Do You Remember ?

From PIM of 20 Years ago.

BEST New Year present for the Pacific Islands in January, 1935, was the advice from London that copra had suddenly risen £3/5/per ton in a matter of five weeks.

Sundried and smokedried was bringing £l2 Stg. in London; hot air was £l2/15/- Stg. They were the best prices since January, 1933, and we described them as “astonish ing.”

Reason for the sharp rise was at tributed to the fact that America had made a rearrangement of the tariff that virtually had shut Philip pines copra out of the USA. Under the new arrangement, Philippines copra would bring 10 dollars more in the US than in Europe—and as a consequence the European market was being left free for other copra producers.

Here are some other items from our issue of January, 1935: In a stern editorial we warned of the apparently peaceful penetration of the Pacific Islands by Japanese. They were intensely nationalistic, we said, and it was inconceivable that they would be content to settle down under any flag but their own. * * * In Port Moresby, Mr. E. A. James, who was then editor and owner of the “Papuan Courier”, and then, as now, was a champion of personal freedom, fought and won a legal battle against the Commonwealth Government over its decision to demand radio listener’s fees from Territory residents. Mr. James had been charged with being the owner of an unlicensed wireless receiver. * * * “Pilot Colin Ferguson recently took off

for Salamaua, NG, from Mascot ii new Dragon for Carpenter’s; he accompanied by his wife who is the woman to fly from Australia to Guinea.” * * * “A small committee of Sydney i acting on behalf of New Guinea resid< have made a study of the case of Ja Larkin who in 1931 was sentenced 10 years’ imprisonment for the ‘mur of a native of Manus . . . As a r< a petition is now being circulated signatures in New Guinea, directed the Administrator, in which a praye made for mercy.” * * * W. R. Carpenter and Co. bought the trading and plantation business On Chong and Co., Ltd., in the Gil and Ellice Islands Colony. * * * News had reached the coast at S maua, New Guinea, of the murder the Rev. Father Charles Morschhe and the spearing of Brother Eugene ( later died of his wounds at Salama near Mt. Hagen, in the recently covered New Guinea Highlands. (It these two murders which caused Administration to close the Highland; all but a selected half dozen Europe until after World War II). * * * Minimum wages for native labourer the BSIP had been reduced from per month to 10/-. * * * Fiji w’as preparing for a Royal —that of HRH the Duke of Glouce in February. During the three days’ ■ it was planned to take the Duke to ancient island of Bau, and also to fire-walking island of Beqa to see mysterious ceremony. After Fiji, Duke’s Itinerary included two days Western Samoa.