Yesterday

The war in New Guinea

ooked brighter. The Japs were

• n the run from Wau, and in

act, an important turning

<oint had been reached.

PIM”, of March, 1943, gave

he happy details. Here are

ome other events from that

vsue of 20 years ago: West Samoa and the Cooks were njoying high prices for copra, dso high was the Samoan cocoa rice. Freed by the Administra ion for sale on the open market it ras fixed at a temporary price f £55 per ton for plantation ocoa, and £5O for native cocoa. « • • Fiji was suffering from a serious our shortage. The Fiji Supply nd Production Board had taken ver the distribution of flour, and 11 baking, other than bread, was rohibited. Bakers were ordered 3 cut their bread baking by one tiird. • • • The military had authorised taxations in the blackout during tie hot weather period in Fiji. The our for blacking out was extended a 10 p.m. The concession did ot apply to street or shop light ig. • • * In Western Samoa it was re orted that the “unprecedented icrease in criminal offences con inued unabated”. There was also big increase in the number of {fences against liquor and curfew sgulations. • • • There was still a great deal of onfusion about the possibilities of ew Guinea residents being paid ar damage compensation. Nobody jemed to know who was entitled d what. In Sydney, a Pacific erritories Association, under resident E. A. James, was pressing sr a better definition. * • • Dr. S. M. Lambert, author of Yankee Doctor in Paradise”, Tote to “PIM” to say that some Inglish reviewers of his book eemed to think he had a poor pinion of the Australians, and he ranted to refute this publicly. “If were not an American I would rish to be an Australian”, he rrote. • • • West Samoa announced that romen and children who were vacuated in 1942 could now re urn if they wished, although ifficialdom “strongly advised .gainst their doing so”.