Letters

Melanesian Independence

Front

Sir, —You insult your many Tolai readers and do both this country and your magazine a disservice by run ning the kind of garbage that appears in PIM for Mar. (p. 26), under the byline of an (anonymous) Port Moresby correspondent.

Quite obviously this fellow has not met or talked with executive mem bers of the Melanesian Independence Front or he could never have put for ward the postulation that this thing is my brainchild; or that I am mani pulating or “using” the native people in any way.

The whole article is a claptrap of Kone Club gossip and Top Pub twaddle; and, dammit, not even this is up-to-date, for, following the initial Administration panic and witchhunt to find the evil European who, ipso facto, “must have been at the bottom of it”, according to Konedobu think ing, the Administration itself has since done considerable investigating and today knows full well that this is a spontaneous native movement. So much for your correspondent’s “it is widely believed . . .”

To clear the air: believe me, nobody —but nobody—manipulates ToVin Toßaining! He may be a veteran, but he is very widely respected by all races, and most of his executive com mittee members are of equivalent status. This movement has been very dear to him for a number of years, and, in fact, one of the reasons he resigned after 18 years as council president was in order to give more time to his “baby”, the independence movement.

Sure, I am helping them, and will continue to do so for as long as my health permits. I believe, as a dis criminated-against New Guinean of the white skinned minority, that the MIF team offers a real way in which our races can live together without friction. I believe in their ideals, which are sensible and quite moderate, and, above all, I believe in their sincerity.

I know my attitude is scarcely de signed to make me popular amidst the Powers-that-Be, but it is an honest one. I did not conceive this move ment. I am not dominating it. I do not seek power for myself, poli tical or otherwise.

The movement’s leaders are sin cere but unsophisticated, and they

need some kind of “bridge” between the native world and that of the non native. They need help with their organisation, their translations, their programming, their political meeting procedures. I am giving it to them, and will go on doing so for as long as I am able.

Either your correspondent is grossly misinformed or is deliberately misrepresenting the situation. From the tone of his writing I believe I know who he is, and Tm inclined to believe he is misrepresenting—no doubt because of a special personal axe which he is grinding.

Don’t insult the Tolais on such an unstable altar. I can assure you they are very much able to do their own thinking and have been doing so for some considerable time.

Steve Simpson

P.O. Box 433, Rabaul, P-NG. • Steve Simpson appends, for our private edification, the names of two people, either of whom he feels could have been the axe-grinding writer. He’s wrong, both times.

Taa And Fiji Airways

Sir, —To keep the records straight I would like to correct an error in PIM (Mar., p. 28).

At no stage did TAA oppose the introduction of the Fiji Airways service from Honiara to Port Moresby. On the contrary, TAA is happy to act as general sales agent for Fiji Airways, and are handling their aircraft during the Port Moresby turnaround.

L. J. Thrift,

P-NG Manager, TAA.

Port Moresby,

P-Ng.

7 Waka Toru 7 Disaster

Sir, —I have read your account of the Waka Tom disaster. Mr. William Shute was my brother, his wife’s name was Joan, usually called Joy.

The paid passage contract you refer to was in fact a payment of $270 each, for food, etc., for a period of three months in which they had hoped to reach New Zealand via Lord Howe, Noumea and Fiji, not as stated in your articles $l,OOO to the West Indies.

My brother was not any Tom, Dick or Harry. I only wish you had seen the time, effort and workman ship that was expended in building this craft. It would have rated among the best, even against professional boat-builders.

With regard to sailing experience, by brother served as an officer

(Lieutenant) in the Royal Navy dur ing World War II (on destroyers and frigates), after which, while in the employ of an oil company in the Persian Gulf he did a lot of small boat sailing. He also took a re fresher course on sailing and naviga tion two years ago in Australia, while building the trimaran. This, then, would appear to be one of those mis-adventures which occur in circumstances beyond human control.

With regard to regulations, even if a standard was set, you would have found that my brother’s safety pre cautions were well out in front. As you well know, and so do I, he did not take himself, family and three girls on a voyage to commit suicide.

J. G. Shute

Gulliver, Townsville, Queensland. • We are pleased to give Mr.

Shute the space to put the record straight on his brother’s marine ex perience. Nothing of this was known to the relatives of the other crew members, who believed Mr. Shute had no openwater experience.

“PlM’s” report was not directed at the people involved in the “Waka Tom” tragedy, but at the fact that yachts may leave Australia, with crew or passengers, without any official checks. Relatives of the girls main tain the girls did enter into con tracts of $l,OOO to sail to the West Indies; the figure mentioned by Mr.

Shute was part-payment for the first leg of the cruise.

Export Charges

Sir, —In my letter on labour matters in the New Hebrides ( PIM, Mar., p. 53) I mentioned that the Japanese fisheries company in Santo paid one per cent, export tax. I would like to correct this. It was so for some time, but it was raised to three per cent. Export duty on beef is four per cent, (being the general rate for any new enterprise) and six per cent, on most other important local products.

Mrs. C. M. Ratard

Acre, Santo, New Hebrides

"What Now, Mr. Hendon?"

Sir, —Thank you for your publica tion of my reply, in the March edition (p. 29). As far as I am con cerned, this matter is now considered as closed, and I bear you no further grudge.

H. H. Hendon.

82 Nailuva Road, Raiwai, Suva, Fiji.