From the Islands Press

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Now that we have your at tention, we wish to advise that S.

Fuhrmann has for sale, 1956 Morris Minor Convertible, good running order, £ll5 or $230 or best offer.

Apply: Flat 3D or Engineering Office. Tel. 226 .—“F0r Sale” notice in “Pinnacle Post”, Nauru.

WITH 27 road deaths in Port Moresby last year—an in crease of 16 on 1965—it is time compulsory periodical roadworthy tests were introduced.

The courts have become stricter with actual driving offences. In the public interest it is to be hoped they will clamp down on drivers of unroadworthy and unregistered cars.— Editorial in the “South Pacific Post,” Port Moresby.

FIGURES released by the Economic Development De partment showing a 47 per cent, increase in visitors last year and predicting a 60 per cent, increase this year leave no doubt that, as predicted over recent years, Western Samoa’s visitor industry is on the verge of spectacular growth. . .

This growth brings many oppor tunities for a better economic life, but it also presents many chal lenges. The number of hotel rooms, access to places of interest, transportation, entertainment and general visitor facilities must grow along with visitor numbers.

Not the least problem is to clean up Apia and to rid the country of the unsightly and un sanitary faleuila [over-o ce a n toilets] that despoil what should be one of the most beautiful coast lines in the world.

Tourism undoubtedly presents Western Samoa with great oppor tunity, but full consideration has not yet been given to the work and planning that will bring the country its fullest benefits.— Editorial in “Samoana”, Apia.

THERE seems to be such a lot of criticism about tourist in vestments on the island that it would be a good time to consider just how many Norfolk Islanders do benefit from the tourist in dustry.

On a conservative estimate,

there are 36 Norfolk Islanders and their families who benefit directly from tourism. Apart from this number the majority of other Norfolk Islanders benefit in some way from the influx of capital that tourism has brought and will continue to bring to the island.

It must be disheartening to those men and women who have invested their savings in the island to hear themselves referred to as “speculators who are taking the cream of the island,” Persons who invest £50,000 on facilities to cater for tourism have many years of hard work ahead of them be fore they recoup their original investment. . .

To date the measure of their success is partly mirrored by our improved standard of living. If these investments fail and tourism slumps, there will be many Nor folk Islanders forced to leave their homeland. —Editorial in the “Nor folk Islander”.

A RECENT report on tourist matters spoke of two forms of nuisance which the growing tourist trade has spawned in Fiji.

One is the crowd of touts who swarm round visitors, forcing cards on them and frying to per suade them to patronise particular traders.

The other is what the report called “political taxi-drivers,” or those who deliberately bombard passengers with biased and in accurate political propaganda.

Two additional nuisances which might have been listed are “shoe shine” boys who pester pedestrians in Suva streets, and youngsters who snatch parcels away from shoppers and then demand pay ment for carrying them.

The unhappy thing about all four forms of nuisance is that they are perversions of what could be useful and valued ser vices which would help to make a visit to Fiji pleasant and en courage people to come again and persuade their friends to do like wise.—Editorial in the “Fiji Times,” Suva.

BECAUSE of the current grave shortage of duplicating paper (which is unlikely to be relieved for some months) and because

of greatly increased production costs, it has been found necessary to temporarily reduce the circula tion of Colony Information Notes (the weekly newsletter of the Gilbert and Ellice Island Colony Administration).

The circulation has now reached 2,000 copies weekly and produc tion of an average sized edition now requires approximately 30 reams of paper. Duplicating paper ordered some time ago from the United Kingdom has not been received, and it is unlikely that it can arrive in the Colony before March.

Meanwhile, circulation will be reduced to 1,000 copies weekly and the distribution to depart ments on Tarawa and the Whole sale Society has been halved.— Public notice in “Colony Infor mation Notes,” Tarawa.

DISEASES of the heart were responsible for 28 of the 153 reported deaths in American Samoa in 1966, according to Harold Bernshock, hospital ad ministrator. This made heart disease the No. 1 killer in Ameri can Samoa last year.

The next four most common causes of death were: Senility or deaths resulting from ill-defined or unknown causes (19); infancy diseases (16); cancer (13); pneumonia, including influenza and bronchitis (11); and accidents, all forms (10). — News item in the “Daily Bulletin”, Pago Pago.

WHETHER intentional or not, one of the most annoying practices of those of you who call at the Post Office, is to literally slobber all over the counter and have a “jack” at what somebody else is doing. If it has nothing to do with you, get lost and wait for your turn.

Repeated reproach appears to have no effect at all, and it has become necessary to place this notice in the Tohi Tala Niue, So the next time you have business at the Post Office and there happens to be somebody there still doing his business, keep your distance until he has finished. Twiddle your thumbs or something to keep yourself amused, but keep your nose out of other people’s business.— Public notice from the Post master in “Tohi Tala Niue”, Niue.