Trpoicalities

Fing Saucers And Little

Green Men

ivt. in “Cook Islands News”: ild the person who took a green i’s bicycle from the Community elopment Office yesterday at roximately 3 p.m., please return e as soon as possible.

Jtting Up The Highest

)Ss In The Southern

lISPHERE: This cross was ted on Mount Albert Edward, Papua, by Roman Catholic ionaries in July, 1938, and recent irch shows that it still beats lext highest cross (in the Andes), I, April, p. 77), by 162 ft. In ember, 1938, PIM published the photograph of the Mt. Albert ard cross, but when we searched

tly for the old block we found ssing. However, within a few ve came across this photograph by accident. Evidently it was ied by our old friend, the Rev. /. M. Dupeyrat, at the same is the original 1938 illustration, ws the cross being put together e peak of the mountain.

Sailing Dv!

RE is unconscious but appro bate humour in the letters pre yed to DV Hifofua, which was ckland for refit in May. The 3, which appear in all official I notices regarding the 108-ton of-all-work, actually represent atch Vessel”—but might just ell represent the generally ted “Deo Volente” for her cents, like those of most Island 5, are very much in the “God ?” category. the ketch was expected

in Auckland but still lay mysteri ously (to the public) in Nukualofa Harbour. She was waiting for a compass to arrive from Auckland before she could make the voyage.

Eventually—like all Island vessels — she got away, to make one of her smartest passages, averaging 7 knots on the 1,100-mile run—JPS.

Who Has The Biggest

Thirst?

HERE is a New Caledonian entry in the Biggest Thirst Stakes: During a recent meeting in Noumea of the committee which has been set up to fight alcoholism, one ?f the members, Dr. Tivolller, who is also health-officer of Noumea, said that between 1950 and 1956 the consumption of beer had increased by 152 per cent., wines by 60 per cent, and whisky (in which category is included all drinks containing over 35 per cent, pure alcohol, such as rum and cognac) by 80 per cent.

In 1956, 5,000,000 litres of imported wine and beer were consumed, plus 1,000,000 litres of local beer, plus 150,000 litres of “whisky.” It is calcu lated that New Caledonians drank 100 litres of wine and beer each, in 1956. Their total drink bill was about £A700,000.

The huge increase in consumption is attributed to (a) the fact that natives may now drink beer; and (b) the higher standard of living enjoyed by the inhabitants as a whole.

NB. A litre is equal to about II pints.

Tale Of The Consul’S Cat

UNLIKE Kipling’s cat which walked in the wet, wild woods swishing its wild tail and gen erally living a somewhat primitive existence, this particular cat that we are going to talk about now seems to have lived in high style.

The cat belongs to Mr. R.

Shackleton, the new United States Consul in New Caledonia. Mr.

Shackleton had previously been in Berne, Switzerland, so when he went to Noumea he had the cat shipped by air to Australia. From Sydney pussy took passage in the Messageries Mantimes Line ship Resurgent and finally arrived in Noumea.

In Noumea the trouble started: for some reason not stated, the local authorities refused to allow the cat to land and insisted that the animal either be destroyed or alternatively, that it be returned at once to whence it came without touching the un sullied soil of New Caledonia.

Mr. Shackleton, being a man of some determination and a cat lover to boot, promptly sent pussy back

to Berne by air, where it is no doubt telling its cat friends some thing of the perils of travel and that the humans Down Under are even screwier than those in the Northern Hemisphere.

Miss Mary Edwards, the artist, had some cat trouble of a similar sort some years ago. She took a black kitten to Fiji by ship, was re fused permission for it to land, so returned with it on the same ship, the cat never having left the vessel.

Back in Sydney the authorities wanted to destroy the cat although it had done nothing more exciting than take a round sea trip. After much fuss and feathers, not to sav publicity, this particular feline was allowed to land.

Culture—In Pidgin

SURELY, W. W. Jacobs’ play, “The Monkey’s Paw”, had its strangest Interpretation when a Pidgin version prepared by Sec retary of Native Affairs, Val Anderson, was broadcast from Radio Honiara on May 27. Various local colour was introduced into the story and the project was well re ceived by native listeners.

It spoke well for the patience and careful tuition of all connected with the venture.

This is Miss Lydia Pickering, third prize winner in the Miss Hibiscus contest held in Suva last year, wearing an appropriately patterned dress when she visited Levuka re cently. A trip to Fiji's old capital was her prize as third place-winner.

Photo: B. Worger.