The Editors’ Mailbag

Captain Keller Case

Echo in BSIP

The “Captain Keller case”, stowed away in the April PIM, after much debate, is reopened momentarily to permit an isolated correspondent (Mr. H. Chaperlin, of Vanikoro, BSIP) to say that in 1909, Otto Keller was a client of the BP depot at Makambo (Solomons), and must have been in partnership with Jacobsen at that time as the account was kept in the name of Keller and Jacobsen.

“At the same time, I do not think that Jacobsen was a full partner in all Keller’s enterprises, and so there may be something in Kuper’s denial that a partnership existed”, the writer continues.

“Poor Otto was undoubtedly killed in Malaita in 1913 and cannot be identified with any Captain Keller who was in New Guinea in 1920-21.

“In 1909, when I was bookkeeper at the BP Makambo depot, Keller’s ship was the ex-Marist Mission ketch Verdelais. Later he and Jacobsen acquired the Sumoli, which was named after the Ulawa Island station where they used to trade, mostly for ivory nuts.

“Harold Markham was in charge of Levers’ trading station at Ontong Java long before 1912. He was there when Jack London called in the Snark and corresponded with London until the latter died.

London used to send him an auto graphed copy of each of his books as it was published.

“I am inclined to challenge the statement that Mr. Corrie is out dated as an old BSI hand by Calton (not Carlton or Carl) Younger. I think that both Leslie Gill, of Vella Lavella, and I would outdate Corrie. Gill, however, takes the palm as I was away from the Group from 1929 to 1953.

“Incidentally, Jack London was fined by Deputy Commissioner Barnett at Tulagi for entering the Group at Lord Howe (Ontong Java) without being granted pratique at Tulagi or Faisi, the only ports of entry at that time.

He ‘ later wrote a book called Adventure, in which he mentioned very unfavourably, and with thinly disguised names, oeople who had not given him the reception he expected. As I remember it, the book was hastily and badly written and not up to the London standard.”

Where Life is Pleasant

A note from a friend who recently was in Pago Pago: The fish-cannery is s f ill canning— but the port now seems to be over run with Japs.

The raft in which Pop Willis drifted westwards across the Pacific looks lonely and neglected, out there on the bank.

Life on this rock is not at all unpleasant.

Port for Old Sailors

A cheery note to hand from Mr.

Bob McKittrick, who has been a resident of the Marquesas (most easterly archipelago of French Oceania) for more years than he likes to talk about.

Bob went out from England to Australia in the three-masted barque Harold, back near the turn of the century. When the ship reached Melbourne the Scots lad “did a bunk,” and stowed away in a collier named Alabama, from Melbourne to Newcastle.

He was wandering about New castle in a helpless way when a boarding-house master persuaded him to sign on the three-masted, full-rigged ship Philadelphia, assur ing him that it was a Swedish vessel.

Once aboard, he discovered that it was not Swedish —it was a German “hell-ship,” registered in Geeste mende. The crew had a particularly unpleasant time until they got clear of the ship by refusing duty in Coquimbo, Chile.

Bob McKittrick wandered around —but eventually came to a safe and happy anchorage in the Marquesas.

Second Oldest Traders

One of our oldest subscribers, “Acacia,” writes from Noumea: “While I, with everyone who has ever done business with Nelson and Robertson Pty. Ltd., would wish to congratulate them on their 60th anniversary, I must gently bring to task Mr. Norman Nelson when he says that ‘next to Burns Philp & Co., N. & R. is the oldest trading firm in Sydney’ (March PIM, p. 34).

“For the record, I think it should be pointed out that another well known Islands firm, W. S. Tait & Co. Pty. Ltd., has a prior claim to that distinction —it was established in 1890, and thus has been in the South Pacific trading field for some 65 years.

“As I recall it, my old friend Mr.

William Smilie Tait (the founder) gave the then-young Ivan Nelson his first introductions to people in the Islands.

“In those long-ago days, Tait and Co. was upstairs on the first floor of a building in Bond Street, Syd ney, and its trading mainly was with New Caledonia. To-day, the firm is trading with all the Islands Groups from its office in Spring Street—and practically next door is Nelson and Robertson; William’s son. Cedric, is at the helm of W. S. Tait and

Co., wtffie Ivan’s son, Normal guides the progress of Nelson an Robertson,”

To the Sea—But

Not in Trucks

Possibly due to the puckish humov of the person who collected lists t residents for our Handbook < Papua and New Guinea, an 010 time resident of New Guinea, M Arnold O’Rourke, finds himself d<J scribed therein as “truck-drive Dept, of Works.”

Mr. O’Rourke sees nothing wron with the honourable profession truck-driver, and neither do we. B J if you do not drive trucks, why T described as so doing?

After he got back to NG after tl war (at the latter end of whit, he was around the then Netherlanu East Indies) he was connected wiiJ small ships in sea-going or shoe capacities until 1953, when, as seer: tary and manager, he joined Gabrr Achun and Co. Ltd—he sar modestly, as the “Ltd.” part of it“ Mr. O’Rourke went first to t'; Territory in the 1920’s for WRC ai Co.

While on the subject of the residential lists—Mr. E T. Fulto who also went first to the Terr tory in the 20’s, is described as plantation manager. This is corre as far as it goes—he certainly ma:j ages Makurapau Plantation (ne Kokopo). But he also owns it.

We apologise.

Ex-Samoan Resident

Sends Greetings from US

A short while ago, somewhere the United States, Sir Alfred Tun bull, at one time Administrator Western Samoa, met Mr. W.

Forsyth, now Australian represen ative to the United States au formerly the first Secretary-Generi of the South Pacific Commission.!

As a result of that happy mee ing and a discussion of Pacii affairs generally, Sir Arthur wro a note of greeting to the PIM. I says that after ten years of retin. ment he and his wife are gettii used to life in the “fabulous Unit!

States” but that he still watch! affairs in the Pacific with great ii tere s t particularly affairs Western Samoa which, he notes,, still enjoying great prosperity although in his day tt Territory was “generally in tt Red.”

His daughter, he reports, is doic< well after graduating BSc from tt University of South Carolina. (Din ing the Pacific war, Miss Turnbd married an American servicemn but was shortly afterwards widower Sir Alfred, in April, was one ; the guest speakers at the 401 Gallipoli reunion at Anzac Gardes Rockefeller Place, New York.