Hose Old Days

[?] Papua

Indefatigable writer, Nixonwest »od (now residing in England) •mments on Mr. A. P. Lyons’s storical article in PIM, Sept., 56; “He omits mention of some men tio were prominent in Papua then I refer to Guy Owen Manning, :thur Jewell. Garrioch, and

illiam Cunningham Bruce . . .

“Lyons, when he was RM of the estern Division, had the task of eking the natives who were pposed to have killed Dreschler id Bell. That they were killed certain; but those inland natives Jre not so uncivilised that they d not know how to cover up leir tracks. Lyons could only port what he saw—but that was tough. Lyons had a pretty ipleasant experience in a country at, at that time, was practically ider two forms of Government ntrol . . , “I am certain that that photo aph on page 88 of September -M is a copy of one of Guy anning’s pictures; and the year around 1909-10. It is not earlier, cause there are telephone poles if you can find out when they ;re erected, you will be close to e date.

“The photograph shows the old ttom pub still there; but the lw Pub, built for Tom McCrann, shown, and other buildings uch were not erected until after “There was an open space below

the new pub, and differences of opinion often were settled there on Sunday mornings. ‘Handsome Harry’ and ‘Yorkie’ Booth were opponents there one Sunday; but ‘Handsome’ was no match for ‘Yorkie’—he did not last three rounds. Jimmie Wallace also planned to take on Joe Sloane thre; but Joe was 18 in. taller than Jimmy, and in deference to public opinion, the fight was called off.” t A New Zealand Civil Aviation Bureau DCS aircraft carried a special cargo of live trochus shells to Aitutaki from Fiji during December.