From the Islands Press

IN an unusual case before the High Court of the Western Pacific at Ocean Island . . . the accused pleaded guilty to a charge of maliciously wounding his wife, and the facts were disclosed that he had bitten off his wife’s nose.

It is understood from a Gil bertese source that this is not an old custom and has existed only since the coming of the British flag. Before that, a jealous husband might kill a wife who misbehaved.

There have been several cases of biting off noses since the war.

The object of the exercise is to make the victim quite unattractive to men.— News item in a Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony news bulletin.

A SIGNIFICANT feature of the Fijian voting (at the re cent Legislative Council poll) has been the election, by clear and decisive majorities, of all those Fijian members of the old Coun cil who strongly, and sometimes fiercely, opposed any drastic changes in the Constitution with out the consent of the indigenous people.— Editorial in “The Fiji Times”.

THERE are two main schools of political thought in this country (of Western Samoa) at the present time. One, epitomised by the present Government, is that progress is all very well and necessary but it is a slow busi ness and the most important thing is to keep the peace of the country.

The other, voiced by Tofaeono Taulima, is that the Government has been dawdling for too long and has achieved no substantial progress over its years in office.

Around Apia, at least, there is a surprising amount of support for these views.— Editorial in “Samo ana”.

INDIGENOUS Assistant Medical Practitioners . . . are trained at the Suva Medical College to standards quite unacceptable in Australia, and then come back to the Territory (of Papua-New Guinea) where the Health Depart ment insists they be referred to as “doctors”.

In doing this, the Administra tion shows a willingness to pro

vide no more than second rate medical service to the people.

In itself, the action of training men to Suva standards bears little criticism. But severe criti cism may justly be levelled at the duties the Health Department is calling upon Assistant Medical Practitioners to perform.

Recently there was an instance where an Assistant Medical Prac titioner was appointed Acting Medical Officer at Manus.— Editorial in the “South Pacific Post”, Port Moresby.

SHORTLY before full-time last Saturday in the Morris Hed strom Shield match, between Apia and Moata’s senior teams, an incident occurred which re sulted in one of the most dis graceful exhibitions seen at Apia Park (Western Samoa) for many years.

McDowell, the tall Apia for ward, as he scored a try after diving over the Moata’s goal line, received a kick in the head from an opposing player and immediately fighting broke out between players of both teams.

Within a few seconds, the north ern end of the ground was alive with struggling spectators and players, and it took the police some minutes to break up the fracas.

It is not the best advertisement in the world for a country when neither players nor spectators can control themselves at a football match.— News item in the “Samoa Bulletin”.

IWAS surprised to read the let ter from Malakai Labaibure (presumably a Fijian) in The Fiji Times. I wish to express by views because I am an Indian.

His remarks about the quality of the meals cooked by Indian restaurant cooks, and the way In dians eat and sneak away is nothing but silly.

I can assure Malakai that the Indians were eating on tables and wearing fine clothes long before he knew that there were such things as tables and clothes.

I would not have raised a word if Malakai had said that the soles of the missionaries’ shoes tasted excellent! — Letter from S. B.

Singh, of Suva, in “The Fiji Times”.