Do You Remember ?

From PIM of 20 Years Ago.

TWENTY years ago the world was suffering a severe attack of the jitters as a result of Fascist Italy’s attack o n Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and the breakdown of the League of Nations machinery. In the Pacific there were some palpitations over Nazi Germany’s campaign for the return of the pre-1914 German colonies.

Here are extracts from the issue for December, 1935: PIM predicted editorially that more would be heard of Germany’s territorial claims in 1936, and that the future of New Guinea and Western Samoa would be sub ject to survey. It added; “The Pacific in 1936 will be under the shadow of grave international readjustments, but apart from that it should experience some in spiring progress in commerce, industry, transport and communications. The world is giving increasing attention to the rich Pacific territories”.

In Fiji, Suva had had 36 in. of rain in November, compared with an average November fall of 9.89 in. (In 1955 Suva had a record wet September, leading to spiteful imputations that at Suva abnormal weather can only be regarded as normal). * * * Nukualofa reported (December 8) that four craters at Niuafo’ou, the beautiful Tongan island labelled “Tin Can” because of its mail delivery system from passing ships, were in angry eruption, causing the

evacuation of two villages. (The entire Niuafo’ou population was permanently evacuated after the volcano had broken out right In the middle of the Government village, Angaha, in 1945). * * * “It is recognised now that there is no hope for sugar-growing in Papua/' re ported a Port Moresby correspondent. “It seems that if Papua grows sugar the Aus tralian quota under Imperial Preference will be disturbed. Therefore Australia is against the scheme, although conditions in Papua are ideal for the industry.” * * ♦ Nothing had been heard of the New Guinea Administration’s schooner “Her mes”, which had left Madang for Rabaul on November 10. On board were the engineer, J. A. Andrews, N. E. Weldon, an assistant surveyor, F. Barclay, an Amalgamated Wireless official, and 17 native men. (Fragmentary wreckage was found later).

SfC % In the middle of one of Fiji’s recurrent commotions over the Crown Colony’s Con stitution, the Fijian members of the Legislative Council had produced a re sounding formal condemnation of “demo cracy” as it was apparently understood by some among Fiji’s varied racial com munities. They said, inter alia: “The notion that the people are the best judges of matters of vital importance to the welfare of a State is for the Fijian utterly incomprehensible. Unconsciously he feels it to mean the transfer of power from knowledge to ignorance”.