Do You Remember?

From PIM of 20 Years Ago.

IN most respects Pacific Islands news followed the same pattern in 1936 as it does now. Big busi

ness deals, Jap poachers, and the

future of copra were exercising our minds 20 years ago, and there was even a sensation of sufficient scope to interest the Australian news papers.

These are some items from our issue of March, 1936: "Latest information from Honolulu indicates that Pan American Airways Inc., in collabora tion with the United States Government, are making steady progress with their plans for the new airmail service between Hawaii and Auckland, NZ." * Hs * "Reports from outlying islands in the Manus Group (NG) tell of further visitations by Japanese shell poachers. One report says that poachers landed on an island where there is a copra plantation and burnt down some build ings belonging to the estate."

W. R. Carpenter & Co., had, we said, "entered Fiji". This company whose activities had formerly been confined mostly to the SW Pacific, and particularly New Guinea, had bought for about £BO,OOO a controlling interest in the old-established firm of Brown and Joske, Ltd. * * * After it had begun to appear that the copra market was developing some stability, suddenly in March of 1936 there was a sharp fall in price—£3 per ton at one stage. The cause, we said, was a "complete mystery". (Price for top grade in mid-March was £l3/15/- per ton, cif London.) BP's "Montoro" ran aground in the Brisbane River. Her passengers and cargo were picked up by the company's other ship on the NG service, "Macdhui". * ❖ ❖ "An investigation of the value of kuru-kuru (or kunai) grass is proceeding in Papua and New Guinea. The present enterprise is the result of conclusions reached by the Common wealth Hemp Corporation of Australia, formed to produce sisal hemp in Papua Paper making experts in the UK have proved that high-grade paper can be made from kuru-kuru grass." (In spite of this high opinion, nothing came of the project although leases of grass growing areas were held by the company in Papua until recent years). * * * The international fate of Howland, Jarvis and Baker Islands was sealed when the UK grace fully decided not to dispute America's claim to them. The atolls had come into prominence when Pan American Airways began to plan a trans-Pacific service from the US to NZ. * * This was the month in which Ludwig Schmidt died on the gallows in Rabaul —the first and only European during the Australian administra tion of NG to thus die for the brutal murder of natives. Three other men were implicated in the events that led up to the arrest of Schmidt; two of them later served prison sentences and one of them got away to Germany before charges were laid. The crimes had taken place in an isolated part of the

Sepik River in 1934 and PIM commented, March, 1936, that the party had "appeaie to act like wild beasts in relation to thi treatment of the natives". Stories of i provoked murder and rape seeped through Rabaul and Sydney, and the Administratt acted promptly. Public opinion was unanimouj with Judge Wanliss when he pronounced ' death sentence—although Schmidt had appeaie three times before the NG Supreme Court beft the final verdict.

Sir Arthur Richards, formerly Governor Gambia, had been appointed Governor of I and High Commissioner for the Western Pacii: