Decimal Currency Comes
p. 14 · Read in the full issue
To The South Seas
SIX South Pacific Territories “went decimal” on February 14 —all with the minimum of difficulty. The territories are Papua-New Guinea, Nauru and Norfolk Island (all Aus tralian); the British Solomon Islands Pro tectorate; the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony (British) and the British-French Condominium of the New Hebrides, all of which use Aus tralian currency and therefore changed over to dollars and cents simultaneously with Australia.
Although Tonga will not go decimal until next year the Kingdom also started using Aus tralian decimal coins on February 14, “just for practice”.
There was some confusion in the Islands over the unfamiliar new 50c coin which some people mistook for 20c or 2/-. For some older New Guineans it was just another money change. They could remember German, Aus tralian. Japanese and more Australian cur rency, in that order. • At right is C-Day in New Guinea, as PIM artist Rob Walsh saw it.
"Two German marks, a cowrie and a holey shilling—and you want your change in new Aussie dollars!"