Nutshell

In A Nutshell

k celebrated gang of bandits,

led by the chief Taptapus,

condemned to life imprison

t with hard labour in Sep ber by a court at Santo.

E gang had terrorised islanders in the northern part of Santo ; the 1930’5, murdering and pil ig. The gang was rounded up re ly in a concerted action by sh and French native police, le court case against them was ;ult to prepare as witnesses were to find. The accused made the even more difficult by keeping ■ mouths shut. owever, a PIM correspondent re s that “despite the difficulties a and satisfying verdict was re ed”. This, presumably, was not view of the condemned men! ♦ * * he British Solomons Islands ach of the Red Cross Society has nged to send £l5 to the District nmissioner, Eastern Solomons, •y time the Coral Princess calls Tikopia during 1962. This sum money is for the District Com sioner to buy coconuts (locally ship them to the island to help Tikopians over their present coco shortage. Coconuts are the main of the Tikopians and they have ered considerably since the in ation and damage to the coconut is by the red beetle. * ♦ ♦ •akoa Lolo, a 30-year-old native, s killed by a wild boar at Epi, New brides, in August. *akoa heard a dog barking in his den and went to investigate. When reached the garden, a wild boar Idenly charged him and he jumped to hold a branch of a tree to avoid However, the branch broke and fell on to the boar’s tusk, which e open his stomach.

The boar made off and Pakoa, by holding his shirt to his stomach managed to get back to his village.

He died two days later. * * * Two new buildings have recently been completed at Jacksons Airport, Port Moresby. One building is an air traffic control tower and the other a fire station. Both buildings were planned by the Commonwealth De partment of Works. * * * British Phosphate Commissioners have completed an 82 ft by 25 ft salt water swimming pool at their club at Ocean Island after 2i years’ work. The pool has 12 underwater floodlights.

Fifty-six water tanks, with a capa city of 594,000 gallons, have been built on Niue since 1958 under an Administration plan. Tanks installed during the past year have increased storage by 241,000 gallons, or almost 50 gallons a head. * * * Administration buildings at Omoka, the main village on isolated Penrhyn Island in the Northern Cook Islands have been completely re newed following the completion of an office and courtroom, school, as sistant medical officer’s house and a dispensary. A new school is being built at Tetautua, the other village on Penrhyn. * * * Ceremonies to lift the mourning for Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, the Fijian statesman, who died in May, 1958, were held at Lakemba, in the Lau Group, late in August. In addition to the 1,000-odd Fijians who attended were a party of 50 from Tonga.

The lifting ceremony entails the presentation of cloth, foodstuffs, handicraft, mats and masi (tapa) by the visitors.

The ceremony was the second of its kind for lifting the mourning. The first was held at Somosomo, Taveum, in 1961. * * ♦ The Royal Engineers reef-blasting detachment, which is operating in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, is blasting passages at Maiana and Marakei. It completed work m the Phoenix Islands in September.

A Pan American Airways DC7 aircraft burst two tyres on landing at Nadi Airport on August 29. At the time one engine was out ot commission. Passengers, who were coming in from Pago Pago, described the incident as “a pretty rough ride . * * * Mr. A. M. Wilkie, the new British Resident Commissioner in the New Hebrides, was due to take up his ap pointment on September 23. Mr.

Wilkie’s wife and three children were expected to arrive from England in October. * * * Photographs obtained recently by RAF Valiant aircraft of the Solomon Islands and about half of the New Hebrides will be used in conjunc tion with a tellurometer survey now in progress to produce accurate, up to-date maps of the two groups The planes returned to the United King dom at the end of August after two months’ photographic survey work. * * * The discovery of some bone frag ments buried 40 feet deep in pumice has set some New Britain residents wondering if they have found a challenger for Neanderthal man.

Though this is most unlikely the bones are certainly old and have been sent to the Australian National Uni versity, Canberra, for dating.

Native Affairs officers who reported the discovery in a 40 ft. deep well site at Tavui, out of Rabaul, have no way of knowing whether the bones are those of a human or a sea denizen, but believe whatever its earlier form it may have been buried under a volcanic eruption or landslide. * * * Three people died in an epidemic of dysentery which broke out last month in the Nasau area of Lekutu, Vanua Levu, Fiji. About 120 people were affected before the outbreak was brought under control.

The Medical Department took no chances, however, till it was certain that the disease had been eradicated.

They issued a long list of safety pre cautions, and sent a special supply of drugs from Suva in case they were needed. The outbreak showed the need for a good water supply and satisfactory sanitation.