The Editors' Maillag

Japanese War Aims

Sir, — Tolala’s statement ( PIM.

Feb., p. 97) that the Japanese wanted Rabaul for their attack on Australia is in accordance with Australian mythology but not with the facts.

Japanese aims in World War II were often confused and their direc tion changed, but nevertheless they :an be studied from a mass of material translated after the surrender. This tias been available in English for almost 20 years.

Rabaul was the springboard for an attack on Port Moresby, and might ater have filled the same role for operations against New Caledonia, Fiji, and Samoa. That on Port Moresby was stopped in the Battle )f the Coral Sea, which saved, not Australia, but Papua, from seaborne nvasion.

The idea that the Japanese wanted 0 capture Australia and fill it with ots of little yellow men existed only n the Australian mind.

I shall not attempt to set out in a etter what the Japanese aims were, >ut it seems strange that they are not ►etter understood in a country which vas so deeply involved in the con equences of them.

Mercator.

labaul, NG.

'Little Men" Of New Ireland

Sir, —R. J. Giddings’ article in April y IM (p. 81) about the mysterious little men” of Buka and Bougain ille reminded me of hearing similar tories when I was in the south-east f New Ireland in 1959.

There is a tradition among the oastal villages that “before German mes” little men used to come from ie mountains for salt. Some old atives even describe a dance by these igmies, with a long rope as an ccessory, which does not seem to be legend.

Since the last war, a patrol officer 1 reported to have contacted some of lese little men in the high country f inland New Britain, which is said ) be uninhabited. However, local lanters pretended that the man was Adorn seen sober.

The oldest resident of the south ast coast, M. Lanzarotte, did not be eve the local tale about the little ten.

J. Huon.

elefomin, apua-New Guinea.

In Search Of Flags

Sir—l was wondering if I could use your columns as a sounding board for my hobby—vexillology (i.e. the study and collection of flags). During the past 13 years.

I have been collecting flags from all over the globe. In fact, the Flag Research Center (official adviser to the United Nations on vexillological

matters, author of the flag articles in the most recent editions of many leading encyclopaedias, and publishers of the Flag Bulletin) of Winchester, Massachusetts, considers my col lection to be one of the largest in the world—46s in number as of last week, when I received the Gambia’s new national standard.

At this time, I am trying to com plete my collection of Pacific Islands banners. I am particularly interested in procuring the unofficial “national” flag of Papua-New Guinea (a multi coloured Bird of Paradise super imposed on a green field) which was specifically designed to represent that

country’s athletic team at the 1963 South Pacific Games.

Therefore, I would be grateful if any PIM reader could send me information on how to procure Pacific flags. Also I would appreciate it if some Cook Islander would inform me as to whether or not that Territory plans to adopt its own distinctive flag now that internal self government is due to arrive.

Incidently, to date, I have the national and territorial flags of Western Samoa, American Samoa, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, Western New Guinea (Dutch Admi nistration), Tonga, and the blue colonial ensigns of the British Solo mons and Fiji. Also I soon expect to receive the Gilbert and Ellice Islands’ ensign.

(Rev. Mr.) John J. Hurley,

Oblates of St. Francis De Sales 528 Marsh Road, Wilmington 9. Delaware, USA.

Norfolk's Wheat

Sir, —January PIM gave an in teresting reference to Norfolk Island Administrator Nott’s preconceived ideas of growing wheat on Norfolk Island—before he had hardly set foot on the island of 8,500 acres. Some might be led to believe the Island was arable agricultural land under present conditions—whereas it would be more accurately described as hor ticultural. Your article omitted to say that the island’s great prosperity has now exceeded anything in the past— any previous export industry having been surpassed by the still-growing “export” industry of tourism.

Administrator Nott is apparently trying to influence the Council into agreeing, against its wishes, to an ex perimental farm together with a full time agricultural officer. Council wants neither, but has in mind a part time horticultural officer to meet our main needs. Is this the costly whim of past Administrators repeating it self? Administrator Rosenthall in stalled an experimental farm for suc cessor Wilson to promptly throw out.

Administrator Wordsworth saw no justification whatsoever for a full-time agricultural officer. Too many whims of past Administrators have left their mark in the form of a string of wasted public funds.

Much of the difficulty lies in the uneconomic size of the population— approximately 850—with tourists ap proximately 4,000. Short-term Ad ministrators would do better to first study and take a more realistic view of the habits and customs that exist.

Customers of the stores bring in small quantities of vegetables at irregular intervals according to their surplus.

These are generally accepted as contra account—or cannot be easily refused—thus preventing the stores from giving regular worthwhile orders to encourage a market gardener.

Dr. C. G. Stephens, of CSIRO, after a detailed soil analysis of the whole island in 1954, summed the position up in his final recommendations when he advised “bringing the people to the food”, which means raising the consumers to 2,000 and/or 10,000 tourists. Not nearly enough is being done to ensure this form of

stabilising local consumption to se cure prosperity for the future.

When our local market becomes an economic unit for which to cater there will be found plenty of skilled growers to meet a stable demand. Not until then will they find it a suffi ciently rewarding occupation com parable with current wages. It seems most stupid to expect our small pockets of rich land to compete with the world’s wheat-growing lands.

W. N. Selby Newbald

Norfolk Island