Do You Remember?

From PIM of 20 Years ago

JULY, 1937, appears to have been a pretty dull month in the South Pacific —judged from 20 years further on, at any rate.

In New Guinea, of course, the Rabaul eruption was still on the public mind, and the arguments as to whether the town should or should not remain the capital of

the territory were only then getting

into gear.

Here are some other extracts from the PIM of 20 years ago:— This was the month that America's famous woman aviator, Mrs. Amelia Earhart Putnam, with navigator Noonan, disappeared in the central Pacific on a round-the-world-flight. She left Lae, New Guinea, on July 3, on a 2,600mile hop to Howland Island and was never seen again although one of the biggest searches in history was carried out by Americans and others. For years, there were rumours of castaways, believed to be Mrs. Putnam and Noonan, living on remote islands.

Sir Charles Rosenthal was appointed Ad ministrator of Norfolk Is. Sir Charles had had a distinguished military career during World War I and a distinguished public career after it—but he had not had any Islands administra tive experience and PIM wanted to know— then as it has wanted to know many times since—why the post should not go to a senior member of the Papuan or New Guinea Administrations.

The United States had lodged formal claim to Canton Island formerly regarded as (more or less) British. Britain was reasserting her claim and was being supported by New Zealand.

US, British and NZ flags were all currently flying over the atoll which until the advent of the air-age was regarded as worthless.

A new Legislative system had begun in Fiji.

The unofficial members were to be partly elected and partly nominated by the governor, in the case of Indian and European members; and all Fijian members were to be nominated, as before, but the number was to be increased from three to five.

Norfolk Island had something in 1937 that it has not got to-day—a weekly newspaper.

Called the "N.l. Weekly", it was under the editorship of Mr. B. Grubb. It was the successor to the "Norfolk Island Times" which a couple of years previously had been "strangled by red tape" and Nl ordinances that prevented the Island having the freedom usually enjoyed by the Press in British countries. * ❖ * The air age had arrived in Western Samoa — via the vessel "Wairuna". A plane, a DH 53, had been purchased from the NSW Aero Club by Mr. J. M. H. Bower, District Commissioner at Upolu, who had got his pilot's licence in New Zealand. What he intended to do with the plane is not clear, as it is unlikely that there were many (or any) airstrips in W.

Samoa in 1937.