Writing Team

Returns to Europe

lOADED down with 6,000 photo- J graphs, the MS for a book and reams of notes on Pacific affairs, two European journalists returned home in December after 12 months touring the Pacific.

They are Miss Katherina von Arx, a writer for Sie Und Er, Zurich, and Mr. Freddy Drilhon, a photo grapher for that paper, who also writes for a pool of European papers.

In their travels, they visited Tonga, Fiji, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, British Solomons, New Guinea and did some work in Aus tralia on the immigration scheme.

Both Miss von Arx and Mr.

Drilhon have previously published books.

serving jail sentences for murder.

The public reaction was, good riddance.

But the same circumstances do not fit the case of this second hanging. On the face of it, Arc’s murders were no worse than those perpetrated by many other Terri tory natives at present completing jail sentences.

Then why this hanging?

The answer quite possibly is concerned with the fact that lululais from Wabag had asked that the death sentence be carried out, so that an example could be set.

And their request was not the first to be made by Territory natives, a fact which Canberra has been aware of for some time.

Territories Minister Hasluck was himself present in a primitive area about two years ago when a deputation of natives asked him that murderers be hanged as a deterrent to others. A move was made to put this request into effect in that area, but it was not followed up.

It now looks as if a “get tougher” policy is going to be followed.

And since nobody could complain that the existing policy has been tough on murderers, there should be no real objections. r A motor launch, with two Papuan natives on board, which has been adrift in the Huon Gulf for 18 days, was towed into Lae on November 28.