Medicine Men In

West Irian Told

"You're In Charge"

From LUKE SELA in Port Moresby Indonesian Government offi cers in West Irian are going to promote at least one local pro duct—village medicine men.

An official Indonesian Government document, quoted by the New Guinea News Service in Port Moresby, lays down the tasks for Indonesia’s public health officers, and tells them to “im prove the knowledge of the traditional medicine men known as “Dukuns.”

They are to develop special train ing courses, showing the Dukuns how to be more effective in treating village maladies. Emphasis on the “re-train ing” of West Irian’s village medicine men is taken here as an illustration of the heavy shortage of Indonesian public health officers, combined with the inability of the Indonesians to reach remote areas, because of trans port (mainly aviation) problems.

Meanwhile, Indonesia has just made the United Nations FUNDWI organ isation an integral part of the In donesian team working on a Five- Year Plan for West Irian.

Money from Djakarta

FUNDWI—the Fund of the United Nations for the Development of West Irian—has been working in West Irian since 1967, with $30,000,000 left by the Dutch in 1962. It has been con centrating on logging, fishing, teacher and trade training, rehabilitation of the air and marine fleets and the re juvenation of plantations.

Since 1963, Indonesia has been promising a Five-Year Plan for West Irian, with money from Djakarta to boost the sluggish but remedial affect of the FUNDWI Dutch money.

Now, President Suharto has signed a new law making FUNDWI and its executive secretary, Mr. Thomas F.

Power, Jr. (New York), an “in tegral element of the Special Pro ject (for) West Irian.”

The new law (Number 12) fol lows “the re-affirmation of the people of West Irian this year that they are part of the Unitary Republic of In donesia.”

Mr. Power is due back in West Inan in mid-December for the next of the rehabiliation of West Irian’s economy, badly run-down since the Dutch left seven years ago.

M BELIEVE that the sooner M* n A our Legislative Council ‘ I members take steps for the re-introduction of the death penalty, the better for the nation and its people.

No one can deny that the in creasing number of murder cases is of great concern to all of us. I believe that the number of murder cases this year is double the figure of any preceding year.

The death sentence is the only appropriate punishment for those who take a human life. Let us have it back again.— letter from Samisoni Qaranivalu in “The Fiji Times", Suva.

Mr. Seluka Restore Of The

Education Department went torch fishing for flying fish off Bike nibeu last week in his own Ellice canoe. At about 6.30 he spotted a fairly big bottle floating to and fro in the waves opposite the Elaine Bernacchi School station When he picked in up, he saw a piece of paper inside with “Menu of SS Oriana" written on it.

When Mr. Resture returned home, he found he could not open the bottle and so broke off the neck. In addition to that on which the menu was written, Mr. Resture found another piece of paper on which the following was written; “If anyone finds this note please write to Llee Wept Leufer, 7904-82 Ave., Edmon ton, Alberta, Canada”.— ltem in “Colony Information Notes”, Tarawa.

WE cannot do much against the will of nature in our efforts to produce adequate food and in our search for resources from the coral soil that make the Gilbert and Ellice Islands.

There are indications that people of earlier generations were much happier and contented than we are today, in spite of the introduction of many wonderful new things as a result of contact with the material istic world.

An effective population control may bring us back to share the same happiness as that enjoyed by our ancestors, and perhaps in the end, prove the major solution to our desperate economic probelm.

Editorial in “Colony Information Notes”, Tarawa.

THE penalty by lav/ for possessing, using or trafficking in drugs is $2OO. The penalty for being in the possession of, or using, alcohol is

usually nothing. The maximum fine for drunkenness is $2O.

Obviously, the makers of our laws do not agree with Miss Anne Walker, YWCA youth director in Suva, who is quoted in The Fiji Times of October 30 as saying: “1 am not half as concerned about drugs here as 1 am about the excessive consump tion of beer”.

My own reaction to any man or woman offering drugs to my children would be to kill them. This I would do, and happily face the legal con sequences.—Letter from John A.

Sachs, in “The Fiji Times”, Suva.

THE discovery of another giant toad in Apia last Sunday week has resulted in considerable publicity to stop the possible spread of the animal. The Department of Agri-

From the Islands Press

culture has issued a special pamphlet and numerous posters warning people to report any signs of the toads.

It is now suspected that the toad may be firmly established in Western Samoa, brought in thoughtlessly by people as pets. Another was found at Vaimoso in August. The public is asked to report toads discovered at any stage in their life cycle.— Item from “The Samoa Times”, Apia.

WE cannot continue to apply things such as the poll tax which have come down from the last century. We must move with the times and apply what is suitable for this day and age. We are at present struggling to progress and to do this we need to increase our sources of revenue so that our rate of progress can be speeded up.

For this reason, it would be better for us to raise our duties and put aside the old poll tax. — Comments from Anitelu Fielea in “The Tonga Chronicle" . Nukualofa.

LAST Wednesday I saw The Finest Hours at the BPC staff cinema.

What I saw on the screen I enjoyed.

What I heard of the soundtrack I should have enjoyed more without a background of noise from the multi tude of children present in the front seats. The children’s chatter was interrupted only by bursts of merri ment at totally inappropriate moments.

Besides this, we had a constant traffic of children coming and going, presumably for purposes of refresh ment, elimination, exercise or what have-you, as well as few games of tag up and down the aisles.

Perhaps the days when children had to be seen and not heard are gone forever, but there is still no need for them to be heard so much.

Presumably people who go to a cinema do so to see and hear the film—not an army of ill-behaved juveniles who reflect no credit on their parents or schools.— Letter from Muriel Robertson in “The Bulletin", Nauru.

THE post office is concerned at the activities of certain people who have been causing damage to mail.

These people, generally thought to

be children, have been putting water, sand, soft drink bottles and cigarette butts into the mail boxes at the post office.

The result has been that a number of letters have been damaged. Parents are asked to warn their children of the harm they can do by such actions.

Interference with the Republic’s mail is a criminal offence, and offenders are liable to prosecution.— ltem in “The Bulletin", Nauru.

EARLY in the morning of the 26th the drumming of engines dis turbed the quiet peace of Pitcairn waters as the long-awaited Marc Joly rounded the island at the conclusion of her first trip from Tahiti, via Mangareva, and anchored off Bounty Bay.

For some months now everyone has been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the members of the new geodetic (world-wide surveying) team which will be stationed here for a period of 12 months with personnel chang ing every three months or so.

Rumours, which have a way of whizzing around this isle like wild fire, had it that the Marc Joly was a sailing schooner, but when she arrived she was in fact a diesel powered boat about 60 ft long. We welcome our American friends to Pitcairn and hope that their short stay here will be a happy and ■■ memorable one for them.— IB H Item in “Pitcairn Miscellany”.