From the Islands Press

THE pettiness of the current arguments on free buses for the tourists is most illuminating, if only for the small-mindedness being publicly displayed by the contestants. The contestants in this sense extend to and embrace a number of traders, which is even more disgusting. People who have transport interests on the island have a heavy responsibility to see that no unpleasantness is manifested or transmitted to our visitors. Such is not the case now. This whole ugly scene is being freely discussed by every body.

With the arrival of modern, comfortable buses, surely the aim should be to stimulate interest in the island itself rather than carry on like squabbling kids? Tourism is our island’s life blood. Not withstanding, even the tourist, should he desire transport, should pay for it. The hatchet should be buried and the pipe of peace smuk. And a regular and alter nating bus service should be con ducted, serving both the tourist industry and the community.

In short, everyone, including the operators themselves, could derive lots of benefits out of a well-conducted bus service. What about swallowing your pride, gentlemen, and getting around the round table?— Editorial in “The Norfolk Islander”.

BECAUSE much of the popula tion is a shifting one, there is not the same civic pride in Port Moresby usually found in more stable communities.

But a proper clean-up as sug gested by Chamber of Commerce president, Mr. H. H. Stubbs, seems long overdue, despite the local junk collections occasionally organised by the Administration.

As it looks at present, Port Moresby must be regarded by tourists and other visitors as the world’s shabbiest capital.

Editorial in the “South Pacific Post”, Port Moresby.

THERE are now only nine months to go before the Second South Pacific Games in Noumea, to which, we are told, the Colonv Amateur Snorts As sociation intends to send a team.

There is, as far as I can see,

absolutely no athletic activity of any kind being organised by the Amateur Sports Association at the moment. Is it not about time they started doing something about our team for the Games?

Sending two tennis players to New Zealand is a step in the right direction, but cannot the ASA do something more than that? May I ask the secretary of the ASA ... to inform the members of the ASA and the people of the Colony just what plans the ASA has got?

It might also be thought re levant to ask what has happened to cricket. Since the proliferation of sports associations cricket seems to have died, although, on Betio, at least, it was flourishing until the moment when the Sports Association was formed. Since that date there has been no cricket on Betio. Is this the aim of the Sports Association?— Letter from “Sports Fan”, in “Colony Information Notes”, Tarawa.

AFTER 50 years or more of talking, bickering and plan ning, and less than two years of actual construction, Apia finally has a deep sea wharf. Some still hold doubts as to its effectiveness —these will be resolved one way or the other before very long.

The main significance of the wharf however lies in it merely being there. Although much has been done in the way of develop ment since independence, its effect in many cases is still hard to see.

Political attitudes have become more progressive, the need for planned development has been generally accepted, a five-year plan has been adopted and parts of it already implemented, but none of this has produced any thing so spectacular and so much in the public eye as the new wharf. The wharf provides the first tangible proof for many people that this country is in fact on the move. — Editorial in “Samoana”, Apia, Western Samoa.

THE basic wealth of this pri marilv agricultural country [of Fiji] has come, as it must alwavs come, from the products of the soil.

There has been a most wel

come addition to this in recent years from the tourist trade, and all indications point to the con tinuing growth of this source of revenue.

But all this must be viewed against a background of a school roll of nearly a quarter of the Colony’s total population—with many children not included in this total.

Fiji may never become a highly industrial country, but to provide jobs for so great a number of potential workers and to meet the demand for goods and tech nical services for an expanding population, it is essential that existing industries should continue to grow and new ones be intro duced, This calls for the avail ability of money and knowledge, together with managerial ability at many levels, from the junior foreman to the managing director. —Editorial in “The Fiji Times”, Suva, IF in Britain and Australasia the vast majority are “tele philics”, then we on Nauru, with a few notable exceptions, can be described as “inacto philics”.

Imagine the average worker arriving home at 4.30 p.m. or 5 p.m. after a hard day’s labour spent in trying to get other people to work. Shirt off, singlet off, socks off, fridge open, hiss of top leaving bottle, chair creaks, bottle tilted , . . stupor!

You may think this doesn’t ap ply to you, but just stop and think —what have you accomnlished this week—an lan Fleming, a couple of Headley Chases or a dozen Carter Browns?

OK, so that wasn’t you, either.

You run, swim, play tennis, golf or basketball or even sit on your backside on a Go-Kart every weekend—but how about exercis ing your mind and doing some thing for your fellow creatures here?

Yes, that’s right, how about sitting down and writing a bit for your newspaper!

There is a lot of talent on this little, isolated world of ours and practically anything can be designed, built, made or repaired by us. By the same token there must be quite a few of us with varying literary potentials as yet undeveloped.— Editorial comment in “Pinnacle Post”, Nauru.