yesterday

In a naval engagement off

the coast of Greenland on May

25, 1941, Britain’s largest

battleship, the 42,000 - ton

Hood, was sunk by Germany’s

newest battleship, the Bismarck.

British warships pursued the

Bismarck and on May 27 suc

cessfully avenged the Hood.

The details were in the issue

of PIM of 20 years ago this

month. And this is what PIM

had to say about the South

Pacific in this issue of June,

1941: In Apia, five Samoan chiefs were each sentenced to two months’ imprisonment and two other men to three months’ imprisonment, for having, on separate occasions, had men tied up like pigs—“because it was an ancient custom”. * * * There was an unexpected flutter on the depressed copra market when Japan suddenly began buying copra from Fiji and Tonga at £4/10/- a ton. Ruling price on the beach at Suva was then £3/10/- a ton—£l of it in cash and the balance in goods. But the happy conditions for the planters lasted only a few weeks, until the authorities cracked down on ex ports to Japan. The old price of £3/10/- was re-established. A Tokyo newspaper then bitterly charged the British Government with “an inhuman attempt”, to disturb Japan’s foodstuff policy.

They made no mention of the fact that glycerine, a copra by-product, was also useful for explosives. * * * The Australian Territories Minister. Mr. T. J. Collins, assured Australians that German influence in Papua had been wiped out.

There had been German spies there at the outbreak of war, he said. * » ♦ Washington officially announced that American vessels would take over routes between North America, Australia and NZ, thus releasing British vessels for service elsewhere.

The announcement caused a stir in Australian shipping circles. • * * “PIM” was looking at the Fiji banana export business again, and said then what it has said on several occasions since—that Aus tralia “never has played the game” in honouring its agreement to admit 40,000 centals of Fiji bananas to Australia each year, despite the fact that it expected Fiji to buy large quantities of Australian food stuffs. Said “PIM”, “All sorts of dirty little tricks have been em ployed to keep Fiji bananas out of Australia”.