From the Islands Press

M M rpHE competition for novel

Mm am A places for mothers to ■ Hi give birth reached its zenith this week when baby girls were born in a truck and a car.

Last Monday night, just eight days after a Hihifo woman gave birth on a Foui bus, a Vaini woman, Siupeli Fakatava, 39, gave birth to a seven pound- three-ounce girl while aboard a Vaini truck.

Two nights later, on Wednesday, while in a car just 300 yards from the hospital, a girl was born to Losili Vimaki, of Liahona. The father, Aleksanita, was driving when the eight-pound, 12-ounce girl was born.

It is now understood that Vaiola Hospital officials are considering buying a mobile obstetrics ward.— Item in “Tonga Chronicle”.

“QHIP collides with car”. While coming alongside the Suva wharf, an island cutter, Adi Maopa, hit a car parked on the wharf. The jib boom scored a dent in the bonnet of the car. The car owner, Mr. Tom Pickering, commented wryly: “Who would have thought this car would be run into by a ship?”.— ltem in “News from Fiji”, Suva.

TT is most disappointing to see the X behaviour of some lad.es There was an mciden where my friends and I were talking for about 15 mmutes m a driveway A lady who passed by heard us talking, although she didn t realise what it was that we were talking about, and started flbmim? US g . , ..

I was surprised to see her taking off one of her shoes and run toward my friend. She had thought we were talking ill of her, although we were discussing marriage affairs.

As she was about to strike him ■with her shoe, he snatched it away from her and she said: “You want to hit me?” I think she was hoping he would hit her so that she could have the boy punished by law.

The boy kept silent and she fulfilled her anger by abusing his parents. I do not know what it is

LAST Friday and Saturday there were large bonfires outside the central post office on Betio when the remainder of the Battle of Tarawa commemorative stamps were burnt.

A vast quantity of these particular stamps were ordered—the colony received 500,000 sets. They were issued on November 21 last year and remained on sale until February 20 this year.

The philatelic section sold about 2,500 first day covers and several thousand more sets to philatelists abroad, as well as being used locally for postage abroad.

In the end, however, something in excess of 480,000 sets went up in smoke at the end of the week.

Item in “Colony Information Notes”, Tarawa.

that his parents can have done to her.

People gathered around us and thought that the trouble had started by a passing remark at this lady, This shows how clever and shame less some ladies are in being abusive, — Letter from Jainendra Kumar in •* The Fiji Times”, Suva.

T AST weekend was a memorable , h l e arrival of their bus . For more {han a year its advent had been eagerly awa i te d. It finally arrived on on Thursday, May 1, com- Abaokoro . b . .

Friday a special run was made up the atoll of Buanki. The people were armed with saws and axes to remove any obstacles which might i mpe de progress, particularly when the is run after dark, A certain o£ stone shift jn g had to be done at one or two places, but, in due course the bus safely reached Buariki. It was then decided that it should be driven to the enc j G f the road, about a mile to the north of the village, All t h e passengers disembarked and then Mrs. Eileen Kilburn was invited to christen the shining red and white vehicle by pouring some

toddy [coconut juice] over its radiator.

When the ceremony had been duly completed all drank to the success of the Island Council and its bus service. In due course all returned safely to Abaokoro. Item in “Colony Information Notes”, Tarawa.

THE telephone switchboard at the hospital is a very old one and is constantly being repaired. In spite of these repairs, the phone still doesn’t work satisfactorily. Many times the hospital staff can hear the people ringing in to the hospital but the people ringing in cannot hear the hospital staff. Sometimes it is the other way around. Often the phone rings and we can’t hear any body at all.

We ask you to be patient in this matter. A new switchboard has been ordered for a long time. If you can not raise the hospital by telephone please ask someone to bring a message by motorbike.—Announce ment in ,( Toho Tala Niue”.

“T’VE got the answer to the whole A Tongan stowaway problem. Once a year I think Tonga should charter one large boat and invite all the stowaways to take a trip. It would probably cost government less money in the long run and free immigration officials to do their other work.”— Comments by Tevita Malakai in “The Tonga Chronicle”.

THOUSANDS of threepenny bits which were in use until Fiji adopted the decimal system were thrown into the sea last week because the cost of sending them to Australia for smelting was greater than the price which would have been paid for the metal. —Item in “News from Fiji”, Suva.

MAY I offer my congratulations to an often criticised institution —the Wholesale Society. I’m sure there must be many like myself who were delighted at the speed at which all those goodies last week arrived in the stores and at their quantity.

I understand that a batch of fresh food arrived in Bikenibeu at 10 a.m. after the ship docked at 5 a.m. Good on yer sports!

The food lived up to its name too.

It really was and, what’s more, still is fresh. Congratulations WS.

There’s only one thing. You’ve set your standard high from now on.

Tell you what—if you can repeat the same thing next time not only will I congratulate you—l’ll pay all my outstanding bills. —Let E. J. Watson in “ Colony H Information Notes”, V Tarawa. w ir