Do You Remember ?
p. 24 · Read in the full issue
From PIM of 20 Years Ago.
NOT so much as a pint-sized sensation broke the tranquillity of the Pacific Islands world in September, 1936. It was still an isolated world, not yet the happy
hunting ground of wandering
journalists.
Copra was up to £l5 per ton, and gold mining was still doing very
nicely.
Here are some other extracts from the very dull (in a news sense), month of September, 20 years ago: The Union Steamship Company's new motor vessel "Matua" made her maiden voyage from Auckland to Fiji and Polynesia at the end of August—but in mid-September when leaving Aitutaki, Cook Is., she hit a reef, sustaining slight damage to her rudder. * * * Dissatisfaction with the severe gaol sentences being handed out by Judge Wanliss of the New Guinea Supreme Court were engaging the attention of readers and of the PIM. Several cases had gone on appeal to the Australian High Court, and the sentences were reduced drastically. * * * It was reported that Pan American's giant flying-boat service from San Francisco to the Philippines was booming—but no passengers were being carried for the time being. The possibilities of a branch-line service from Hawaii to New Zealand were still in the "indefinite stage".
Japanese fishing boats were general! ferred to as "sam-pans" in the 30V September, 1936, their activities were r© from New Hebrides, New Caledonia am Solomons—and they were no more populas they are to-day.
Twenty years brings some changes—p larly in the value of money! The New Legislative Council discussed estimates ft year 1936-37; £454,100 was the budg including a works programme with s penditure of £102,000. What is morn Territory expected to raise the whole money itself, without any grant from Co —and announced a reduction in taxatt boot: Import duty on cars and parts n from 20 per cent, to 10 per cent.; a; mission of native labour taxes for c year. * * * A Papuan was given a month's gaol i Moresby for having killed and eaten a> pean woman's pet Manx cat "fully k>l that the animal was a valued possessioo ❖ Then, as now, the tourist trade in FI reported to be booming. "Katoomba", ' v aird", "Orford" all had made cruise; every trans-Pacific ship was reported ter tourists to stay from one to five week! ❖ ❖ * Gold mining was still the most lul industry. Eleven Fiji mining companies listed on Australian stock exchanges; theis also six Papuan and 16 from New Shares in Oil Search (which then opern New Guinea and not Papua) were quM 3/4.