Do You Remember ?

From PIM of 20 Years Ago.

IN September, 1935, the Pacific

Islands, like the rest of the world, stood uneasily in the in terval between the shattering world depression and the impact of the Second World War.

Here are extracts from that issue 20 years ago: Dealing with bureaucracy in the Island territories, PIM editorial commented: “The weakness of the system is that if the man on top is not very wise and very strong, there will spring into being, under the shelter of his authority, a gang of officials whe are sycophantic in their relationship with the high command, and autocratic and intolerant in their dealings with the people they are supposed to serve”. * * * For three years there had been ferment over the competition of heavily Govern ment-subsidised American passenger liners with the British Pacific ships. Now a thunderous pronouncement had come from London that, unless some protection were afforded the Union Company (by the British countries concerned), the com pany’s services between Australia and North America would end within a few months. (The Union Royal Mail Line ended in October. 1936 In 1955 the British Orient Line has extended its service across

the Pacific from Australia to N»1 America, and Matson, more or less of the South Pacific passenger routes ss the war, is planning to return in 19K still Washington-subsidised). * * * There was a sharp controversy Rabaul, where the Administration, pc ning a new airstrin, had surveyed an : which included plantations and f«i gardens belonging to the people of Mai village, two miles from the town, villagers had strongly protested and, cording to reports published in Anstrr their protest had considerable Europ support.

Theme of an address at Melbourne the Rev. L. M. Thompson (who worked for the Methodist Church in for 15 years) was: Have indigenous peoo any moral rights to a material sham the wealth won from their lands?

Thompson urged that a tax shouldfc levied on all gold exported from Fiji, . revenue to be used solely for the ben: of the indigenous Fijians. * * * Rarotongan tomato-growers (for New Zealand market) were receiving princely sum of 1/6 a case “in the she It was alleged that middlemen somewh along the line were making a profitfi 200 per cent.