Tropicalities

Magazine Section

Bottling Blondes

[Rs. Lilian Miller, Well-

I known pre-war resident of New Guinea, and wife of equally 11-known Territorian Toby Miller, o is now a journalist on a North eensland newspaper, has sent us s story, inspired by Tolalas nments on the ü blonde” NG rep dative at the recent South nfic Conference (PIM, June, page ). Editorially, we are amazed at cost of blonding, and presume \t, at £6 per bottle, Mrs. Miller not referring to common-or den peroxide. .propos to your par in the June A concerning the blonde Fuzzy zzy, Lila Matalau, from Matupi, Daul, I am not surprised that th McCarthy’s knowledge of the bter should be so limited. In the t place, he’s a mere male and mdly the period to which I am ut to refer was before Mr.

Darthy’s entree to the Terri 7. 0 be quite honest, I am and ays have been a natural blonde 1 have yet to meet the woman », to keep her tresses up to the :k, has not had to resort to “bottle,” especially in the humid ritory climate

sre such aids are essary to give dame her well omed look. ly two meries, sbasias and kolas, from Nam nai, and signed to me by the r remembered Bill ' w n s e n d, at )aul, in (no date pack drill), soon rned that peroxide 1 other uses than British Pharm poeia specified. It i much more jacious and easier handle than the ssy kabang. •m e n-like, the •et soon got out i as the demand peroxide in ised, store stocks v and its use pidly became er. fhen I returned ► m a trip to ope it was as a tinum Blonde

and I brought back a healthy supply of the beautifier. It was necessary to keep the commodity at an even and cool temperature and so it was stored in the Icy-ball—there were no refrigerators at Salamaua in those days. Imagine my astonish ment one afternoon when I noticed “Bass” with an aura of shimmering silver dancing over her attractive face. On investigating, I discovered my treasured stock sadly depleted— and at £6 per bottle it was no joke.

To my knowledge, Bass and Makolas were the first two native women to use peroxide in the Terri tory.

Incidentally, this is an excerpt from my book that I am writing and hoping to have published next year.

Found—One Samoan

Waterfall

FOR a display of bureaucracy at its amusing best, a June an nouncement from Apia would be hard to beat.

PIM readers will recall that a year ago, writer Jack Thornton, in an article, drew attention to -a waterfall depicted on the Western Samoan 3d. stamp as “Aleisa Falls.”

The writer found that, in actual

fact, Alesia Falls are a mere trickle while the falls depicted on the stamp were of Niagaran proportions; The Western Samoan Govern ment seems to have taken note of l!lfrJ na A er and 9 ut a re searcher to One can imagine the weary months which that minion har; spent m ‘‘giving the matter serious consideration.” But now at last he comes up with the answer. The SfXS al f nd Post Office Philatelic BuHetin for July announces that the Western Samoan Government has advised the New Zealand Gov ernment that the falls depicted are actually the Malifa Falls.

To reach this amazing conclusion took a year, though there could be no other possible falls that would fit the illustration. But doubtless the researcher plodded methodically through the Lands Department’s list pf Samoan Waterfalls, perhaps visit ing each in turn and carefully crossing it off the list, until the great day of the visit to Malifa— within a few minutes of his Apia office.

That Versatile Coconut

THE new Pacific Islands Year Book, like its predecessors of recent years, carries an interest ing diagram illustrating most of the many products of the coconut palm.

But there is at least one applica tion not depicted there.

Coconut husks, neatly cut in halves and with the inner shell re moved, are currently selling in a big Auckland department store at 3/- per pair—and the label reads

Budgerigar Nests.

Inquiry reveals that there is a

brisk market throughout New Zea land and Australia among bird fanciers. The Auckland firm recently arranged with an importer to be supplied at 1/10 per pair.

All In With Your Tea

SOUTH-BOUND for New Zealand, conversation amongst Maori passengers aboard the Maui Pomare turned to the relative merits of the several brands of canned meat available in the Islands and of the present cost of same.

“I eat plenty” said one young man from Titikaveka, “but my sister doesn’t eat any meat now.”

How come, the others wanted to know.

“Well, two years ago she opened a tin,” he said, “then when she’d taken out about half there was a man’s finger sticking up, with a gold ring on it, and the nail still on the finger.”

“Did she sell the ring, or give it to the police, or what?” some one wanted to know, when the laughing had subsided.

“No,” said the young man from Titikaveka, “she threw the tin very far away—and now she doesn’t eat meat any more. Girls are real silly like that, aren’t they?”

But if a certain cannery worker in New Zealand is interested, there’s where the finger and ring now lie.

Jps.

A Coat—If You Own One

AS we have said before, Cook Islands News —the daily news sheet issued in Rarotonga—can be educational and very amusing.

This is not so much because of what is said, as for what one imagines lies behind the cryptic messages it contains.

For example, when recently some one from “the Printing Office” advertised for an experienced house girl, stipulating “knowledge of dish washing essential,” little experience

of the Islands and little imagimj tion are needed to conjure up tl; assorted kinds of anguish the atj vertiser must have suffered at tl; hands of inexperienced dishwashea in the past.

And educational! Through tl: columns of the News we now kno what semi-formal means. In tM case it was an advertisement fi the Green and Gold Ball. Ladies Evening dress. Men: Long-sleeve shirt with tie, and coat if possih c That’s succinct, leaves no roo for doubt, and is based on a ledge of human nature —that is, tlr women like to dress up and mx do not.

It is a thousand pities that soc.i leaders in other parts of the Pacii couldn’t be equally as explicit—tl cause formality dies mighty hard some Islands. It is a fact that places like Paris and London ax New York one can get along wr fewer, and more informal cloth: than in some of the further flut parts of the British Empii Formality is in direct ratio to hi Far the colony in question happe to be Flung.

Except in the Cooks, of court where everyone exists in a far m<u advanced state of democracy a: comfort.