The Touring Stanleys

Visit Gizo

T the end of March, the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific, Mr. R. C. S. Stanley, ;h Mrs. Stanley and Miss Stanley, t Honiara for a tour of the stem Solomons. They were met newhere along the way by strict Commissioner Peter Hughes a conducted back to Gizo for a ef stay.

Jizo, a great hump of red canic clay covered with pic esque casuarinas, coconuts and redibly green and well kept ,ss, is surrounded by small mds like cup-cakes and with the iked seven or eight thousand t of Kolombangara as a dramatic :kdrop. It surely must be one the most beautiful Government tions in the whole South-West nfic.

Tiere are three or four Chinese de stores, which keep a very ited amount of European goods, i an outpost of the Trade teme whose retail store was sed all boat-day. ’he Japs occupied the area dur the war but the Americans by sed it. Either to throw a scare ) the Japs, or for target practice, y machine-gunned many of the -war buildings. One white nted store on the foreshore has 7 had its machine-gun-bullet es stopped up with red paint il it looks like a large-scale isles epidemic. ■here is a new native hospital, It in a small gulley, out of Army material but such equip it as it has has been salvaged the new Doctor in charge, from ious junk heaps. He is assisted an AMP who was trained in tistry at Suva Medical School, some local dressers. The place ns to scream for the presence of east one European nursing sister one could be persuaded to iple the beautiful isolation of d. However, it seems that the e of the BSIP exchequer will yet permit. he houses of the District Com sioner, police inspector and ;or (and their respective ilies) are built along the top he island. All have magnificent rs but, at this time of the year east, not much breeze. There two methods of approach open he weary pilgrim (there are no Is and no motors on Gizo) er by the path that leads up i through flowering hibiscus frangipanni to the house of District Commissioner; or by perpendicular track and steps the doctor has recently had :ed out from behind the >ital to his house. In either it, you will reach the top with

your tongue hang ing out and your clothes sweated fast to your body.

The D.C. has enthusiastic plans for the advance m e n t of the natives of the District who, in fact, seem more amenable to new ideas than their more truculent (or dumb) brothers to the south of the Group. The European officials

are keen and, strangely, seem less prone to the depressions wrought

of continued frustration than their brethren in Honiara. (Over)

The new native hospital at Gizo.

Although to the outsider thei lives may seem to be little moi than a battle against heat, isolatia and bad food—they are now a provided with refrigerators, some times temperamental and alwaj totally inadequate for the tw months between Malaitas —they a say they “like it here”.

They are concerned, with reasm in “keeping themselves up to tb mark” and in this respect, the vis of the High Commissioner and h; family provided a high spot. Hei as elsewhere there is great ad miration for the Stanley brand j hardihood and evident willingnq to tour frequently in boats so sma and stuffy that the ordinary citize would not commit himself to thei and the sea unless dragged o board unconscious.

FOOTNOTE; There is a rumour i Gizo that the Shortlands, thj nestle so close under the larg island of Bougainville, and wit whom the natives are by geograpl if not government, blood-brothel may soon be transferred to Am

tralian administration.

J.T.