Tropicalities

Pacific Islands Monthly

Magazine Section

Old China Hands

Abounding

VA had more than its quota of Old China Hands in June. As reported in June issue of PIM, if them, Captain L. V. Rowe, has recently taken command he GEIC Wholesale Society’s 505 i Moana Raoi, had met another, tain S. Polkinghorne, of BP’s

a-based Yanawai.

iptain Polkinghorne had a naval el shot from under him by the anese at Shanghai during the Kd World War—and now we that a third Old Hand, who saw whole thing happen, is also ig in Suva. e is Mr. J. H. G. (“Snow”) nan. who was a former member lie Shanghai International Police Be lauding on a bridge close by, watched the Japanese cruiser mo firing at point-blank range i the British gunboat when it sd to surrender. n American naval craft across river accepted the surrender land, as there was clearly no e of surviving for long, hortly after this incident, Mr. nan found himself at the be aing of a lengthy period of in iment under the Japanese.

'& is now motor licensing officer Suva.

It's Criticised —But It's On the Ball )RRECT function of a Govern ment public relations office in countries with unrestricted press ilities is open to argument; but the case of the Fiji PRO full dit must be given to the way t news of the Legislative Council dons is given to the public via Fiji Broadcasting Service.

Tie morning session of Legco icludes at 1 p.m. At 1.15 p.m. ull and thorough 20-minute re t of the proceedings goes on the with lengthy quotations from the main speeches. may sound simple, but it olves the transfer of voluminous irthand notes to thousands of rds of typing, plus an editing of ■se notes or the quotations from *n in a form suitable for the tfs-reader.

Niere must be very few places ere such a full report of the

legislative proceedings is presented to the listening public so promptly and so well.

Given a choice of listening to direct broadcasts of often long winded, poorly presented speeches by parliamentarians, or a concise summary which omits the “urns” and “ers”, the annoying repetitions, and the jarring voices, most members of the public would—if they’d sampled the Australian or New Zealand Parliamentary broad cast systems—vote firmly for the Fiji variety.

It has the added advantage that any Members who are only dimly aware of what went on during the morning, are able to acquaint themselves of it as they dine and listen to the radio in the noon recess.

"Cook Islands News" Now Carries Photos OOK Islands News, which started many years ago as a single type written sheet, issued five days a week by the Radio Department, and has since graduated to the dignity of up to four such sheets and a printed head, has now started to carry local news photographs.

Several years ago the respon sibility for its production—it is the only daily printed news source in the Group—was transferred to the new Social Development Depart ment. At about the same time the government printer, Mr. lan Forbes,

deveoped a simple method of mak ing photographic printing blocks locally and these were used in a monthly government publication.

Now, the blocks are printed on to the type-sheets at the printing office, and the pages are then handed over to Social Development Department which types in the news items and prints the paper on the duplicator. The standard of photographic reproduction is good, considering that the paper used is ordinary duplicator paper.

They Will Keep Order

With Gift Gavels HONIARA, BSIP, manager of the Commonwealth Bank of Aus tralia, Mr. Warwick McComas, made two trips in June to present gavels on behalf of the bank, to local Native Councils.

First presentation was to Salana Ga’a, President of the Malaita Council, and the other was to the Ysabel Native Council.

Mr. McComas hopes to present several more gavels to the Native Councils within the next few months.

Lessons On "Good Living"

HUNDREDS of applications for houses in the Fiji Housing Authority’s Raiwaqa settlement near Suva had been received in the weeks following opening of applications recentlv. The first 28 houses under the scheme should be available for occnnation between October and the end of the year.

Criticism has been directed at the scheme in that it does not provide housing for those most in nee d—families in the lowest income bracket. Applications are restricted to persons with a maximum income

of £l2 per week and under the terms of repayment on the cost ad vanced by the Authority, it is un likely that family men earning less than £8 per week could afford the repayment of the £9OO involved at the five per cent, over a 20-year period.

A system of priorities will favour the most n edy homeless.

The land will remain the property of the Authority and will be leased on a 30-year basis with provision for extension, but rent will be low.

Occupiers will be required to paint and maintain their own houses at certain intervals. All rates will be payable by the occupier, and no house may be used for business purposes. Successful applicants will make a down pay ment of £25 before moving in.

One interesting clause of the Housing Authority’s rules says that the chosen applicants will be given a period of instruction on the fundamentals of good living in a closely knit community of mixed races, such as this housing settle

ment—the first such in Fiji—will be.

What Happened to

The Yanks?

THE recent announcement that Fiji’s Navy is to be disbanded and the military forces to be whittled down seems to have started a flock of rumours about the New Zealand Air Force station at Laucala Bay, Suva. According to the pundits, that base is going to cut down, too, and some people already have it turned into a TB sanitorium. They say that the RNZAF will use the Nausori airfield, and not the bay, after its Sunder lands have retired in about five years.

But they are only rumours, and time will tell. It would be more in teresting to know what happened to a scheme which was quite definitely on the cards last year— that is, a plan to exchange New Zealand Air Force men at Laucala Bay with American Air Force men

from Honolulu. The Yanks H Suva would no doubt have go a welcome.

Shoot Shoot The Nat I

SITTING typing in by bedro Rabaul, I was bitten ssi on the ankles by the locaj of malaria-carrier.

I tried to inform the house my sufferings, but my six wc Pidgin were woefully inadeqij “This fella mosquito,’’ I] pointing urgently under thes “You fella catch im shoot; (nearest I could get to sprays you kill im mosquito.”

The eager wide-eyed New G i wrestled with it for a mon then he dashed off and res with a shoe polishing outfit aj tacked me at the southern ea We straightened it out e ally, with the help of anotha who knew eight words of reaj lish.

Now I know that Pidgin fon quitos is Nat-nat.—R.

The Gold Bug

A SUVA resident has calo . that it has cost to date mately £205 per rhim beetle to exterminate the beee far caught.

“Why not recoup some ol< money from the tourists,” ask amateur statistician. “Sun beetle worth £205 must be the: valuable beetle in the world therefore surely the Amr tourists would rush them it were, say, dipped in goll mounted on pins, and offered rare collector’s piece!”

Well, American tourists chased queerer things at 1 prices. There’d be no harm ii ing to dispose of them unde name of, say, Golden Paradises or would there?— JPS.

Have Truck, Will Trave

A MESSAGE was sent froi< SDA Mission in Rabaul t native radio operator in Hod Solomon Is., advising him tj missionary and his wife were hi to arrive there by a certain \ and he was asked to pasie message on to the Mission Vinaritokae, which was on it:d to Honiara.

The radio operator sent a j note thanking the Mission in Rr for the information, and sayingi although the Vinaritokae dioi arrive in Honiara in time to ( the plane, he had arranged driver to take the Mission trm the airport to meet the party. .

It wasn’t until later it was lea that the radio operator had noth able to find a licensed driven; he did find a boy who knew/ to steer. And he was placed be the wheel, while the rest ojc welcoming party pushed the two mil s along the road in i to meet the missionaries, who themselves to the Mission hoc