yesterday

When PIM completed its 14 th year of publication in July, 1944, American Super Fortresses had just bombed southern Japan for the first time, and the Americans had seized Saipan from the Japanese. This, PIM said, was the opening of a new stage in the Pacific war, with events mov ing swiftly to the utter defeat of Japan <( and to the annihila tion of the power which broke the Pacific peace”.

OTHER items in that issue of PIM of 20 years ago were:— New interest in the fate of the American aviatrix Amelia Earhart had been aroused by the dis covery, at Saipan, of an album of photographs on her round-the world flight. With her navigator, Fred Noonan, Miss Earhart disap peared after leaving Lae, NG, for Howland Island in 1937. ♦ ♦ ♦ Lady Murray, widow of Sir Hubert Murray, former Lieu tenant-Governor of Papua, was making good progress after having been injured by the explosion of a flying bomb in southern England early in July. * ♦ ♦ Mr. A. L. Armstrong, former British Agent in Tonga, had pre pared several tentative proposals for the “co-ordination of Fiji’s far-reaching post-war reconstruc tion schemes”. * * * “Old Bill” Borthwick, discoverer of the Tavua goldfield in Fiji, died at Lautoka on June 3 at the age of 84. * * * Residents of Papua and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea—weary of being pushed around or ignored by Australian Ministers and officials—made a move at the annual meeting of the Territories Association in Sydney in June, which, PIM said, “might have far-reaching effects”. They proposed that at the next general meeting of the association in Sep tember, members should discuss a motion that they appeal to Great Britain for the removal of the Territories of Papua and New Guinea from Australia’s adminis tration because of the Australian Government’s “past neglect of, and present indifference to, the in terests of European residents”.

Ten New Caledonian volun teers, most of whom had left Noumea in the second contingent of March, 1943, had been killed in action with the French Army in Italy during a big attack which routed the Germans on May 12. ♦ * * Commenting on the annual balance sheet of Morris Hedstrom Ltd., of Fiji, which had just been issued, PIM said: “This company is still suffering the embarrass ments of riches—it has been so prudently and efficiently managed during the past couple of decades, and especially during the war, that now it literally does not know what to do with its money. . . .

It could repay every shareholder 30/- for every 20/- subscribed, and still remain completely equipped for carrying on its large and profitable business.” * * * Details of the Allied re-occupa tion of Manam Island, off the Madang coast of New Guinea, were given in a letter to PIM from Sergeant Roy McGregor, of Madang, who said: “The landing was done by a single PT boat, with 10 ratings, under Lieutenant Broadhead, of Melbourne, and with myself acting as pilot. We nosed into the beach on the wes tern side of the island, with all guns trained on the shore. A few natives appeared in response to signs and, as we almost hit the beach, we got the welcome news, ‘No got Nippon’. As the PTs nose touched the steep beach, I dropped off into armpit deep water, followed by the rest of the party—and that was all there was to it.”