Do You Remember?

From PIM of 20 Years ago.

AVERY dull month was May, 1934 —copra was still at a fan tastically low price and threat

ening to sink further: arrogant

Japanese sampans roamed the S-W Pacific taking trochus and shell from the reefs and even from plantations. However, there was one calamity that was conspicu ously absent in these Depression years —that was war, or threat of war. All that was to come later —and not too much later, at that.

Other extracts from our issue of May, 1934 follow: In contrast with the position to-day. we had no international air services listed —but we had many shipping services.

Out of eight ships, whose passengers we listed, only one is with us to-day on ap proximately the same run—the Malaita, now on the Norfolk Is-New Hebrides- Solomons-New Guinea service. The other seven —Montoro, Morinda, Aorangi, Mon terey, Tanda, Nankin, Macdhui have either gone to the wreckers, been sold abroad, or sunk during World War 11. * * * W. R. Carpenter and Co. announced that they had bought two vessels for a direct service between New Guinea and Europe. They were MV George Washing ton, and MV Milverton of 5,600 tons and 6,700 tons respectively. The Company said that the ships would be renamed “Rabaul” and “Salamoa.” * * * It was announced that in the following month, aviator Ulm, the famous partner of Kingsford-Smith, would run the first air-mail between Sydney and New Guinea. * * * The low price of copra was still the Pacific’s No. 1 worry. It had been hoped that 1034 would see an improvement in the copra outlook, but by May it appeared

that legislation before the US Senate would give the coup de grace to the in dustry. The US was proposing to levy a 3 cents per pound excise on coconut oil to protect home vegetable oil industries.

It was feared that this would force Philip pines copra out of the US market onto the European market, with an even greater depression in prices. * * * The Australian government was inviting tenders for a seaplane service, with head quarters at Rabaul. The service was to “be available for residents in the remote parts of the Territory” and an annual payment of £1,600 to the operator was guaranteed. (This appears to be another of those Government schemes that did not

jell.)

* * * “The assets of West Coast Pines Ltd., whose plantations are at Nadi, Fiji, were auctioned recently and sold to Mr. Brose who recently has been investigating the Fiji pineapple industry for a New Zea

land syndicate.”

* * * Tough times: “Owing to the low price of copra . . . there have been many cases of distress among planters (in New Guinea). Pride has prevented several planters making their true position known and as a result sickness has laid them low, and the diagnosis of their condition has been malnutrition.” * * * In Fashion Hints for Islands Women it was said: “. . . . row upon row of gathers adorn our sleeves, and our skirts are frilled from knee to hemline . . . every thing carries a frill or a ruffle of some description. Frills do the most amazing things for one’s face, and tired lines dis appear under their softening influence.”

Most of us, 20 years later, are needing more frills to do things for our faces!