Do You Remember?

From PIM of 20 Years ago

THIS was the month, 20 years ago. . T-. u fz-vr. that Rabaul blew its top— Vulcan Island exploding into a

volcanic peak, to be followed by

eruptions from Matupi crater. But this did not happen until May 29, and nothing of the catastrophe appears in the issue of PIM, May, 1937. But here are some other items from that issue; German missionaries working in New Guinea had been accused of pro-Nazi propaganda and had set off a trail of accusations and denials as between Roman Catholics and Lutherans. It was finally decided that some Lutherans, fresh out from Germany, had paraded their Nazism and had been slapped over the knuckles by the heads of the Lutheran Mission. (The Lutheran Mission that functions in NG today is the American Lutheran Mission. There were two separate Lutheran societies working in NG before the war). * * * Jack Hides and David Lyall were in Port Moresby and had been granted a claim for 45 square miles extending 21 miles along the Strickland River on behalf of Investors, Ltd. (Sydney). They had then returned to the Strickland by Guinea Airways seaplane. (High hopes were entertained for the success of this gold-search adventure—but it came to nothing). * * * The American yacht "Yankee" was in course of its second world cruise under the command of Captain Irving Johnson who was accompanied by his wife and infant son and a dozen young Americans who were paying their way. (This year, 1957, "Yankee" is again making a cruise—it is a different ship, but the same commander, same wife, different paying-guest

crew ln f an V?"~^ r h ?„S later iom brother—is no longer infant). * * * New Guinea Breweries, Ltd., hii registered in Sydney with a nominas of £50,000 in £1 shares, it was that the company could h-ew and sei f b a r ''° n e s rv ° wa ? t 0 be at wTu) and " 3 / 6 gallon. (We do not knu hap pen e d to this enterprise, but brewed. There is plenty of beer brewi Territory to-day but it costs about bottle—not per gallon), ** * Beer is not the only commodity gone up in price. In 1937 you coull engaged and give the lady of you a diamond solitaire ring for only A blue sapphire ditto cost only £IOA you could your head go with s Kashmir sapphire surrounded by 10 for only £35. (Inflation has hit rorni every other commodity), * * By an official proclamation, the B of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Coll extended to take in the following^ Birnie, Canton, Enderbury, Gardner, Kean, Phoenix and Sydney. Claims of these were later disputed. Cat Enderbury are now Anglo-American miniums. * * * A start has been made on the G£ Buildings in Suva, Fiji, which were to cost the (then) fantastic sum of The impressive buildings that result! cost many times that to-day—and att they replaced ramshackle wooden some of which had been brought t Levuka when the seat of governn transferred.