People

The Governor of Queensland, Sir Henry Abel Smith, had some plain speaking on air fares when opening a convention of travel agents at Surfers’

Paradise in late July. He said the air fares agreement arranged by lATA was a great deterrent to overseas travel for many people. If the agree ment didn’t exist, overseas air fares could be greatly reduced.

Drama and comedy in the campaign against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands in the last war were recalled by Fijians who fought there, when they gathered on the island of Serua, Fiji, in July. They yarned with their former captain, Mr. Leonard Taylor °f Hillsborough, Auckland, New Zealand. With Mr. Taylor was Miss E. Tripp, representing her father, Major C. W. H. Tripp, who com manded the First Commando in which Fijians served in the Solomons.

Thirty-nine Fijian old soldiers of the First Commando and the Special Party attended the reunion. Mr.

Taylor and Miss Tripp were accorded * ceremonial welcome by the chief, Ratu Mara Latianara, and were honoured by being presented with tabua (whale’s tooth).

Taqona drinking went on until far

Photographed at Nukualofa during the festivities in July which celebrated Prince Tungi's birth day and the official opening of the Tonga Broadcasting Station's "Voice of the Friendly Islands" and the Copra Marketing Board's new buildings, were Princess Pilolevu, with a friend, Miss Patricia Skeen. The Princess is the daughter of Prince Tungi.

Photo: Rob Wright

into the night. Some of th soldiers kept the drinking bowl! round until dawn.

Best selling authoress Sister Burchill headed for Port Moresll July to take up infant welfare ’ for the Administration. She hope;; may get to the Highlands for “s pioneer work”. Sister Burchill is to pioneering and knows Austn north well. Her best selling II book, Innamincka, written unden name of Elizabeth Burchill viewed in May PIM), tells the s of the Australian Inland Mission..

Back in Australia in July after o of his many visits to Papua-N' Guinea, Australia’s Leader of Federal Opposition, Mr. Art!;

There were 40 school and college tea[?] aboard the Matson liner "Mariposa" in all making a South Seas study cruise comfort. One of the study cruise leaders Dr. Louis Thorpe, of the University of Sout California (above) who helped conduct cou[?] with Professor Whitney Thompson of the versity of British Columbia. It was a 42[?] round trip for the course.

Among the passengers aboard the Matso[?] "Mariposa" which left Sydney in July Pacific crossing were Mr. and Mrs Rice, of Lautoka, Fiji. Mr. Rice is m[?] of the Shell Company there.

Calwell, who often has a neat turn of phrase commented to Pressmen: “I like New Guinea quite as much as Mr. Menzies likes New York. I go there quite often.”

The secretary of the organising committee of the South Pacific Games, Mr. L. O. Simpson, an nounced in Suva in July the launch ing of a poster competition for a Games’ symbol. The winning design will be used for the first Games, to be held in Suva in 1963, but the designer has a good chance of seeing his work become the permanent sym bol of the Games, which will be the South Seas Olympics. The design has to contain the words, “South Pacific Games, 1963.”

A Fiji man, Khanai Lai, alias Joseph Maharaj, who made the jnistake of having sent threatening to no less a person than the 1 Commissioner of Police, Mr. R.

T. Beaumont, was sentenced to wo years’ imprisonment in Suva

to July.

* * * Bougainville planter Robin McKay, » °P a ” plantation on the east wa* ’ hich before . World War I sent a ffl German experimental station, nt off to Sydney two bales of para

Twentieth Century Fox film director Robert Florey, who also directs TV shows, aboard the "Mariposa" in July with his wife, after they had spent six weeks in Tahiti.

Another "Mariposa" passenger from the US July was Miss Hazel McGill, of New York, no was on her way to New Guinea as a missionary.

rubber in the July Tulagi. It’s the first rubber ever exported from Bou gainville and there is more to come.

The rubber is from the original Ger man trees, and from trees grown from their natural seedings. In a few months, hard-working McKay hopes there might be as many as a hundred bales aboard each Tulagi.

Unscrupulous traders in New Guinea were supplying boot-leg liquor and native taxi drivers were the link between the supplier and consumer, said Mr. Don Barrett, Rabaul civic leader and former MLC, in Rabaul in July. A liquor-drinking Teddy boy element was undermining village life, said Mr. Barrett, adding that Australia should have the courage to legalise drinking in P-NG.

