Do You Remember?
p. 89 · Read in the full issue
‘At long last”, said PIM in an editorial, in May, 1938, “the attention of the great nations is being given to the Pacific territories. The Islands have had more publicity in the last year than in the whole of the previous decade . But more could be done. . . . Why not a sort of South Seas Publicity Bureau in Sydney, the metropolis of the South Pacific?”
Here are some more highlights from that issue of 20 years ago: In Wau, NG, the goldfield's trading stores got together to fight their growing lists of bad debts, and produced a "C" list—for people who must pay cash. Anyone on the list had to clear himself with every store before he could get credit from any. "This drastic step has caused an extraordinary paralysis of trad ing, and business, for the moment, is dead," said a correspondent. * * * Count Von Luckner, in an interview in Sydney, said Australia ought to give New Guinea back to Germany. It was Japan, and not Germany, Australia had to be afraid of he said. Germans, once back in New Guinea' could "protect Australia". * * * Fiji's dysentry outbreak, which had started in January, was now on the wane, with a death roll of 29. The outbreak had been worst m Navua and Namosi.
Everyone was still wondering just when the long-awaited Trans-Pacific air service would start between Hawaii and Auckland. Things appeared to have been bogged down again in Government discussions. But the Sydney- New Guinea first weekly air-mail was due to start on May 30 (and it got away all right). ♦ * * In West Samoa, a new saviour, a "wonder healer", had been found in the form of a young native named Pa'u. Hundreds of sick natives had begun to seek his help and watch him diagnosing disease by dissolving fluid in a glass of water and looking at the colour.
But the healer's fame came to an abrupt end when he took ill himself, and died in Apia
Hospital. r
* * * In Papua, rubber planters were reported to be anxiously awaiting the decision of the Commonwealth Government about assistance to be given to growers"—which has a familiar ring about it.