Tropicalities

Magazine Section

With A French Touch

ON the language difficulties in Noumea, during the South Pacific Commission session: Sir Ronald Garvey, Governor of Fiji, speaks fluent French; but even he found himself in a slight embarrassment.

He was praising the Noumea bus service, which is labelled “Transport de Commun,” Sir Ronald thought that the citizens of high degree might make greater use of this facility. His friends seemed surprised and amused. He learned afterwards that he had got mixed in his pronunciation of the letter “u”, in “commun”. This linotype cannot express the difference; but, as the Governor pronounced it, it meant lavatory instead of bus . . .

An American chatting to Noumean friends, thought he was discussing pneumatic tyres. After some slight jonfusion and distress, he discovered that he actually was discussing the jualities of nudes.

This occurred in a Noumea •estaurant: An Australian lady noticed that fie meat dish was called “canard”, [fiat, it appeared, was duck; but he lady, having poor knowledge of ’’rench, was sure it meant dog canaille).

Her gallant escort, to reassure her, ailed the waiter—a rather surly ellow, with a flat sort of English •renunciation.

“What is this?” asked Monsieur, minting to the dish.

Waiter: “Dock, m’sieu.”

He thought he was saying “duck”, fie lady was sure he still said dog”. They compromised on a heese salad.

Ew Guinea Women On The

Air

)ACK in Sydney from the 3 successful launching from 9PA Port Moresby, of New Guinea’s ew Women’s Session under local )mpere Joan Stevens, Ida Elizabeth mkins of the ABC was enthusiastic bout the wealth of material she >und in the Territory.

Much of the background material le collected and the recordings she iade there are to be featured in le ABC National Women’s Session • Australia. For example inter ews with Mrs. Flo Stewart of °tel Cecil in Lae, who has lived in ie Territory since 1906, and with iss Carter, who is in charge of

the Library Service there, are to be incorporated in the mainland session. She intends to introduce New Guinea to Australian women listeners through the voices and lives of some of its most interesting women.

During her three weeks’ trip, to P-NG, Mrs. Jenkins, travelled more than 5,000 miles and made a point of meeting as many women as possible to ascertain first-hand their radio needs.—H. E. L. FRIDAY.

Snails A La Mode

MICRONESIAN Monthly has pro duced a recipe for preparing giant snails for the table giant snails being the nauseating pests introduced by the Japs to New Guinea and some of its islands and to certain parts of Micronesia.

Having introduced them, it is said that even the Japs refused to eat them. Here is the recipe—strictly for the adventurous: Place six dozen snails In a pall with salt and vinegar and stir them vigorously, then wash them under cold running water until the water is clear.

Let the snails boil in salted water for 30 minutes and drain them in a large collander. Pull the snails out of the shells, setting the shells aside for further use. and remove the green intestines.

Place the snails in a kettle with one large onion, sliced, one clove garlic, and X A cup cognac. Add sufficient cold water to cover and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover kettle tightly and cook over a gentle fire for four to five hours. Cream I*4 cups butter and add two cloves garlic, finely crushed, one tablespoon each finely chopped parsley and chives, and salt and pepper to taste. Into each shell place a small nugget of butter mixture.

Drain the cooked snails, put them into the prepared shells, and seal the opening with a thick coat of butter mixture.

Place the snails on a flat baking pan and set them in a moderate oven for six to seven minutes or until they are heated through and the butter is melted.

Having done all that, we suggest that you drink the cognac and throw the snails away.

Tidal Golf

HOW many Golf Clubs in the world advise players to check tide tables before teeing off; or recommend that they include a fishing rod among their clubs?

The new “Wake Island Low Tide Country Club’’ does. For its nine hole course is laid out on the lagoon’s tide fiats, which at high water are under three feet of sea and teem with fish.

the , tide divots have been replaced and the “greens” seldom need rolling, although the cups—made of tile drain pipe—mav ne £h a httle cleaning.

The Low Tide Country Club was °int y • re “ nt 'y and residents are still intrigued with the sight ot whln W th'l m t g i >ver n .° thln B but water, when the tide is in.

It w as organised primarily for island residents-—PAA station per sonnel and Clipper crews laying over between flights, Civil Aero nautics Administration staff mem bers, Standard Oil Company em ployees and US Coast Guardsmen.

But the course is open to air pas sengers, too. Membership, including green fees, is two dollars. g

Gooneys Have Jet Trouble

ONE way or another, the United States has a lot of trouble with its Bomb-and-Air Age in the Pacific First Marshall Islanders have been disturbed by US H-Bombs; now gooney-birds are proving to be hazards to jets using Midway atoll.

“They are leaving Midway to the Gooney Birds”, was the title to a

story on this strategic North Pacific atoll, in PIM of June, 1950.

Well, they never did do that — plans were changed and, with the advent of the Korean war, Midway was again called into full use as a refuelling point on the United States-Far East air route.

The arrival of the Air Age never disturbed the gooneys, or Lysan Albatrosses, which have made the main islet their home for centuries —but it now appears that the gooneys are disturbing the Jet Age.

No less than ten jet aircraft have been smashed up on Midway this year through crashing into flights of gooneys as the aircraft took off or came in to land. Fortunately no lives have been lost.

But the US Navy, principal user of the atoll’s airstrips, has demanded that the US Fish and Wildlife Ser vice remove its protected birds to the other unused islet.

Dr. Philip Dumont of F&WS left for the island in November to take action. He will first try destroying the nests and if that is not effective, measures will be taken to make nesting facilities more attractive on the unused islet. If the birds still refuse to shift camp voluntarily, they will be subjected to a high frequency sound attack. The sound projected onto the colonies will be of a pitch that will not worry human ears, but it is likely to prove intolerable to the goonies.

The Pin-Up Girls Of The

Loyalties

ACCORDING to a Sydney news paper columnist (who quotes our friend Fred Dunn, of Noumea) Loyalty Islanders no longer call their women Marys, but Marilyns—after the beautiful Miss Monroe, of course.

You can believe the story if you like. But we bet Miss Monroe wouldn’t be flattered.

Cops And Smugglers

A FEW years ago Lautoka, Fiji, seemed to have been picked out as a good place in which to drop spare opium, as there were several ships then calling to take away the sugar.

The authorities were concerned and took every step to stop it, but despite the good efforts of the Customs Officers it still got in.

At last a very astute Inspector of Police, with a refutation for dealing with such matters, was sent from Suva.

He met with success and made several arrests and the time came when he fixed a day and hour when he was sure that he would make a great haul. Not wanting to be seen about at the appointed time, he asked my wife and self to have a game of golf as a camouflage.

We arrived at the Club house and while waiting to go on to the tee, two well-dressed fellows arrived.

One was carrying a golf bag with two clubs in it, and the other,

two clubs. They asked us if we would mind if they went ahead as they were in a hurry.

Off they went but it was soon apparent that they were not golfers and they seemed to be playing with one ball. At last we set off and asked could we go through. They readily agreed and we kept looking back at them, as they wandered from one side of the fairway to the other. When we got to the fourth hole, we could not see them any where and we didn’t see them again.

Some months later the story floated back to the effect that the way to get opium into Lautoka was to be a golfer; these two young fellows were members of the crew of a sugar boat in port, had packed the opium into the golf bag and walked ashore while every officer was watching for the suspected gang to make a move to land the stun.

Little did these sailors know that they were so near to the great man who thought they were safely in

the net-

Birk.