The Month
p. 18 · Read in the full issue
In Review
For the people of American and Western Samoa, the Tokelaus, Wallis and Futuna, and parts of the Cook Islands, the month of February was clean-up month following the de vastating hurricane that roared through the Central Pacific at the end of January (see p. 45).
ELSEWHERE in the Pacific, life went on at a fairly placid pace, with two territories, New Caledonia and the New Hebrides, particularly quiet. The main events of the month were: American Samoa: Governor H.
Rex Lee asked President Johnson to declare the territory a major disaster area.
Cook Islands: Apart from the clearing up after the hurricane, the main talking point in Rarotonga in February was the lucky escape from Rarotonga’s reef of the 35 ft ketch Trendaway, skippered and owned by Norman Baylay of Oakland, California. The yacht drifted about 100 ft over the reef on February 19, and was rolled off with trees and old masts, Fiji: The Rescue Co-ordination Centre at Nadi supervised an un successful search, lasting more than a fortnight, for the 38 ft ketch Marinero, which left Wallis Island for Apia on January 27, but did not reach her destination.
The ketch, which was apparently caught in the hurricane, has a crew of five.
February was also notable in Fiji for the number of decisions made for the development of the Colony. (See pp. 121, 141.) Mr. R. M. Major, was appointed to the Colony’s important Sydney post. Other events were the acquittal of union leader Apisai Tora in the Korolevu arson case after a trial lasting 45 days, and the formation of a European political party, the General Elec tors’ Association.
French Polynesia: The French Minister of the Army, Mr. Pierre Messmer, made his third visit to France’s atomic testing installa tions in the Tuamotus, Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony: A special meeting of the Advisory Council on February 3 was told of an interim agreement on Ocean Island phosphate which will give the Colony 2/- more a ton on all phosphate mined from February 6, 1965.
Papua-New Guinea: A hearing began in Lae on February 2 of a
claim by Butibum natives that the land on which Lae is situated is their property. The hearing was adjourned after the natives said they had not been able to get legal guidance.
As reported by PIM several days beforehand, the appoint ment was announced of the Assistant Administrator, Dr. John Gunther, to the vice-chancellorship of the Territory’s new university.
Other appointments are: Professor K, S. Inglis, 36, of the Australian National University to the Chair of History, and Dr. F. C. Johnson, 31, chief of division of Secondary Education in P-NG, to the Chair of English Language.
On February 19. six stores in Rabaul’s “Chinatown” were gutted by fire and a 10-year-old Chinese boy was burnt to death.
On February 21, a wage claim hearing, which began in Port Moresby last October, was re sumed. It is the first arbitration case to be held in the Territory.
Solomon Islands: The High Court of the Western Pacific, sit ting in Honiara, acquitted a Solomon Islander, Faari Susu, on February 22, of the murder of a British missionary, Brian Mans field Dunn {PIM, Jan,, p. 9). A murder charge against a second man, Andai Tariuta, was pro ceeded with.
Western Samoa: The hurricane and its after-effects preoccupied Samoa throughout February, but lack of effective local government and national planning and co ordination were shown up by the fact that three weeks after the event, the Prime Minister’s Hurri cane Relief Committee still could not get an accurate assessment of the damage.
February 12 saw the last con crete poured in Apia’s new £500,000 deenwater wharf.