Territories Talk-Talk
pp. 25-27 · Read in the full issue
By Tolala
ALL bureaucratic set-ups soon become ponderous and top heavy.
The Civilian Internees’ Trust Fund as an example: In November, 1952, PIM reported that the govern ment would pay out monies to widows of civilian internees from Jap reparations. In the following month I gave more details of the scheme.
Applications were called by the CITF, closing February, 1953.
The latest development is a circular from the Trust Fund, dated July 31, 1953 (five months after the original closing date) enclosing a four-page foolscap “Application for Grant” plus an exhaustive ques tionnaire on the applicant’s move ments, reasons for applying, personal income, etc. You are asked for a statement of assets and debts and whether you have received compensation or assistance from any other organisation or fund? “If so give details.” (This has the gracious addendum: Any such previous assistance does not prevent consideration of a grant under this fund.) Needless to say I have received numerous complaints from appli cants —most of them widows of old Territorians who were lost in Montevideo Maru, and who take a dim view of the protracted en tanglements of red tape.
It would seem that any infor mation desired by CITF could have been obtained from Department of Territories, which must have full details of all persons eligible for the grant.
Father Boch’s passing, as re ported in last month’s PIM, takes away one more old-timer of the Pre-Synthetic Days. Probably the best-known of the Marist Fathers in the Northern Solomons in the 1900’s and definitely the most popular, for he was a great mixer in a community noted for hard living, well-seasoned individuals.
Father Boch, a handsome, up standing man in his late thirties when I met him in 1916, was in charge of the Poparang Mission at Faisi (BSD and a well-respected figure amongst the clientele of the BP store on Faisi Island, where planters and traders would fore gather a week or 10 days before the old Mindini, with Skipper Voy aboard, arrived with mails and cargo. No wireless working in those days.
Few of that crowd remain: Sam Atkinson from Awa, Julius Oien from Fauro, Dick Ravener from
Mono, Wilson Atkinson from down the coast, Long Jack, Hughie Scott, from Orlofe, Jack Cruickshank from Sivilou, Tommy Mason, Monckton and old “Squeaker” Hamilton— while away from the crowd gathered inside the store, would sit a shy youngster in knickerbockers, gazing out on the world through his strongly-lensed glasses Paul Mason, who was later to do such wonderful work saving these same islands from the Japs .
And with all these men Father Boch was ever the most popular.
Binatangs again! I was surprised to read (PIM, Aug. p. 11) that the rhinoceros beetle in the B 4 days was a “harmless type” as quoted by Don Barrett, MLC, from French man Lepesme’s book. The thousands of damaged palms that I have seen with the base of the cabbage riddled with wriggling pupae of the rhino must then, have been an hallucination. I’ll admit often primary damage was blamed on the red palm weevil (Rhyncophorus ferr.) but the rhino, and elephant were both classed as No. 1 pests which fed upon the “millionaire’s salad.”
Not only is P-NG copra getting a bad name because of indifferent quality, but it seems that Terri torial shell—trochus and green snail —is receiving bad reports (Aug.
PIM, p. 19) due, no doubt, to care less grading and, possibly, overcook ing to extract the “meat,” which causes the shell to lose lustre.
Casualness is a noted national characteristic of ours, but if we are to compete in world markets with our islands products, such as copra and shell, we must maintain the highest standards as prevailed be fore the war, in TNG, at any rate.
Efficient copra inspection both European and native cannot be introduced too soon.
The slap-happy days are over.
“Nothing but the best” must be our motto.
A new printing press was un veiled at Raluana Methodist Mission last month as a memorial to Rev.
W. L. I. Linggood, who was one of the 10 missionaries lost in the Montevideo Maru.
The Methodists in TNG had their first printing plant established at Watnabara on Ulu Island in the Duke of York group, and over 40 years ago I remember seeing the native printers turning out a “Luk Buk” (a primer for the village schools), which was a two-coloured
job, profusely illustrated and printed in the Blanche Bay dialect.
The same plant turned out a small monthly church paper in the same dialect called “A Nila i ra Dowot” (“The Voice of Truth”).
Later the plant was transferred to Malakuna mission.
Incidentally “pidgin” was never a literary language with the Methodists in my day. The Blanche Bay dialect was used in the George Brown Training College, where budding native teachers were trained for service in New Britain and New Ireland.
We all remember before the kite went up in Europe back in 1939 the Hitler cry for “Lebensraum!” damanding living space for the German people. I am a bit per turbed, therefore, when a somewhat similar cry comes now from Tokyo, and a Nippon eye is cast towards New Guinea. I may be a bit jumpy, following the experiences we all went through as a result of the Pacific War, and the general set up of unpreparedness prior to that sad page in history, but I do feel that “something” should be done to awaken public interest in the present situation.
A thought to remember: Japan and Java (or, if you prefer it, Indonesia) have quite a lot in common, and Jap settlers in Dutch New Guinea, would be something to cause consternation in the minds of those who know the true trend of events.
The publicity given by Sydney newspapers at the beginning of last month over Mrs. Merial Staunton’s “ordeal” in a “storm-tossed boat” which broke its moorings in a blow and travelled up around Djaul Island, off New Ireland, left very little to the imagination.
It was certainly front page “news” and old-timers, probably including Mrs. Staunton herself who has known the Islands for the past 30 years, will be wondering why.
Such experiences would have gone untold a few years ago. But, truly, these are the days of bally-ho.
Osmar White, the well-known writer of some good stuff, picked up first hand in NG, had a series of articles in a Sydney paper recently and there was some good meat in them. But he should remember that those articles travel back to NG, are seized upon by the educated natives and are devoured, perhaps too hungrily. They might create ideas in some fertile minds.
The same applies, of course, to all criticism of NG conditions, and in particular to that published in the local P-NG press.
A Persian oil expert, passing through Sydney recently, com mented on the fact that oil would soon be found in NG. We’ve all heard that remark before, but com ing from this source does it signify anything more than mere wishful thinking now that British oil interests in Persia are on the wane?
Well, what did Sir Edward Hallstrom say which peeved the Nigerian delegate to the Copen hagen zoological conference? And how was the film offensive to the NG natives?