B-4 of Dohu Island, R.E.S.T., tails an amusing incident : heading “Sanasi’s” recollection of trip with the late Sir Hubert irray (PIM, Nov., 1952) telling the homeliness and unconven nality of H.E. (as he was always led) one remembers a similar in lent, on a South-bound steamer p, some years ago. rhere had been quite a flutter long some round-tripper ladies, ,en it was known that Papua’s sut.-Governor was to be a fellow ssenger. )n the first afternoon out from rt Moresby, His Excellency spent i hours in a deep deck-chair, sorbed in the study of a large mtific work. He was dressed in lavy suit, white tennis shoes, and leavy tweed cap.

Iressing bell for dinner. Excite nt rising among the little group ladies. He still sat on until with a few minutes of the dinner-bell, i then went to his cabin. Dinner I. Ladies in evening dress, morous “hair-do” with all acces ies, looking expectantly towards Captain’s table. Sir Hubert ae down —in navy suit, white nis shoes, and the tweed cap ked in his side coat-pocket.

oenix Is. Rabbits

Tie history of the old and miser e colony of rabbits on Phoenix ind, in the Central Pacific (to ich reference was made in luary issue) is provided by Mr. C. jhanan, of Melbourne, who was h Levers Pacific Plantations Ltd. le 40 years ago.

LPPL had rights over the >enix Islands before World War writes Mr. Buchanan, “and on i occasion we had to erect a con on Phoenix Island. I well lember the rabbits.

Phe story is that the American Dper of a whaling-ship, which de periodical visits to the ;arctic, hit on a plan to provide crew with fresh food when on Lr way back and forth across the ific. While his ship was in an itralian port he secured a num of rabbits, and he released them Phoenix Island, which was then nhabited. [ do not know whether the pro ved food supply was a success. I >w to my own sorrow how ined salty they were!” he rabbits have been on Phoenix at least 50 years. Phoenix is e more than a large, uninhabited d-bank, covered scantily with Dical herbage.

te of Racial Increase

valued correspondent points out

t, in June PIM, Mr. Aimee Ragg mated that by 1975 the Fijians [ number 250,000, and the Indians

in Fiji 350,000; whereas, in the PIM in June, 1945 (seven years earlier) the late Sir Maynard Hedstrom esti mated that by 1975 the Fijians would total 180,000, and the Indians 276,000. Mr. Ragg, estimat ing seven years later than Sir Maynard, makes his totals about 40 per cent. more.

It could be made the subject of an interesting argument. We think Mr. Ragg was a little too liberal; Sir Maynard too conservative. Both races about doubled their numbers in 40 years. The Fijians to-day are now over 135,000; the Indians are nearly 150,000.

Gambusia as “Stock”

The ways of petty officialdom pass normal understanding. In a recent issue we described the fight that philanthropist Hallstrom, of Central New Guinea Highlands, is having with officials concerning the introduction of Paradise Birds to Australia. Here is another ex ample.

A member of a well-known New Guinea family was coming back to Sydney, and he remembered a re quest made by an Australian medico that he bring South some of the famous Gambusia fish, to be tried as an anti-mosquito measure. (The Gambusia are Re leased in fresh water infested with mosquito larvae and, in a short time they completely destroy the larvae.) Dr. Strong, of Port Moresby, assisted the traveller and provided him with a jar-full of Gambusia.

He got as far South with them as Brisbane. There an official pounced on him, and insisted that he could not bring Gambusia into Australia.

The traveller pointed out that Gambusia now were being taken from country to country, without objection by anyone.

The official said he classified Gambusia fish “Stock,” and such animals were excluded, or subjected to a long term of quarantine. When the man would listen to neither argument nor reason, the ex asparated traveller tipped his little fish into the Brisbane River where —the tidal water being salt—they immediately perished.

Crocodiles and Optomists

r[IS was in an advertisement in the Sydney Morning Herald the other day:

New Guinea

Crocodile Shooting Expedition. Fully equipped with seagoing craft, etc., re quires additional partner. Suit man with taste for adventure. Big financial return anticipated. Comparatively small amount of capital req. For full details call at our offices.

We had two calls, later on—both

wanted to know how much an optimistic man, with no experience of tropical conditions, might expect to make out of crocodile shooting in New Guinea.

We told them.

A Map—and Mt. Rentoul

IN a recent issue of the Methodist Missions’ magazine there is a large map of the Central High lands of New Guinea. If you look at the left hand side you will see ‘Mt. Rentoul, 13,000 feet.” I am re minded of an incident of the mid thirties.

Before Jack Hides made his most famous patrol (Fly River to near Mt. Hagen—he crossed Ivan Cham pion’s track just about where this new Mendi Mission is established) he had applied himself to the writ ing of a book, about earlier patrols.

He was an amateur and was greatly helped in the job by a superior officer, Alec Rentoul, RM.

He left the MS with me. I also worked on the MS, and sent it to London; and, when Jack returned to civilisation, he was greeted with a copy of his book, just off the press.

Naturally, he was delighted, and his first copy went straight to Ren toul, cordially inscribed.

“I named a new mountain after the dear old bloke,” he told me. “It looks out over those fascinating Tarifuroro people”—and he gave me a Tarifuroro axe—a beautiful thing of green stone, which I still treasure.

Mt. Rentoul is only 50 miles west of Mt. Giluwe, which I think is the highest in New Guinea—l3.66o feet.

It all came back to me, as I looked at that map. Jack is long since dead, and Alec Rentoul is retired and lives in Cremome, Sydney. He has been ill lately; but underwent an operation and now is quite re covered. —RWR.

Some Bits of History

“The shipment of logs from Honiara, in the Solomons, to Aus tralia, by the BP vessels, is by no means a pioneer effort,” writes Mr.

C. Buchanan, of Melbourne, who was a resident of BSI some decades ago. “While I was there, Levers sent down to Sydney 93 logs by the old Moresby, under Captain Voy, and other shipments followed. They were used for special cabinet-work in Sydney.”

He reminds us that, on March 15, exactly 64 years had elapsed since the famous hurricane occurred off Western Samoa, when five German and American warships were lost, and HMS Calliope escaped by virtue of her Westport coal.

“So Tony Olsen has gone to rest,” comments Mr. Buchanan. “I well remember a trip he made with us to Sydney in the Upolu. He and ‘Russian Harry’ had a real royal time in Sydney, and arrived at the wharf-side just as we were sliding out. He was a lovable character.”