Islands

Day By Day

N The Cook

By a Staff Writer.

The Cook Islands News, the

meoed daily newssheet issued

f the Social Development De irtment in Rarotonga, is some mes a bit out of date by the me it reaches PIM, but when it

3es it is invariably greeted with

ithusiasm.

TO other newspaper in the world, J we imagine, contains so many scinating news items, advertise ments, public notices and letters to e editor in so little space. The iper also vividly reflects Cook lands life.

Here are a few items from recent mes: • An advertisement for the film aby Face Nelson, which said: “The nsational story of the baby-face ink who became the FBl’s public lemy No. 1 . . . the deadliest killer them all. Please note: Don’t see lis film unless your nerves are bullet ttof.” • A letter from a reader com bining that when he went to a hema outside Avarua, the main icture was not the one that had sen advertised in the Press, the :reen was filthy with ancient refuse lat had been hurled at it, the pro ctor broke down five times, the mnd track crackled from start to pish and sometimes faded out al jgether, the audience screamed, cat klled, whistled and broke coconuts pen on the floor, and that every pw and then they flung more orange eel or banana skins at the screen. • A news item reporting that IMO Teariki Matenga had relieved MO George Koteka as health officer Q Mangaia. “Although some people Jgard life in the Outer Islands as eaceful and quiet,” the item added, yet this is not the case for Teariki ho, since his arrival, has dealt with Jven births.” • A public notice signed by the ledical Officer of Health urging eople to be more precise when they ang the hospital at night asking for [ doctor to visit a sick person in lieir or a neighbour’s home. iThe notice said that many people id not give satisfactory information bout the position of the sick person’s [ome. The result was that when the lector went to visit the patient, he

could not find the house and this caused delay, waste of money and “some ill-feeling.”

“Here,” said the notice, “is a bad call: ‘Please ask a doctor to visit Teremoana at Matavera.’

“Here is a better call: ‘Please ask a doctor to visit Teremoana Ben who lives just behind Matavera Packing Shed.’

“Here is the best call: ‘Please ask a doctor to visit Teremoana Ben who lives at Rauti’s house just behind Matavera Packing Shed. She is a girl of five years old who has com plained of a bad stomach pain for the past hour. She has vomited twice in that time, and she has a fever.

The pain is getting worse.” • A news item reporting that the sealing of the main road in Avarua had started and “should be finished right up to Donald’s store by Tuesday providing there is no breakdown of the equipment being used.” • A public notice signed by the chief postmaster complaining that the practice appeared to be growing of asking the exchange operator for a wanted subscriber by name instead of

By Number.

“Because we have a changing ex change staff,” the chief postmaster said, “many of them do not know the subscriber’s numbers and have to refer to the telephone directory for the information. This wastes a busy operator’s time and seriously slows down his ability to promptly answer other callers who require at tention.”

Mr. H. Simmonds, left, with one of his hybrid hibiscus. Photo: S. A. Whippy.