Do you Remember?

Many will remember, and those who don’t will be interested anyhow from “PIM” of July, 1940-20 years ago:

A sign of the times was this quip in that issue: , . .

Hitler was conversing with his head men when one of them remarked, “I hear they’re starting another campaign against malaria”.

“And about time, too,” snarled Adolf. ‘‘The way these Malarians have been treating our German minority is some thing terrible!” * * * Another sign of the times was an announcement that “PIM” was short of paper and that the journal was being severely condensed. That issue contained 72 pages. * * * In the New Hebrides, the recent capitulation of France was causing a reaction described as chaos . Fre ££h currency and the copra industry had been “strangled”. Nearly all the Group’s copra went to Marseilles. * * * Somebody had announced that the salary for Papua’s new Administrator was to be £1,500 a year, compared with £l,BOO for the New Guinea Ad ministrator, and for once the critics came in on the side of the Administra tion The sum was too low. Wrote one objector to “PIM”, “No man can live with the dignity necessary and enter tain, as Administrator, on £1,500 a year”.

The veteran Canadian Australasian liner “Niagara”, 13,415 tons, which had been running between Sydney and Van couver for 25 years, struck a mine ott the coast of Auckland early in the morning of June 19 and foundered two hours later. Nobody was lost. * * * “Why not a cement industry in Fiji?” a Suva correspondent asked. He said it was hard for people in Fiji to under stand why they had to import cement, when there was an abundance of coral, lime cheap labour and transport. (It s coming, but it’s taken 20 years) Norfolk Island was reported to be making “steady economic progress”.

Passionfruit, beans, bananas and oranges were all doing better, and there was a keen demand for farmers to cultivate flax. The Administration was planning to overcome the lack of a sheltered port by building a causeway from near the boat landing at Kingston out to Nepean islet. * * * The South Pacific now had an air mail service between San Francisco and Auckland, via Honolulu, Canton and Noumea, operated by Pan American Airways. Suva was unhappy at being missed.