From the Islands Press

J M 4 MAN at Newplace Mg A village at Supaina Bay, South Malaita. went to his pastor recently and told him he was engaged. He asked if he could be married next day, and the pastor agreed to perform the ceremony. The guests assembled next day at the South Seas Evangelical Church.

At first it seemed as if the bride was a little late, and the guests waited. But five hours afterwards they were still waiting, and were

beginning to feel rather hungry.

Eventually the guests all went home, but the bridegroom and the pastor waited for another hour, though in vain.

Apparently the bridegroom had told everybody about the wedding, except the bride. When she heard about it from a third party she was not at all pleased, and decided she would not marry anybody! The dis appointed bridegroom, still single, has now left his village.— ltem from BSIP News Sheet, Honiara.

17*OR a long time we have been ■T noticing something very bad and it ought to be stopped. It is about girls, who mainly come from the Chimbu District, that we are writing.

Many girls are sent to school at a young age. When they have grown up and reached a certain level of education, the parents of the girls take them away and let them get married. Something should be done to stop these parents. It they still continue to do this then it is no use sending Chimbu girls to school.— Letter to “Our News” of P-NG.

THE Japanese stowaway from the MV Scandia Clipper escaped from hospital in August and an ex tensive search was carried out. Dr.

Mulligan’s home was broken into and food, cigarettes, shoes, can opener, etc., was stolen, and it was suspected that the stowaway was responsible.

He was recaptured by a police patrol on August 19 after two days of freedom. Arrangements are now being made to repatriate him to Japan as soon as possible.— ltem in the “Bulletin” of Nauru.

TWO fairly large carved stone human heads are now in the care of the curator of the Solomon Islands Museum following their dis covery about 50 yards from the shore at Rove, Honiara, recently.

The carvings show the facial features quite well, and are generally in good condition, although one ap pears to have been part of a larger carving. Their age and origin are at

present unknown.

One of the first tasks for the curator, Mr. Ray Wright, is to remove the handiwork of the resident who found them. The resident decided that the heads needed beautifying, and touched them up with house hold paint.— ltem in BSIP News Sheet, Honiara.

TWO education officers, Taomati luta and Atanraoi Baiteke were stranded at Tabiteuea after conduct ing entrance examinations there re cently. Both officers left Tarawa on board Temauri to conduct entrance examinations on Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea South and Tabiteuea North.

Telegrams to the Island Councils of these islands had already been sent advising them to have candidates ready before the officers arrived.

However, on arrival at Nonouti they found the telegrams had not reached there and so the examination was delayed. It started at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and went on till 6.15 in the evening.

The same trouble occurred at Onotoa. The ship was delayed there when the captain felt sick, and the doctor advised that he should be taken back to Tarawa immediately.

The officers then contacted the educa tion department at Bikenibeu about what they should do. It was decided that they were to be dropped at Tabiteuea South to finish their work there. Again the two officers found the telegram had not reached the Island Council School there, and spent some time waiting for their candidates to get ready. It was dark when the examination finished and the two officers had to spend the

night there with the headmaster of the Island Council School before proceeding to Tabiteuea North.

On Monday afternoon, the officers set out on canoes for Tabiteuea North. Most of the time there was no wind, and sometimes they had to walk several miles. They arrived at 2 a.m. to find news of their coming had not reached there either. There were no candidates and so they had to postpone the exams till Wednesday and finished on Thursday. The tele grams sent from Tarawa arrived at Tabiteuea North on the Friday, and on the Saturday, the officers returned by the internal air service to Tarawa.

Both officers were very dis appointed at the fact that no one knew they were coming. They did not know who was to blame for this, however, there was one consolation for them, “the flight was an enjoy able one”, commented Ten Taomati luta.— ltem from GEIC Colony Information Notes.

I’D like to tell you a true story which happened on Tongoa dur ing the month of July. One night a woman sat in her house and saw a dim light ascending and descending on a tree some way off her home.

She then went to see what the light was and as she got to the foot of the tree, the light was on the ground.

She covered the light with a coconut shell and went home to sleep.

Early the next morning she got out of bed and hurried to the foot of the tree where she had left the light covered. When she lifted up the coconut shell there underneath was a five cent coin. She picked up the coin and went home happily. When she got home she put the coin in a bottle and to her surprise it increased to $1.20. She spread the story about her village, but not long after, when she returned to see how much her money had increased to, she found the bottle empty.— Letter to “British Newsletter” , New Hebrides.

IT has been reported to us by Mr.

Charlie Aramui of the British District Agency at Lakatoro, that, on Sunday, August 3, a man named Song saw a large stone floating in the sea at Blacksand, near Unua.

Song quickly alerted Chief Harry and some of the other villagers.

By the time they reached the beach the stone had been washed ashore.

The stone was later weighed by Mr.

Oscar Newman and it was found to weigh 120 lbs.— ltem ■■ from Radio Vila, New IH IB Hebrides. m m