The Editors' Mailbag

Loss Of The "Lakemba"

Sir, —Since lately returning to the area served by your magazine and being in the seafaring profession my self, I have been reading with interest the various items on the Lakemba loss.

As long as “flag of convenience” vessels are allowed to operate with little or no oversight by the govern ments whose flags they wear and largely exempt from supervision by the authorities of the ports and countries they serve, things like the Lakemba affair and much worse, such as the Yarmouth Castle and Tony Canyon disasters are going to happen all too frequently and little will be done about them. We can all esti mate the amount of enthusiasm of the Hong Kong marine authorities for an expensive investigation of the Lakemba loss.

A principal part of any inquiry into marine disasters should be an exhaus tive look into the amount of influence and control exercised by the opera tions office over the administration and organisation of the ship. Too many masters are prodded into re quiring their bridge officers and per sonnel to work at other tasks than proper navigation and maintenance of lookout. The average marine super intendent considers any hands idle that are not driving a paint brush or a chipping hammer.

As to the letter of Capt. E. W Lamberty, ex-master of MV Wallisien (PIM, Dec., p. 41), I congratulate him on “putting their feet to the fire”.

Geo. R. Jacobs,

Master, . US Army Vessel FS 392.

Marion Drive, Glendale, California. • For the latest non-news on the “Lakemba”, see p. 107.

Influence Of Mr. Chatterton

Sir, —What a pleasure it is to read Rev. Percy Chatterton’s remarks so very much “to the point” each month. What refreshing columns they are! Even the whimsical caricature in the heading conveys the mischievous twinkle in the worldly wise eyes, the ready warm smile, and something of the essential humane ness of the man. Why he wears spectacles I don’t know: it can’t be for magnification, for he sees things realistically and matter-of-factly, without distortion or bias of any kind.

To read some of his comments on education you gain the impression that he was a school master; but he was more than that. From his re marks you would never realise that this unassuming perennial youngster had played an important part in the development of education during the Murray regime in New Guinea.

His comments on the unsuitability of the reading material available to native students are very sound. Books used were those written normally for English or Australian children in their own land: their language was for children whose mother tongue was English; their ideas were drawn from English and Australian culture and ways of life, totally alien from those of native children. What did Papuan children know of “Jack Frost”, or railway stations, or engines (apart, perhaps, from the small machines at the copper mine)?

It was not until 1928 that the first school book was written for Papuan children: that was the Senior Reader, by the Rev. W. J. V. Saville, of the Mailu LMS station. Williams, the Government anthropologist, referred to it as the “first Papuan encyclo paedia”. It proved a little too hard for Standard IV, which at that time was the top class, and there was still nothing suitable for the younger children.

It was here that Percy Chatterton came into the picture. A team of four, two Queensland inspectors of schools, Miss Milne (now Mrs. D. E.

Ure) and Mr. Chatterton collaborated to produce a series of Junior Readers suitable for Papuan children. These books proved a great success, and were in fact reprinted after the war by the newly formed Department of Education; and they remained in use for many years. Teachers and in spectors commented on the improve ment in oral reading, in fluency in spoken English and in comprehension of what was read.

Your columnist was also prominent in the training of native teachers for the LMS. He was in charge of the school at Hanuabada. After four years at Lawes College, teacher trainees were sent to him to give them practical experience under one who was himself an extremely com petent teacher. Also, teachers in the field were brought in, in turn, for “reburbishing”—w hat today we would call refresher courses—under his guidance. One result of these

The Editors’ Mailbag (contd.)

measures was a distinct improvement in the quality of the teaching of the native teachers, with a resulting im provement in scholastic standards of the pupils presented for the subsidy examinations.

At first, there were only two levels for which a government subsidy was paid, Standards I and 11. These were extended to Standards 111 and IV and eventually to Standard V, an extension to which Sir Hubert Murray consented with reluctance. But be yond that he would not allow gov ernment subsidy.

What was the use of educating natives further, he said; there would not be any jobs for them, so their further education would be useless and might even result in discontent.

In the whole of the pre-war period, a total of less than 400 native pupils passed the Standard V examination.

Is it any wonder that there were not more educated Papuans after the war? The general view of the native was that of a hewer of wood and a drawer of water, preferably in the service of a white settler. Some technical training was given by missions, notably at Kwato, but apart from the Government Printing Office and the telephone exchange there was little training in skills, and certainly no training aimed at allow ing the native to have some share in running the country.

