Do You Remember?
p. 20 · Read in the full issue
From PIM of 20 Years ago
THE Pacific, in January, 1938, had
no big news to report, but things were happening nevertheless. A 23-year-old Miss Barbara Hitchins was flying to NG from Australia in
her Gypsy Moth, anew Japanese
company was being formed to mine iron ore in New Caledonia (and the
Japanese were getting in people’s
hair in other ways), the Pacific was discussing malaria control, and — History was repeating itself in Port Moresby, where rain was falling to relieve a long, dry spell. People had been carting water, which had been rationed. * * • The stir in Fiji was over the resignation of Sir Maynard Hedstrom from the Legislative and Executive Councils, which he had served for 29 and 20 years respectively. It started because of a statement by the Governor, Sir Arthur Richards, in the Legislative Council, which was dealing with the Estimates. Said Sir Arthur: "I was interested to hear that archaic trinity. Sir Henry Marks, Sir Henry Scott and Sir Maynard Hedstrom quoted once more in this Council, whose views on this subject are so notoriously out of date. They have an antiquariam interest."
Sir Arthur's tone had been "contemptuous", said Sir Maynard, who resigned after some correspondence on the matter with the Gov ernor.
The PAA flying-boat "Samoa Clipper" dis appeared off the coast of American Samoa en route for Auckland. Seven abroard were lost. Wreckage and oil were later found on the sea. * * * A report from the British Solomons said there "was a very strong wish that the Solomons should be brought under Australian administration". Whoever wrote the report said it was known there was much to criticise in the New Guinea Administration, but it was "still a lot better than ours". * * * Copra was £l2 a ton sterling, and PIM reported that market was "mysteriously quiet". * * * In the worst fire in Apia for 20 years, the Burns Philp copra store was gutted, including 1,000 tons of bagged copra. Loss including plant was about £20,000, and the fire under lined the need for proper fire fighting equip ment (as big Islands' fires usually do.) * * * In Rarotonga, in the Cooks', native growers got word that New Zealand merchants in tended to pay 5/- a case (worth 2/- to the growers) for the next shipment of Islands bananas, so promptly went on strike, refusing to ship. But a hurried meeting of all con cerned resulted in the price being advanced to 3/. to growers —and the bananas went out for Christmas.