Do You Remember?

From PIM of 20 Years ago.

IT was interesting to note that in April, 1933, the price of a ton

of rice—staple diet of planta

tion labour in the South West Pacific—was approximately the

price planters were receiving per

ton for their copra. (In 1953,

planters are paying, ton for ton,

about three-tenths more for their rice than they receive for their

copra.). But apart from this, plant

ing was in the doldrums and planters of 20 years ago did not normally find themselves elevated to the Rich Uncle class. For the rest, Pacific Island cruises were a popular, and cheap, form of amuse ment; and people were no less keen to start new industries in the Ter ritories than they are now.

Here are some of the things con tained in the PIM of April, 1933: Mr. C. Falkner, of Tearouki Plantation, Bougainville, wrote that there had been Jap trochus poachers operating off Tiop.

On March 4, he said, they had appeared in a large launch, sent out 10 boats to a reef that was reserved for the local village and commenced to fish for the trochus which the villagers were keeping to pay their taxes. The chief and elders of the village went off in canoes and ordered the Japs off, but the intruders ignored them. In four or five hours they had skinned the reef and departed, “leav ing a lot of enraged and loudly protesting natives”. * * * Burns Philp and Co. had bought up the trading section of its most formidable rival in Papua, the British New Guinea Co.

The BNG Co., which was owned by a group of London investors and had operand in Papua for many years, would, however, continue to operate its coconut and rubber plantations. * * * “Two new seaplanes, purchased in Aus tralia by Fiji Airways, Ltd., are already in Suva and in operation. We predict for the company a very useful and profit able career—although it can hardly hope to score the sensational success achieved by its older relation, Guinea Airways, Ltd.” * * * In a list of NG Public Service appoint ments and promotions G. Ellis and H. I.

R. Niall were appointed Acting Assistant District Officers; E. A. Feldt, District

Officer, Grade 3; G. W. L. Townsend, District Officer Grade 2, and E. W.

Oakley, District Officer Grade 1. (Mr, G. Ellis committed suicide on the Sepiki River, in 1942, under rather extraordinary-] circumstances; Mr. Niall is now District Commissioner. Morobe; Mr. Feldt, who organised the famous Coastwatchers dur ing the Pacific War, is now retired and living in Brisbane; Mr. Townsend has a United Nations appointment at Lake] Success. Mr. Oakley is dead). * * * “The Rockefeller scheme of sanitation which is being attempted in the Cook Group is being pushed forward by the"

PWD. It is anticipated that the whole of the installations (about 850) at Raro tonga will be completed within three or four months.” . (It is a safe bet that John D. never imagined that he would J be best known in the South Seas for his “scheme of sanitation”—which con-i sisted of latrines built at the end of long jetties out over the sea and were designed to prevent hookworm infection. The scheme was instituted by the late Dr.j S. M. Lambert, financed by the Rocke-j feller Foundation, and the relics are a striking feasure of the Samoan landscape to-day. They have probably survived in 1 other areas, too). * * * There were, at the time, four companies] interested in sugar growing in Papua, and] selling shares to Australian investors!

They were the Sangara Company, Sugars lands. Ltd., Tropicane, Ltd., and the Kingsmill Group. Pointing out that Papua] probably was the place, but that 1933 waJ not the time, we said that either the Aus-' tralia or the Papuan government should supervise the sales of bonds and shares! to investors and (we cornily asked) were* the companies interested in sugar or “sugar”. (No one did produce sugar com 4 mercially in Papua, anyway. But in the depressed days of 1933 anything was worth! trying). « * * The big-hearted Australian Government} was spending the money collected from import duty on Fiji bananas to help the?

Australian banana-growers with scientific? research, publicity and other activities. I * * * The Fiji exchange rate, after being 3» per cent, under Stg. for some months,, reverted to 11 per cent, ufider Stg..

Approx. £ll3 Australia was equal to £lOOl Fijian. This is very close to the rate prevailing in 1953.

Mcllraths of Sydney were advertising); the best Rangoon ration rice, in double? 100’s, at £ll/10/- per ton, and trade beefi at 19/- per case.