Remember?
p. 78 · Read in the full issue
Do You Remember?
As we began the fateful year of 1941, Javan was still 11 months away from entering World War ll—
although there was probably some-\
thing prophetic in the title of
“PIM'S” editorial of January, 1941 — “Will Japan be the Tool of the Hun?”
Here are some other extracts from that issue of 20 years ago : Not the least of the Pacific’s troubles in early 1941 was the difficulty of disposing of copra—a problem that solved itself after!
Pearl Harbour at the end of that year.
In the meantime, representatives of the French territories, Papua, New Guinea, Fiji, the WPHC territories and Western Samoa were meeting in Sydney to try to think a way out of the problem that] involved the disappearance of the entire Continental market, and a drought of shipping to shift Pacific copra to those] markets that still remained.
There was a long account in this issue of “PIM”, of the 10 ships that had been sunk by German raiders in the South Pacific—including the five phosphate ships caught like sitting duck at Nauru —and the 496 castaways who had just been! discovered on Emirau Island, 80 miles: north-west of Kavie»g, in the Territory of New Guinea. The survivors from the sunken ships had been put ashore by the Germans during December, 1940, and it was not until December 23 that ships! officers amongst them had been able to sail a mission cutter to Kavieng and make known their fate to the outside] world. • • • Mr. H. Leonard Murray, nephew of the! late Sir Hubert Murray who had been' Lieutenant-Governor of Papua for over 30 years, was appointed to succeed him.
The title of the chief executive head of the Territory was, however, changed from Lieut.-Governor to “Administrator” —and that’s been the title ever since, in spite] of many protests that the status of the, post should be restored to its previous] importance. One result of the change was that the Administrator rated only an “His Honor”, instead of an “His Excellency”, and thus in order of precedence, the Administrator of P-NQ femes after the High Commissioner of BSIP and the Governor of Fiji. * * * The American colony in Tahiti, probably sensing the trend of things to come, was “simply evaporating” reported our Papeete correspondent. He continued: “Our island is returning to something of the quiet and peace we knew before the curse of tourist exploitation. That ghastly city of Californian bungalows, Which has ruined the west side of Tahiti, is still there but the occupants have de parted”. (Our correspondent was also an American). * * * The war in Fiji was toughening up in another way—petrol rationing had been introduced with the monthly issue for “non-essential” vehicles set at from eight to 18 gallons, according to horsepower.