This was not the fault of the missionaries; it was a reflection of the Administration’s attitude to wards the natives. These were the days when colonialism reigned supreme, and when independence, self-government and self-determina tion had not developed in Australian territories.

Yet all of this does not give the bigger picture. Mission schools, taught mainly by native teachers, played a tremendously important part in changing the Papuan from a savage, perhaps a cannibal, to a law abiding citizen; in substituting for abhorrent practices new methods of hygiene and sanitation, the concept of friendship one with another, and the practice of Christanity. Naturally, most of the teaching was in the vernacular, and naturally, too, the teaching was a means to an end, the living of a Christian way of life.

MacGregor, the Royal Commis sioners of 1906, and Murray, sought to make English the lingua franca.

When the territory’s finances allowed, by means of a special tax, Murray introduced a scheme of mission sub

sidies for education in English. Thus a grant of so much was made for each child who passed an examina tion given in English by the govern ment inspector.

The grant was on a graduated scale, up to and including Standard V. But “payment by results” never did result in education. And of the total amount spent each year on “education”, only a very small amount went to the subsidy for formal or “literary” schooling—the rest went to agri culture and to technical training.

Mr. Chatterton was actively con cerned in the work of education in the days he talks about, but he modestly glosses over his own part.

And he glosses over his introduction of the Boy Scout movement to Papuans—a form of education no less important than formal schooling. Let us give credit where it is due, and give him a word of appreciation he won’t be able to read the inscrip tion on his tombstone.

I was in close contact with many of Mr. Chatterton’s former pupils.

His personal influence is reflected in their characters. Thank you, Mr.

Chatterton, for what you have done for both formal and informal educa tion in Papua, and for your very beneficial influence in the community.

And thank you, Mrs. Chatterton, for the inspiration and encouragement you have given your husband. You both deserve well of Papua.

Richard C. Ralph.

Artarmon, NSW.

Early White Men In

The South Seas

Sir, —Robert Langdon in January PIM (p. 61) points out that a num ber of early visitors to Eastern Polynesia observed that on some islands there were groups of people who, in appearance, closely resembled Europeans.

He speculates that they were the descendants of European mariners who entered the Pacific in the 16th century. A footnote can be added.

In 1606, at Austrialia del Espiritu Santo [i.e., Santo, New Hebrides], Quiros had noticed people of three different colours, including white.

Torquemada, one of the chroniclers of his expedition, wrote: “Our people saw on the banks a number of hogs resembling those in Spain, and many inhabitants, which, to our great surprise, were of three different colours. Some

of them were altogether black, others very white, with red beards and hair, and a third sort were mulattoes which seemed to indicate that this country must be vastly extensive.

“It appears impossible to ac count for this diversity of colour, on the common principles assigned for it; for here are three different colours in one and the same climate, and two (the white and black) totally unmixed.” (From John Callander’s Terra Australis Cognita or Voyages to the Terra Australis , reprinted 1967).

Had the light-skinned group been introduced within the previous 80 years, then it seems possible that Quiros would have seen evidence, or been informed, of their recent arrival.

The description by Quiros does in crease the likelihood of there being people who somewhat resembled Europeans in the Pacific before the arrival of the ships of the 16th century.

This does not mean that some of the Eastern Polynesians were not descended from European seamen.

H. Nelson

Department of History,

University of P-NG,

Boroko, Papua

Thoughts On Little Theatre

Sir, —I wonder if Lautoka has a Little Theatre yet? Years ago we used to present our 3-act plays in the hall near the CSR mill; it was a little disconcerting to have the suspense shattered by the whistle of a cane train, but we were grateful for the hall and had a lot of fun.

PIM of January tells me that Suva is getting a new Town Hall; I can remember, in particular, rehearsals of “Cinderella” in 1952 in the old Town Hall. Will the Arts Group move too, or have they a home of their own by now?

Port Moresby lost its theatre by fire in 1967 but, it’s an ill wind, etc., and I’m told that their new building will really be something.

In Lae we struggle on! In 1963 it was decided that we simply had to have a theatre . . . gone were the days of the Stewart Hall, hissing cisterns, dust from the road and all.

The RSL committee were generous with the use of their ballroom and stage but we knew this could not be permanent.