It was “no wonder that native re sentment grew”. * * * P-NG Legislative Council mem ber Ephraim Jubilee has been busy back in Rabaul since he visited New r ork two months ago as an adviser 0 Australia’s UN Trusteeship dele gation. He has been addressing coun , . peelings and organisations ex plaining his trip. He told a Rabaul <otary Club luncheon in early August that members of the Tolai submarine cult” (who believe sub marines will suddenly appear off the ; oast and take them to the United nates) were making a “big mistake” n J Vantlng to go to America. “Every day runs about all the time in America,” said Jubilee. “They work

Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Glenn Mildenhall, of Rabaul, at their recent wedding at St. Francis Xavier Church. The bride was formerly Miss Ann Mary Curtis, daughter of Inspector R.

Curtis, of the Rabaul police.

Photo: L. Chin

all day and never seem to Cultists would be disappointec all this work. In the hotels sweep the floors and chang sheets every day!”

The secretary of the NZ D< ment of Industries and Cornu reminds PIM that Mr. K. W. E is the NZ Government Trade < missioner for the Pacific, and he certainly doesn’t belong to tralia, as our paragraph incon had it in the May issue.

Maxine Krone, aged 13, of .

West Samoa, points out in her round hand that we transposed ; picture lines, and that her brother Lionel Krone, 20, was h bottom picture, not the top oi We should have known b both times.

Among many indigenous and A 1 people throughout the Pacific, sii stition plays a part. It ranges ft the magic spells of primitive naii to the love potions of the s«< sophisticates.

Dr. A. Capell, reader in Oceanic Lingui Sydney University, was one of the pas aboard the Matson liner "Mariposa" when it left Sydney for America. Dr well known in the South Pacific Islans his field work, will attend the Pacific Congress in Honolulu.

Miss Talei Whippy, formerly of Fiji, nursing at Wahroonga, farewells Mr.

O'Grady before his departure for New Ze in July.

One manifestation of it has been causing Fiji authorities some alarm recently—the wide sale of “magnetic” bracelets.

For anything from 10/- to £2, gullible people in Fiji were offered •‘magnetic” (and “super-magnetic”) bracelets claimed to treat dozens of diseases, ranging from polio to cere bral haemorrhage, “with immediate effect”. Each wrist-band was accom panied by a pamphlet, which was as intricate a piece of gobbledegook and mumbo-jumbo as you would ever wish to see.

Backing the Government’s depreca tion, Dr. Dill-Russell, Fiji’s Director of Medical Services, warned: “Articles of this nature are entirely useless in the cure of disease and the preserva tion of health. The only improvement will be in the finances of the seller.”

A new main road on each of the two big islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu will be built in the Period to 1965 as part of a £1,000,000 reading plan announced by the Fiji Government at the end of July.

The announcements in Fiji by coincidence came shortly after a British industrialist, Mr. W. A. de y.igier, chairman and managing director of Acrow Engineers Ltd., had published a letter in the London Evening Standard complaining that nothing had been done to build roads for tourists in Fiji.

Obviously the new plans had been Irawn up before the letter was pub lished.

Mr. de Vigier wrote: “I have re cently returned from a visit to Fiji, is an island comparable in its « ut .y. to Hawaii. ‘Fiji could be an island with a tre

The bride, Miss Mei Seeto, had only recently arrived in Rabaul from Hongkong before her wedding to Mr. Seeto Chin Tat, at the Rabaul District Office in July. The District Com missioner, Mr. J. R. Foldi, officiated.

Photo: C. H. Meen

mendous tourist potential, yet 70 years it has been a Crown c the Colonial Office has built oi miles of tarred roads in the islai “The Burns Committee whic sent to Fiji some three or four ago, recommended the Cover: to build roads to attract tourist so far nothing has been done ; looks as if the Burns Report has buried.”

The famous choir of the Cakobau Girls’ School is to visit Zealand next December and Jar to give a series of concerts in va towns. A grant of £2OO from Ce ment funds will be made toward: cost. * * * To see for himself how the A native cadet system is workinj New Guinea, Colonel J. E. Pa: Australian Army Director of Ca made a 10-days tour of schoo: cadet units in P-NG in July, in < pany with Lieut.-Colonel K.

Wheeler, commander Ist C Brigade, Northern Command (Q The all-native 35th Cadet Batts (with headquarters in Port More was raised in January, 1960, anc gan operating as a battalion following April. It has proved p< lar with native lads at school; Port Moresby, Lae, Rabaul, Gon Keravat, Sogeri and Yule Is., w\ a separate unit for each centre been established.

Ceiling strength of the batta was 350 originally, but has 1 raised recently to 400 to take i new unit.

