The Editons' Maillag

Outstripping New Guinea

Sir, —Your January issue, which, with its many informative articles on tourism and air services, so well illustrated the movement of the Pacific Islands into the modern world, was read by me with immense interest.

With regard to Rob Wright’s feature on Futuna in the New Hebrides, and J. M. Bourke’s story about pioneering on New Guinea’s air trails, your readers may be in terested to know that aid work in the Mount Everest region, which Sir Edmund Hillary says is outstripping his mountain climbing, has resulted in the first effective airfield in the region—built up a grade of one in 10 —at an altitude of 9.500 feet and with a short run-way of only 1,500 feet. Like Wau, which has a grade of one in 12, at an altitude of 3,500 feet, aircraft land uphill and take off downhill.

Although New Guinea pioneered the way with its mountain airfields, it looks as though it is now being outstripped.

John Milne.

Apia, Western Samoa.

Australian Discrimination

Sir, —Recent issues of PIM (Nov,, p. 19 and Jan., p. 33) have again drawn attention to the fact that although Papuans are Australian citizens they do not have the right to enter the country of which they are citizens. They can be given per mission, but this is subject to the decision of officials.

The legislation does not stipulate that discrimination will be practised, but it provides the machinery which enables the Australian Government to discriminate. This is the way the legislation was meant to be and this is the way it works.

Some Papuans are aware that a Supreme Court case would probably show that the present restrictions on the movements of citizens within their own country are illegal. But partly because of the authoritarian nature of the present administration, no Papuan today is prepared to challenge the existing practice, though I have met many in various parts of the country who were aware of this discrimination and understandably annoyed and humiliated by it. Those most humiliated are, of course, those who are most politically aware and who provide much of

the present and future political leadership of the country.

Australian practice is such that, by this action and much other like it, when New Guinea becomes in dependent it will be led by a team of men who have all been insulted and humiliated by Australia. This is unlikely to provide a very sound basis for continued good relations with our closest neighbour. Free trips to Australia for political leaders are at best a short-term palliative, and from my observation are quite ineffective in removing deep-seated humiliations of the kind under discussion.

And irrespective of future reac tions, the present restrictions on Australian citizens who happen not to be white are probably illegal, certainly immoral, and very offensive.

R. G. Crocombe.

Anthropology Department, University of California, Los Angeles, USA.

Stamp Collectors

Sir, —Approximately 12 years ago we contracted poliomyelitis and since then have been wholly confined to a respirator. After about two or three years we decided to start stamp collecting and have had some success, but find stamps from the smaller British islands the hardest to obtain. We would like to ex change with anyone interested, or if anybody has any lying about the house, we would be only too pleased if they would bundle them up and send then on to us.

Max Rawson

Bill Robins

Ward 1.2, Fairfield Hospital, Victoria.

Fead Islands

Sir.—ln your November issue (p. 121), Tolala asked after whom the Fead Islands (125 miles east of New Ireland) were named. I cannot answer that, but this information may help. The Feads (usually known now as Nuguria Islands) were first sighted by Europeans from the whaler Abgarris in 1822 and placed on the charts as Abgarris Island. In 1826, Captain Renneck of the British ship Lyra sighted them again, and it was he. apparently, who named them Fead.

J. G. Peters.

Parramatta, NSW.