Remember?

Do You Remember?

nld War II was still new, but so new that the Pacific could

of nothing else. “PIM” of De

ter 1939, certainly published

complaints about rising prices,

the rest of the news was the

•. mixture as before.

ie extracts from that issue of 20 ago: M” went into the attack on the Fiji ta trade with Australia —that is, dng what it termed the “selfish, polistic Australian interests which 3 keep Islands fruit away from the ; who want it”. “PIM” reminded lanana growers that they were still 3d to send 40.000 centals of bananas stralia each year, but that Australian sts were keeping them out. * * * i search for oil in Papua, said that “continues very active and optimism lintained at a high level. Even the dest judges are convinced, that sooner ter, oil in commercial quantities will oduced in this Territory”. It’s prob later. * * * “PIM” reported, had recently >d a bill to place the control of all e land in a board, under trust. It hoped, said “PIM”, that by this n one of the most acute problems in vould be solved, for the board could land available under a fair lease system “for the landless and »rous Indians”. * * * iton Island, barren and treeless, was e news. The Americans, said a re had “achieved wonders” in building be island as a first-class sea-plane and most of the work had been done e bustling Americans in four months. * * * ing prices caused by the war were ning to hit Pacific planters and others. ” published a letter from a Solomon ds planter complaining bitterly of in es for all his food-stuffs, clothing things like petrol. He asked, “Can ie give us any reason for all these and any comfort for the future? should soap go up 1/9 a case and e’s milk from 17/4 to £1 a case?” mother letter from somebody in Tonga lained of the same thing, reporting ases ranging from 25 per cent, to 100 :ent. since the outbreak of war. * * * e air-raids in Europe seemed a long off to the people in the New Hebrides, e some were having eruptions of their After a rest of about 40 years, vi had burst out again. A number atives were killed and houses wiped * * * e of the best-known men in the Solo i at the time, Capt. W. (Bill) Tait, >er of the Carpenter vessel “Balus” in an unusual accident when his s propeller sucked him under as he Inspecting it after the ship had run and.