From the Islands Press

Jf J rFHE Department of Agri- A A -I- culture reports that the I H carcase of a cow was refused acceptance by the cannery at Santo because it was already dead before bleeding, was butchered and offered for sale in the streets of Luganville on Tuesday.

This is not the first time it has been reported that people are offering quarters of meat for sale from trucks and taxis to restaurants and others from doubtful sources, at prices not conforming to accepted sales.— From the “British Newsletter”, Vila.

A COM PLAINT has been made to the Speaker of the Parliament of Western Samoa on the behaviour of a member of parliament who was escorted by police from the Nine teenth Hole Club last Saturday during the professional boxing bout which was staged there.

Police said that they were still investigating the incident at the club to decide whether or not to prosecute; the member of parliament concerned was not placed under arrest at the time.— ltem from the “Samoa Times”.

A Correspondent, Mr. John

Magete of Nakuhu School, reports a sad ending to a recent feast at Maniate village in the Wainoni District of San Christoval.

About 200 people were attending a feast, for which 23 pigs and two cows had been slaughtered, when it was discovered that one of the oldest people known locally, 99-year-old Kamagete, had died in her house.

Kamagete was renowned locally as a custom story teller and historian, and when it was found she had died, the feast was immediately abandoned, and the guests went sadly back to their villages. Item in “BSIP Newssheet”.

THE wild winds of Typhoon Elsie have completely wiped out Pagan and Alamagan Islands in the northern Marianas chain. Alamagan is dead. Nothing moves. Only the angry surf pounds the rocky coast line.

Vast acreages of coconut trees are wickedly devastated. It looks as though a giant stepped on the entire landscape.

There’s nothing left on Pagan except a concrete schoolhouse. Pieces of corrugated roofing lie scattered over a wide area. A twisted form of a jeep lies upside down.

The islanders were seen huddled in small groups around what appeared to be the centre of a village. Some

children were waving at the aircraft.

A green-coloured TT government jeep lies on its back, twisted out of form. “We’re requesting airlift”, Kaipat said. “Pagan’s 90 per cent. destroyed”. Account of recent typhoon, in “Highlights”, Saipan.

ALL the pupils of the island school, together with some of their parents and younger brothers and sisters, thoroughly enjoyed a trip around the island in Mr. Roy Wilson’s Lulawai today. The boat made two trips and although conditions were a little choppy in parts most of the children travelled well.

Mr. Wilson and crew members

were given three hearty cheers by the passengers at the completion of the trip.— ltem from “Signal”, Lord Howe Island.

BELDEN, a 14-year-old student at the Maranatha Seventh-day Adventist Mission School, was fish ing with a net with four or five other boys near Lalindah, South East Ambrym. A five-foot shark suddenly appeared and tried to take the fish that the boys had caught from the net.

It then attacked Belden, who re ceived severe wounds on his chest and wrist. The four boys carried Belden four miles along the beach to Lalindah, and from there he was taken by Land-Rover to the British Dispensary at Baiap. His condition is now satisfactory and recovery is assured.— ltem from the “British Newsletter”, Vila.

WHILE the local governments are at last turning their full atten tion to the questions raised by the appearance of Air Samoa Incorpora ted knocking at the door, they could well look at the whole broad aspect of transport and communications be tween the two Samoas. The inter island boats are overcrowded, un comfortable, and badly served by port and government authorities; the telephone service cuts out at four o’clock in the afternoon, and often enough between times; the plans for a telex system have been shelved; between Apia and Faleolo (Pago Pago), airport communications are

sketchy at best.

The know-how and money needed to improve our links with the out side world are available for the asking. All we have to do is sit down as neighbours, talk things over, and the problems will quickly be solved.— Editorial in “The Samoa Times > Apia. .

A S m postal establishments the world over, every stamp in Pitcairn’s tiny post office must be accounted for—and although it is reputed to be the smallest post office in the South Pacific, it has lots of stamps! At the end of each month, Oscar Clark, Pitcairn’s present post

master, counts the stamps on hand.

The number is then checked by the auditor.

When a particular issue is to be withdrawn a similar process takes place. Oscar counts the number of stamps to be destroyed and the auditor verifies the count. The doomed adhesives are then placed in the post office safe where they re main for one month.

After the month has passed, the Day of Burning occurs. The stamps are removed from the safe by the postmaster and auditor. They are then re-counted by the postmaster, auditor, island secretary and chief magistrate, presently Ben Christian and Pervis Young.

As the reader might readily surmise, both gentlemen are descen dants of the Bounty mutineers. Sec retary Christian’s ancestor is Master’s Mate, Fletcher Christian, and Magistrate Young is a descendant of Edward Young, one of the Bounty’s midshipmen. Item from “Pitcairn Miscellany”, ON the basis of promises made I thought there would be at least six “letters to the editor” to com mence the new column. However, as this bulletin will reveal, there are none. This must mean either complacency or else readers have nothing to complain about. Perhaps bv the next issue you may have changed your mind. mm ■■ Editorial from “The Bull- K Ik: etin”, Nauru.