From the Islands Press

WHEN New Zealand devalued her currency and Fiji re valued hers, after devaluation, an opportunity was lost. It was to place the currencies of the two countries on a par with Aus tralia’s.

The difference [between Fiji’s and the others] is now too small to be particularly significant in commercial transactions, but the fact that there is a difference at all makes exchange calculations necessary.

There is so much interchange of trade among the three countries, and travellers move from one to the other so frequently that currencies of equal value would avoid much of the conversion that is now required.

Equality of value could possibly open the way to a common cur rency, and perhaps speed the achievement of the Pacific Com mon Market which hitherto has seemed only a dream, the fulfil ment of which is blocked by in superable obstacles.— Editorial in “The Fiji Times”, Suva.

WHY isn’t TV helping the children [in American Samoa] to be well educated?

Because English is not the Samoans’ native language.

It takes a teacher in the class room to answer the numerous questions arising from the children. Two different people with different opinions are some times involved here. The TV teacher may have one answer, and the classroom supervisor may have a different answer to the same question. This leads to con fusion and impedes learning.

Take speaking and writing English, for instance. The enuncia tion of the words by the TV teachers is just beautiful. The Samoan child catches on to this very fast, but to put words together in a sentence, to form a phrase, a clause, and a good English structure is very hard.

English speaking and English writing are two entirely different things.

Another example is the teaching of scientific subjects by TV. If experiments are conducted in chemistry, and there are colour

changes, the teacher must tell the students that the litmus paper has changed from red to blue because of the acid effect.

The teacher must assume the student will take his word for it.

Have the students seen proof of this? Unfortunately, no! It is difficult for them therefore to reproduce the experiments on their own. Here again live demonstra tions in the classroom by a teacher are vitally needed.— Reader’s letter in the American Samoan section of the “Samoa Times”, Apia.

ANY talk of independence or an autonomic interne indepen dent of continued French bill footing will gain viable signi ficance [in Tahiti] only when Tahiti can feed itself.

Tahiti will be able to feed itself only when the tourist industry matures. Ten years is about how long that should take.

Ironically, those visitors who get here before those 10 years elapse should have a last glimpse of what has made Tahiti one of the world’s last humble, beauti ful and innocent places. —ltem in “Tahiti: Echoes of Polynesia”, an English-language magazine pub lished in Papeete.

WHAT Mr. lan Hogbin says about Pidgin keeps coming back to my mind: “There is no doubt that Pidgin in some form will be the language of the future in all Melanesia”.

I am beginning to think so too, and I wonder what other people think about it. It is very important for us.

If it is true, would it not be wise to recognise Pidgin in our schools and go with it instead of fighting against it?

Think of all the money, time and work in trying to teach pure English! With what result?

Think of how the education in primary schools is held back be cause it is given in a language that very few of us will learn properly. How would English people like their children to have to get their primary school educa tion in say Chinese or Russian because these are important world languages?

If we can give half of our

children only Standard IV educa tion, I think it is better if we teach them in Pidgin and let them go ahead fast. It is better if the clever language teachers learn Pidgin and write the school books in the future language of Melanesia. Letter from Mark Maewodi, Kukum, in the “BSIP News Sheet”.

IN a developing country such as Papua-New Guinea, a major problem is the transition of its youth. In the villages around the main centres, young people live and think in a world different from their parents.

This gap, as education and a new sophistication parts children from their parents, could foster greater juvenile delinquency and rebellion.

The Administration’s attempt to interest a research organisation in the problems confronting Port Moresby’s young people is one that should be given the widest possible support.— Editorial in the “S ou t h Pacific Post”, Port Moresby.

KITE flyers at Tarawa are requested not to fly kites on Saturday mornings between 1100 hrs. and 1300 hrs. and on Sunday mornings between 0600 hrs. and 0800 hrs. in view of the possible danger to Fiji Airways aircraft.— Public notice in “Colony In formation Notes”, Tarawa.

HAVING constantly driven motor vehicles in and around Sydney for over 40 years (in fact, ever since most of the traffic was horse-drawn in that city), I feel qualified in being a little critical and offering some possibly un wanted advice [to Norfolk Island].

My advice is—STOP—don’t let this happen to your beautiful island. By stopping the import of more motor vehicles you will also be stopping the pollution of this God-given atmosphere with stink ing petrol fumes; you will be stopping the roads from becom ing race tracks; you will be stopping the ever-increasing risk to life and limb as it is already getting beyond the control of our one and only traffic authority; and you will be stooping the advent of the RAT RACE that has infested almost every country in the world. —Reader’s letter in the “Norfolk Islander”.