Commanding Officer of the P 1 Cadets is Captain D. K. Atkin

Work has begun on the site of a hos Lautoka for the Fiji Crippled Children's S The committee has enough money to tal building to roof height and has be[?] vigorous drive for more funds. Her of the committee members, Mrs. H [?] looks at the site with Fiji Public Re Officer Mr. E. J. F. Hackett.

who transferred from the Pacific Islands Regiment to take over the native battalion when it was first formed. ♦ * * An economic survey at present be ing undertaken by the South Pacific Commission in south and western areas will have special emphasis on trading companies, co-operatives, credit unions, agricultural extension services, banking and credit facilities.

Mr. V. D. Stace, Reserve Bank of New Zealand economist who is already well known for similar sur veys he has undertaken in the Cook Group and elsewhere, is the man on the job. He arrived in US Trust Ter ritory in early June, to visit Palau District, Guam, Ponape, Truk, Yap and the Marshalls spending approxi mately a week in each.

The US Congress was now striving to find more money to render proper aid” to American Samoa, said American Samoan Secretary, Mr Eric Scanlan, when he arrived ln Pa 8o Pago in July to take up his P? S T Mr. Scanlan, formerly a tJS Air Force major, is a partborn in NZ. He is the first bamoan Secretary. He said it was flow the duty of everybody to “pitch m and work”.

The old problem of what to call • e natives of New Guinea came up the United Nations Trusteeship uncil again in July. In a draft re

Mrs. "Granny" Conway, of Sydney, a young 71, called in at Noumea on a cruise recently.

Granny" is famous in Australia as a battler behind a car wheel in some gruelling round- Australia reliability trials. Said "Granny" watching Noumea traffic: "None of them drives on the correct side of the road!"

Photo: Fred Dunn

port, the Council urged thi natives be asked what they like to be called, and that meantime they be referred “New Guineans” rather than n Speaking to the Port M Rotary Club, old Territorial Assistant Lands Director ♦ Anthony (who will retire in Ai suggested they be called “Papai and that Papua-New Guine called “Papanga”. The words: composite, derived from Papu New Guinea.

“It is not bad sounding avoids the confusing and unde: suffixes of ‘asian’ and ‘esian’, you don’t like it the dialler there to do better,” comments Anthony.

West Samoa will celebrate it dependence next January withi days of celebrations, said E Minister Fiame in July. There: be church services throughout SI on the night of December 31, tinuing until the New Yea* heralded in. The celebrations then continue from January 1 the sth, and will include sport:: tures, dancing competitions, works, brass bands, parades, a K * * * The Western Pacific High (' missioner, Mr. David Trench, ini managed to launch the first boa the South Pacific Commiss Fisheries course at Auki, Mae When Mr. Trench swung the c: pagne bottle it refused to break,. caught the bottle on the rebound: took another fast swing as the moved away. He made it.

"Operation Carrot" they are calling Noumea. The first leg arrived in Ji[?] Qantas Electra from Sydney, and the are to be flown in weekly. The [?] imported by a Noumea firm, contain a s[?] of seasonal fruits and vegetables, an for about £A4 in the French Terri[?] Photo: Free

Visiting Apia in July was Mr.

Fred Zinnemann, a Hollywood film producer and director, who said he was planning a movie based on the origin of the Polynesian race, and “it was possible it might be made in West Samoa”. * * ♦ Fourteen passengers, including the Deputy High Commissioner of the US Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Jose A. Benitez, were rescued from a Trust Territory aircraft when it was damaged during a water land ing at Koror, in the Palau Islands on July 20. Shortly after the passengers were taken out the aircraft was taken in tow, but it sank in 50 ft of water.

When a Dutch marine sergeant, C.

Meyers, was missing at Misool, in the Radja Ampat Islands of West New Guinea, near Indonesian territory, more than 300 Dutch marines went searching for him. At the end of 20 days a Papuan informed a patrol that the sergeant had just stumbled into their house. Sergeant Meyers had been lost during that time in the jungle without food or drinking water. He used what water he could get out of rotten tree trunks but told his rescuers he was finally re duced to drinking his own urine. * * * The captain of the Australian athletic team which attended the Rome Olympics last year, Kevan tjosper, in July was appointed Rabaul, New Britain, representative 31 the Shell Company. He will take 3 ver from Mr. L. B. Stubbs later ; n . ls year. Mr. Gosper was also cap nln of the Australian team at the empire Games in 1958 but an aounecd his retirement from com petrnye athletics after the Olympics. still holds the Australian record [or the 400 metres and 440 yards.

Mr. Jag Mohan Singh, a Nausori-born extension officer with Carreras Limited, Suva, was sent to Australia in July on a seven months' visit studying the production of flue cured tobacco in Northern Queensland. His visit is part of a Carreras training scheme for locally employed staff.