Do you Remember?

Life was not dull in the South Pacific 20 years ago, despite the depressed copra price ... In Tonga, Queen Salote, with her Consort, Prince Tungi by her side, was celebrating the 20th anniversary of her accession; West Samoa’s trade figures were the best since 1928; the later famous Taylor and Black Hagen-Sepik patrol was pushing through re mote New Guinea; Britain and the US had concluded an agreement for the joint control of Canton and Enderbury islands.

Here are some other extracts from the October issue of “PIM”, of 1938: * * * An Archbold expedition in Netherlands New Guinea, investigating new country on the Idenburg River and near Lake Habbema, reported that it was making friendly contact with the natives, that it was “enthusiastic” over the progress it was making, and that “everything is going to schedule”. * ❖ * In Tahiti, copra growers were up in arms because French ships were giving preference to the loading of chrome and nickel at New Caledonia, leaving great quantities of copra on the Papeete wharf.

They appealed to Paris for special ships. * * * maiden voyage from Britain, to begin service between Australia and P-NG. She replaced the “Montoro”.

Australian diver John Johnston hi just completed salvage work on the sunkc “Joliette” at New Caledonia. Working 15 fathoms, he salvaged about £9OO wor of cobalt before the bulkhead collapse?

The “Joliette” was wrecked in a cycloi in 1909.

An Australian Federal politician. M J. V. Fairbairn, after a tour of Papu;i New Guinea, suggested that there shout be one capital for the two territories, an one administrative service, and that m» should be trained for the public servii who would be interchangeable with as the Australian territories, including Nauu and the Northern Territory. And S?

Charles Marr told Parliament that men i the existing service should be given tH chance to reach the top posts, instead * “outsiders always being appointed”.

Niue Island reported that it had native population of 4,215, Governmen revenue for the previous year had bees £35,443 and there had been a surplw of £l3.ooo—due almost entirely to tM sale of a special issue of Coronatioo postage stamps, which world philatelist; had rushed to buy. * * * The New Guinea Mining Association! comprised of the miners in the Morobd goldfields, declared a boycott against Wau’s two hotels, owned by Carpenter’s' It was reported to be the first beer strike in New Guinea, and the reason for 1 was that the miners alleged that Can. penters had taken “some action” to pres vent building of the Wau-Salamaua roacu Sir Walter Carpenter denied emphatically that his firm was connected with ana representations and threatened court actioo if he could find the source of the reports! * ❖ * ‘PIM” reported that glorious weather i:i Suva on September 16 “provided a happq augury for the term of office of Sir Ham that jl ay to take over as Governor of Fiji’ and High Commissioner, Western Pacific^ * * * Among the deaths reported in that issuu were Mr. Henry Achatz, aged 79, who hats c ® m ® *° West Samoa 47 years earlier fromr the US, and was one of the early pioneersai and Mr. Gilbert Turnbull, aged 49, whirl had gone to Papua in 1913 as a planteoj and trader and had later become : Government architect. He was betteoj known as an author of Islands literatumi including “Paradise Plumes” and “Mounm tains of the Moon”,