To raise funds, the first annual Mardi Gras was held on January 9, 1964 ... an Art Union was run . . . seats were “sold” . . . enthusiasm ran high but, unfortunately, there

(Continued on p. 57)

have been too many snags over floor plans and blueprints and we still have no theatre.

But hope springs eternal, and it is possible that the plans will be ready for submission to the Building Board in March, and, if the Lands Department will extend the lease, tenders can be called.

The 1968 committee of the Lae Musical and Dramatic Society, at their first meeting, touched tentatively and hopefully on a possible play for the opening of the Niall Community Centre.

If some concrete sign of activity can be seen, the townspeople will surely rally round once more to ensure the finance needed—the Dramatic Society will once again be able to sponsor the Territory Festival of Drama and there will be a return to the hey-days of 1957-1964 (when several 3-act plays of the highest standard were presented each year.

(Mrs.) D. Nizette

Lae, New Guinea

No Bare-Breasted Garbage

Sir, —Two weeks ago I received my first issue of the Pacific Islands Monthly. It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed reading anything so much. Your material has given me a completely new outlook on the Pacific Islands. There’s none of that bare-breasted garbage—just the things that are universally known—but, of course, in a more enchanting area.

John Dabrieo.

Stuyvesant Oval, New York, NY, USA.

New Hebridean Outlaw

Sir, —I read with interest Robert Langdon’s article about Thingaru, based on Maurice M. Witts’ diary ( PIM , Jan., p. 81).

There is no evidence in the records of the Central Archives here that Thingaru was eventually captured.

The last reference to him is in a letter from J. E, Fysh of Big Bay to M.

King, the British Resident, dated October 25, 1911. In this letter, Fysh said that he had been “hoping to get hold of Thingaru (sic) in a few days” and would have done so if it had not been for a recent kidnapping m the district by a labour recruiter.

He does not say precisely how this interfered with his plans or why he expected to arrest Thingaru, but the inference is that the incident stirred

up local resentment and sent Thingaru to ground.

Incidentally, Witts resigned from his post of CO of the Hog Harbour detachment of the constabulary after receiving the rebuke (mentioned in the story, p. 83) for having boarded and searched the Guadeloupe.

A. I. Diamond

Archivist.

Central Archives of Fiji and the Western Pacific High Commission, Suva, Fiji.

New Guinea Cup

Sir,—Recently some friends and myself were discussing what year the first New Guinea Cup was run.

Some said it was 1922, others 1923. Could you please settle the question by telling us the month and year that the cup was run, and what year the New Guinea Turf Club was formed?

Unfortunately, all the records as far as New Guinea was concerned were lost during the Japanese occupa tion.

M. Murray (Mrs.)

Innisfail, Queensland.

O Can any reader help?

Islands Mystery Solved

Sir? I was startled to see on page 83 of your October issue, a reproduction of a painting labelled Bay in the Pacific Islands, Fiji”. I am familiar with this view. It is the frontispiece of Volume 111, Ellis’s Polynesian Researches, printed in London in 1859, According to the caption in that book, the original

was a drawing made by a Capt. R.

Elliot. It was engraved by W. Le Petit for the book. The picture shows a view of the district of Fare in Huahine in the Leeward Islands of French Polynesia at the time that the missionaries first settled there, before 1820.

Anyone who knows Fare Harbour will, I think, recognise the view. The present dock is a short distance beyond the third pile of lumber, and the stone sea wall begins just beyond that point. I believe, however, that the man who did the painting you re produced, has somewhat simplified the mountains.

I wonder how the painting came to be labelled as it now is? And, who made the copy?

C. K. Wing

Stony Point, New York, USA • Captain Wing's letter has solved a mystery that had baffled both us and the Australian National Library, Canberra. The original of the picture in question—a small oil painting—is in the library's famous Nan Kivell collection, and until now it has been “Bay in the Pacific Islands, Fiji”. Four years ago, a Canberra reader, Dr. John Cumpston, sent us a reproduction of the painting, and asked whether any reader could identify the locale. When we pub lished the picture in our issue for January, 1964 ( p. 19), nobody apparently recognised it. But when we tried again in October, Captain Wing came to our aid. We now find that an engraving from the painting appears in others editions of Ellis' “Polynesian Researches” be sides the one mentioned by Captain Wing.

Fare Harbour, Huahine—see below, "Island mystery solved".