The Editors' Mailbag

A Good Word For

Ml Administrator

Conditions here are really in a bad way (writes an old resident or Norfolk Island). Tourist business slumped badly after the fares be tween New Zealand and NI were raised—only seven in February—a few more coming along now. We are hoping that something may come of the Anderson Whaling Co. plan—even if it is not on the large scale at first proposed.

Many here are blaming the Ad ministrator for our troubles; but he is only carrying out orders from Canberra, and he is a good man, with high ideals and a genuine desire to improve conditions here.

Both the Administrator and Mrs.

Norman are kind and thoughtful to the old people and the sick—being old myself, this appeals to me. I want you to know that there are still some people here who do not condemn.

"Solly's" Pitchblende

An old resident of New Britain, and a former neighbour of Otto Soltwedel in the goldfields days, writes that he is sure that “Solty” knew of metalliferous formations in New Guinea that indicated the presence of uranium; and he be lieves that “Solty” may have told the Waria Syndicate about it when he was refused permission by the Australian Minister Calwell to re turn to New Guinea.

“I think Soltwedel’s belief in a deposit of pitchblende was quite genuine,” writes our correspondent.

“I knew him over many years and he was strictly truthful and reliable.” (Otto Soldwedel, as a German national, was interned in Australia during World War 11. Although he had been absent from Germany for over 30 years, and although quite a number of British people pleaded that he be allowed to re turn to the only country he knew, New Guinea, the Australian Socialist Minister Calwell insisted on his deportation, about 1947. He died a couple of years later in Germany, almost friendless and

desperately poor.)

Socialism and Sawmills

“The Hasluck-Cleland regime insists that it is all for private enterprise in New Guinea and is strictly non-socialistic,” writes an old Territories resident.

“How then do the gentlemen explain the activities of Forests Director McAdam, whose Depart ment is busily transferring the Yalu sawmill from the Markham Valley to Lae and making preparations for

the establishment in Lae of a large timber-mill, to produce 18,000 super feet per day?

“There are large and important forests extending from what are called ‘The Bends’ back towards the Markham Bridge. These could form the basis of a good and sound mill ing business by private enterprise.

But no! Mr. McAdam has announced that this is to be a Territorial Forest Reserve —not for the people, but for his Department, which intends to cut this timber for the supply of its new mill in Lae.

“Why could not private enterprise be encouraged to go in and handle this industry on a sound commercial and competitive basis? What jus tification is there for allowing the Forests Department, endowed with endless public money, to come in and run this industry in the Depart mental way, and in competition with the private timber mills in the Territory?

“So far as New Guinea is con cerned we might just as well be back under the Chifley - Eddie Ward Socialists.”

Officialdom and the

Pensioners

Two former P-NG public servants, now living in Queensland on a not very adequate pension, direct atten tion to an injustice and a manifest absurdity.

Before the ED-Wardian era in N.

Guinea, retired men could get their monthly pensions paid into any bank account which they nom inated. But this convenient system apparently was too much trouble for some overworked clerk some where, and the Minister gave orders that, henceforth, all pensions should be sent to the individual addresses.

Ever since then the pensioners, instead of knowing that their in come was regularly arriving at their bank, have had to await the arrival of the postman, and then endorse and themselves send on the cheque to the bank before they can draw upon it. Mails are always subject to delays, and cheques sometimes go missing. There can be no reason why officialdom should not send cheques to the bank, and accept the bank’s formal receipt as proof it reached the pensioner’s account.

Instead of writing letters of pro test to helpless newspapers, the pensioners should nag away at high offiicialdom until the necessary re form is made.

Late A. H. Symons, RM

The father of Mrs. Washington, of Port Moresby, referred to in your recent issue, was not “Mr. Simon,” but the well-known Mr. A. H.

Symons, who joined Sir William MacGregor’s Papuan service, from

HMS Bacchante, early in thi. century, and rose to the rank of Resident Magistrate. He was a tall fine-looking man and a mos efficient officer, and he had nr illusions about Brown Brother. HE treated the natives firmly but justU and kindly; and he still is res membered on Murua and S< Aignans Islands, where he gave gooc service. He and Gus Nelson greeter me and helped me when I landed ox Marua from SS Moresby in 1909 -

J. W. Harrison.

Red Shell Money

Of the Solomons

Another reader has something t say about the shell-money of tit Solomons —a subject upon which M 1 L. Poole wrote in February PIM.

“For six years,” he writes, “I hav lived in the Small Malaita Passage Just in front of my house is th place where about 80 per cent, o the red shell is dived for in th Solomons. A little was found a San Christoval, but no diving done there any more, and th natives there don’t know now hoc to make the money.

“A little is found in the Floric Group also, but the bulk of it com* from this Passage. The shells ai, not collected at low-tide from th edges of shallows, as Mr. Poole sa:. —The people here dive for the she which grows on to the coral. Th* have special oval stones, 6 in. 10in., to cut them from the cors And only those people here wH possess the reefs know how to o this. It is an art.

“According to them, they start*, diving for the shell thirteen generr tions ago. The shells are sold the few Islands people in tl Langa Langa Lagoon, who make tl shells into money. This is doi« by the women, not by the men. Tl' men manage the business side it and thread the money on tl: strings.. A fathom of this red she/ money is worth £1; even before tic war, 10/- was the value of a father of white money, which is of ii ferior quality. Four strings of o:x fathom are generally worked irn one unit, but there are other un:i as well.

“The revival of the native custor —one of the Marching Rule idea that still prevail—stiumlated divii for the money shell. At pres© they are building special canoes 11 diving, and special store-houses ft the shell which awaits transport Langa Langa. The shell-money 1 mainly used for ceremonial buyii —for wives and pigs, though otli items such as canoes and food a sometimes bought with it also.”.

Did They Swim or Walk?

In March PIM we were foolil enough to make comments on i crocodile which a missionary hri seen up above Rouna Falls in Paprc

i did they get there, we asked, in or walk? ’e have since been taken to task ;wo old Territorians. A former rict Officer from New Guinea, is now with the Trusteeship sion of UNO, says that on his visit to Telefomin, Sepik Dis , in 1934, he noticed the skull i crocodile which hung on a ie-front together with the is of generations of pigs. He on: 'he proud owner told us that ather had caught it in the river by. I was apparently the second e man to see it. The first, i the description given me and time which had elapsed, must been Thurnwald, towards the of 1914. This must have been ig the weeks that Commander balage in HMAS Nusa was ;hing for him in the vicinity le Yellow River, wonder what took the crocodile le Sepik rapids to make a home 500 feet?” . Sydney H. Chance, former RM apua, is the second Territorian something to say about croco and their habits. He says they always been up above Rouna ; and that they are likewise bove Beaver Falls, at a greater nee from the sea and at a ;er altitude. His theory is that neither walked nor swam—that have always been there, relics past age when there were more les than there are now. aconess Vilma Jean Sinclair, had recently returned from on work in the New Hebrides had her first bridesmaid, pness Joyce Trudinger), was ied at Kew Presbyterian ch, Melbourne, on April 16 to Rev. Richard McDonald rd, of Ouyen Presbyterian ch, Murrayville.