The Editors' Mailbag

Sun-Fish Stories

Since the PIM in February pub lished a photograph of the strange fish—afterwards identified as a Sunfish caught in the New Hebrides, we have received letters from interested readers in several Islands, reporting that specimens of this queer creature had been taken by them at different times.

Mrs. V. Carter, who was with her husband (a senior construction fore man) in the Gilbert Islands in 1949-52 writes from New Zealand to say that they saw this type of fish at Bonriki, Tarawa. “They are most peculiar—they have no tail, but a kind of rudder which appears to move like a ship’s rudder. They have no scales but a hard thin skin, rather like celluloid, which turns to jelly when cooked.”

Mrs. Carter says that a large shoal of Sunfish became stranded on the lagoon beach at Bonriki and the natives cooked them. They tasted not like fish, but like chicken — the flavour and texture of the fish resembled boiled fowl. The natives were delighted at this unexpected addition to their larder.

The Acting Director of Agriculture in Fiji kindly sent a photograph of a Sunfish washed up on the beach near Suva, and says that there is a well-preserved specimen in the Veterinary laboratory.

Angles on the Franc

Interesting note from a highly placed person who knows the con ditions in the Western Pacific: “From my observations I do not think that the residents of New Caledonia would be at all happy about any plan which meant that the British would leave the New Hebrides. Any resident of New Caledonia who can manage it has a Bank account in the New Hebrides —and there he readily can change his Pacific francs into Aus tralian £’s.”

Anyone who knows about the sensitivity of French Top Brass on the subject of exchange will con cede that our correspondent probably is right.

An interesting thing in the South Pacific to-day is a study of the various ways in which French traders get around the onerous and harassing conditions which French officialdom imposes upon exchange.

The canker of advanced Socialism has bitten deep into the vitals of France, with a consequent depress ing effect upon French currency; the world is increasingly suspicious of the franc; and even the most scrupulous of French traders, if they are going to survive, are obliged to take steps to avoid France’s oppressive currency regula tions.

First Ellice Dentist

Writing from New Zealand, Mrs.

Victoria Carter challenges a state ment in the March PIM that an Ellice Islander had become the first native professional dentist in that Colony.

“While I was at Tarawa,” she says, “an Ellice Islander named Meiauke practised dentistry on both natives and Europeans—in fact, he did an excellent job on my own teeth. I do not know his status, whether ADC or AMP, but I do think he should have the credit of being the first native dentist in those parts.”

Wealth for Samoa

A South Pacific writer challenges the statement of our Samoa corre spondent, published in March, that cocoa was sold there at £450 per ton.

He says that in the period under notice the highest sale made was at £420 per ton for first-grade, less broker’s commission.

“Actually,” he writes, “very little cocoa has been sold at £4OO and over because of advance sales made at lower figures, and also because the top prices were quoted in the world marked during the period when there was no crop in Samoa.”

We should strive for accuracy, of course. But what does it matter: cocoa at anything over £3OO Stg. per ton is wealth for the Samoans.

Sour Note from an

Anglophile

Why do Americans have to be so different, wails a reader—and puts a lot of it down to sheer cussedness.

He says: “There is probably no reason why they shouldn’t wear their Army chevrons upside-down, if they must; and there may be sense in the fact that there are 100 cents to a dollar; or in driving a car on the right hand side of the road.

“But why in the name of heaven must they write the days and the months of a date exactly opposite to us? 3.10.54 to us means the third day of the tenth month of the year 1954. To a Yank it means the 10th day of the third month of 1954.

There seems no commonsense basis for this practice. It must therefore be done simply to be different.”

Well, you Americans, why is this done? It is confusing to the British.

The Language ef Officialdom

To run a full-scale war against officialese would be a full-time job; it is best to wait patiently in the

hope that the users thereof will finally become strangled in their own terminology.

But an irate reader from Port Moresby hasn’t got time to wait and writes: “Several inches of each Government Gazette are taken up with what is called ‘Non-Disallow ance of Ordinances’ wherein it is explained that the Governor-Gen eral has not disallowed the under mentioned ordinances. I suppose that ‘Non-disallowance’ means ‘allowance’ —but why in heaven’s name can’t they say so?”

We couldn’t agree more.

It is interesting to note also, that in the same Gazettes there usually appears a list of ordinances under a heading, “Assent to Ordinances.”

The Governor-General is concerned in both, but what exactly is the practical effect of the difference be tween the two means of approval we have not yet worked out.

Long-view on Copra

Even though the present position of the copra producer is rosy in deed, few would care to speculate too deeply on the future. The British MOF Agreement ends in a few years and then it may be a different tale. The wise planter is he who heeds the impact that synthetic “detergents” are having' on the soap market and prepares himself to produce the kind of copra that will be in demand for high grade toilet soaps and for food.

Meanwhile a Bougainville planter writing recently admits that Bougainville copra has recently been bad and goes on to say: Both Hot Air and Smoke grades of copra have had to be re-conditioned on arrival at Rabaul thus causing a deal of incon venience to shippers and expense to plan ters involved. A number of local planta tions have expensive imported driers which should, in an ordinary way, solve the problem of producing good copra, but without the co-operation of the drier at tendant, the best drier cannot produce good quality copra.

The lack of responsibility on the part of the carefree and careless native atten dant is hard to overcome. He knows that there is no penal clause in his agreement, and can burn the whole show down and, under the Ordinance be only fined a few shillings. Three years ago the planters tfied to get better copra and policed the driers by day and night, but the result was about a dozen driers burned out in a short time as a hint to the owners to re lax and take things easy!

If agricultural officers had fewer UNO forms to fill in, and more time for field work and instructing copra drier atten dants in their duty, much better results would be obtained—also better copra.

Local natives have made so much money from copra over the past few years that it is becoming a frightful bore to have to make the continuous effort. They are leaving their fallen nuts overlong and then, making a great effort, they cut the germinated nuts and fresh nuts together

and hurriedly dry this mixture on very poor leaky driers. They cheerfully hawk the result to the nearest plantation or trader for sale. If refused in one spot they proceed to another and are surprised and offended if their copra is rejected.

The fact that it is poor quality and un fit is explained away by the fact that time had been a factor owing to the village having to work for the Government, or build a church for the Father, or that it was Xmas, or there was a Sing-Sing which all had to attend.

It could be that he is right. But it is unlikely that natives are re sponsible for all the bad copra shipped from NG. There still are some European producers who are more interested in cashing in on present high prices tjian building up a reputation for first-class copra.

And what about those copra-in spectors who were going to be appointed to preserve NG’s overseas reputation?