Letters

Naming The Carterets

Sir, —This might be of interest to New Guinea residents and, perhaps, to some other readers of PIM.

Reading through the booklet, The Brave Journey of Philip Carteret, by R. J. Sheridan (Bonito Series), I notice the author is one more of those people who believe “Kilinailau” (or rather “Kilinailan”) is the native name for the Carteret Islands. In this belief also a ship of the Bougainville Company was called the Kilinailau.

Kilinailau (better Kilinailan) is nothing but the native pronunciation for “Green Islands”, which name was shifted to Nissan during the war, I suppose, by some mistake. In the Bougainville District, the Green Island people are always the Carteret people, in spite of the now “official” map.

The native name of the Carteret Islands is “Tulun”, which means “horizon”—the islands are seen from the hills of Buka and Bougainville (Teop), “i tulun”—on the horizon.

Fr. A. Muller

Catholic Mission, Carteret Islands, P.O. Sohano, P-NG.

Material On Nehru

Sir, —This is to bring to the know ledge of your innumerable readers that the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library is collecting letters, photographs and other documentary material relating to the life and work of Jawaharlal Nehru.

In the course of his long, rich and crowded public career, first as a leader of the national movement, then as the Prime Minister of India, he travelled extensively and met and corresponded with large numbers of individuals. It is important that a full record of his activities is col lected, carefully preserved and in due time made available for research to scholars.

This is, therefore, an appeal to all associates, friends and admirers of our late Prime Minister abroad to donate his letters, photographs and other documentary materials, such as Press clippings, films, etc., to the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Teen Murti House, New Delhi-11.

Copies of the documents will be supplied for personal record to those donors who wish to have them. Ar rangements will be made to return the originals to those who wish to

keep them, after copies have been preserved at the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library.

J. Moulik,

First Secretary (Information).

Information Service of India, Pitt St., Sydney.

Spaniards In The Pacific

Sir, —In an explanation for those rats on Macauley Island, a writer in your October issue says, “There has never been any suggestion that a Spanish vessel ever reached as far south as the Kermadecs in the south west Pacific”.

Juan Luis Arias, writing in about 1609, states that the pilot Juan Fern andez sailed from the coast of Chile in a small ship, and navigating upon courses between west and south-west, arrived in one month’s time at a coast which as far as could be judged appeared to be a continent.

Having only a small vessel and poorly equipped they returned to Chile, intending to return better pro vided, but the matter was delayed from day to day until Fernandez died (deep water seamen of this period had very brief lives) and the matter was allowed to lapse.

This was the origin of the legend of a great Southern Continent, which wasn’t so far out. The coastline is here, even if the land between is a little narrow.

Fernandez would appear to have done enough authenticated discover ing in his time not to need any fictions, and he was a very weather wise and precise navigator of his period.

Arias is quoted at length by both Burney and Dalrymple,

Charles Wells

Auckland, NZ.

'Unspoiled 7 Vanua Levu

Sir, —Congratulations to PIM on its fearless and forceful article in October about the plight of the Banabans on Rabi Island, Fiji. Apart from the Banabans, a lot of interest ing history could be unearthed on Rabi—some of it best left un disturbed, however.

Did you know that in the very early days, Rabi was sold for £75 in settlement of a debt due to (I think) Levers’ store on Taveuni? I do not know how you could verify this, as most real oldtimers have folded their wings and departed. One of Lever Bros’ early—if not their first—manager on Rabi was William “Tui” Lyons, ex-Queensland Light house Service, and a tough lad, by any standards. One of his sons now

lives at Devo, on nearby Vanua Levu.

When the wise men of the day settled the Banabans on Rabi one or two matters were overlooked, evidently—one relating to medical service, for example. When the TB campaign was launched, no one was allowed to put his toe on Rabi, and when His Lordship the Roman Catholic Bishop called there officially to consider religious teaching he was told to “hook it”—they didn’t want him or his schools, they said!

I have a letter from a resident of Savusavu and she mentions one or two interesting things about tourism on Vanua Levu and Taveuni. Burns

Philp interests are reported to be opening a hotel on Taveuni.

In the early ’fifties, Messrs. Fury and Lord, who operated hotels in the West Indies, gave Taveuni the once-over, evidently with a view to establishing a hotel there. But that suggestion of oncoming tourism gave the horrors to the more conservative folk on Taveuni—they insisted that it would have no advantages for the unsophisticated Fijians, the over worked police, the self-sacrificing missions, and so forth; and so the idea was cann ed.

Little did the Taveunians guess that the Banabans, right alongside, would get over their standoffishness.

and open the way to a new regime!

My correspondent tells me that an ex-police officer has sold his property near Savusavu to a wealthy Aus tralian—that Australian funds may be used to develop tourism there.

They all seem to be bitten by this tourism bug.

Viti Leyu tourism has been getting all the limelight. Don’t overlook tourism developments on Vanua Levu. It is suggested that vested in terests may be moving in there. It would not be surprising if cruising liners, having allowed their tourists one frantic day among Suva’s duty free shops, move to Savsavu Bay overnight, and let them refresh them selves among the “unspoiled” beauties of Vanua Levu.

Fiji Oldtimer

„ . , Brisbane, Queensland.

Mps' Visit To Bsip

I would not wish to comment on that part of the article from a Honiara correspondent ( PIM , Dec., p 8) which refers to my friend, the president of the Democratic Party on which no doubt he will himself be writing to you—but to confine myself to correcting errors of fact in your article within my direct knowledge.

Firstly, my friend the member for Stalybridge and Hyde, Mr. Fred Blackburn, is not a member of the British Government, as your article suggests. He is a backbench Labour MP with a wide field of interests— including the Commonwealth Parlia mentary Association—and, of course, he supports the Government in Parliament.

Secondly, Mr. Blackburn and Sir William Robson-Brown were not entertained in my “home village”— which, incidentally, is on the island of Savo—but at Komimbo, on Guadal canal, where at present I am living.

The two members were entertained there because it was near Tina village, where earlier Mr. Blackburn per formed the opening ceremony of a new type of copra drier which with another new development near Mara voyo —replaces no less than 102 in dividual driers previously used in that region, which is in my constituency.

The drier was of some particular interest to Mr. Blackburn, since it is owned by a co-operative society—of which movement in Britain Mr.

Blackburn is a supporter. Indeed—as he told us—he was himself bom with in 20 miles of Rochdale, where the first co-operative society in the world was founded.

Michael Rapasia, Mlc.

Komimbo, Guadalcanal, BSIP.