The Editor's Mailbag

Drugs In Fiji

Sir,—As a journal with a credit able record of accuracy—and an attitude of responsibility towards facts —will you kindly publish some hard facts to substantiate your Suva correspondent’s statement in PIM (Dec., p. 46) that: “Police were investigating reliable reports of drug taking by Fiji school children of all races”.

Along with other Fiji parents, I would like to know: • The name of the person who said that Fiji school children of all races were taking drugs. • When and where this was said. • What facts, figures, names or dates were provided by this person to substantiate this.

If children “of all races” were involved then there must be at least four such cases which have been documented.

If the authorities do not wish to identify specific children, then can we have a definite, authoritive state ment from a reputable source that four or more school children have been reported taking drugs in Fiji?

My request for facts is because I fear that one loose remark by a police officer giving evidence in a Suva court is being used again and again until it gives the impression that numerous separate and authenticated reports are in existence.

If this is the case then let us have facts. What does the education department say about this?

A. V. Barker

Suva, Fiji. • Well, Fiji Education Department, nhat do you say about this?

The Capture Of Guam

Sir, —One often reads about Guam, but I wonder how many people have read of the capture of Guam and the rest of the Ladrone Islands by the Americans during the Spanish- American war in 1898.

America declared war on Spain in April, 1898, after accusing Spain of the sinking of the Maine. The US cruiser Charleston was sent by Admiral Dewey to capture the Ladrone Islands of which Guam was the capital.

On approaching the island the captain of the Charleston fired a couple of shots, then the Governor

of Guam promptly signalled the Charleston an apology for not being able to fire a salute as he was deficient in cannon power.

The information stated above came to Sydney in a cable from London and was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on July 7, 1898.

As there were only two mails a year to the Ladrones in 1898, the Spanish Governor did not know his country was at war.

As a result of that war the Spaniards sold the Caroline Islands to Germany. Germany also bought the Ladrones (now Marianas) with the exception of Guam which the Americans kept.

Neville Chatfield

Killara,

Nsw,

Aust.

Tale Of Whales

Sir,—lt is not so many years ago, 12 or 15 roughly, that I often counted up to 150 whales in a day from my house here on the hill at Levuka, especially during the months of August to November, mostly humpbacks.

W. R. Carpenter Ltd. was more than interested about that time and had a boat, spotting and marking them. Capt. Sinclair was employed shooting metal markers into them and keeping a tally of the whales sighted.

Carpenters had ideas of going in for whaling and making a base on Ovalau, On two occasions in the 1940’s I saw schools of whales in hundreds.

Once in Natewa Bay, Vanua Levu, hundreds of them reached from one side of the bay to the other. The second huge school I saw was when I, Jin August, 1940. was on board the Director II schooner and there were estimates of from 500 to 1,000 whales being sighted, all humpbacks.

None was blowing.

It’s now the whale season here in Levuka but it’s now five years since I sighted a whale in this area and I use powerful binoculars with a huge range of view to sea.

The whaling stations folded up in New Zealand, Norfolk Island, Byron Bay, and West Australia, be cause of the sudden decrease of whales. But today thev surely must be extinct, or near to it!

My guess is that the Russians and Japanese, using radar, can pinpoint

whales miles beyond human vision, and the whale winds up in the oil tanks of the modern whaling ship within a few hours of being pin pointed by radar.

It’s not so many years ago that copra would slide back a few pounds a ton and that benevolent controller of edible oils, Levers, would explain the loss by the fact that there was a glut of whale oil, etc. Pacific copra producers heaped curses on the whale-and-Levers partnership for years. Could the curses of the planters have worked on the whales? It looks like it.

Arthur Robinson

Levuka, Ovalau, Fiji.

The Japanese Advance

Sir, — In PIM, (p, 34 and 38, May, 69) I came across a mistake which is being perpetuated. You showed a plaque marking “the southern-most point the Japanese reached in the SWPA”—on Turnbull Field, Milne Bay.

The southern-most point the Japanese advanced to was Nivani Island, in the Deboyne Lagoon, in the Louisiades. In 1942 they sent in ships and float planes to establish a base on Nivani so that float planes could recce China Straits, and the waters east of Resell Is.

In May, 1942, Hudsons, Mitchells, Marauders and Fortresses bombed and strafed them out of the place, and they abandoned the base. This was the sounthern-most point they reached on land in the SWPA and also the first place from which they retreated.

That plaque should be on Nivani, not at Turnbull.

Roy Vicary.

Beaumaris, Victoria.

The Corrie Family

Sir,—l noted with great interest in PIM (May, 69) an article on Agnes Corrie. My husband, David, is a descendant of her family. He was born at Butaritari and lived there until the age of 10 and was then evacuated to Rabi Island with his mother and grandfather.

His grandfather, Benjamin Corrie and a brother of Agnes, is still living at Rabi and is 85 years of age and still able to write to my husband in very good and legible English.

Ben Corrie is a Christian thinking man and still attends the Methodist Church regularly.

Two years ago my husband was fortunate enough to make a quick visit to Rabi and visit the old man and his family whom he hadn’t seen for about 15 years. Although I have

not had the fortune to meet the grandfather, I was lucky enough on one occasion when visiting Fiji, to meet his younger brother Alex, who died just a couple of years ago, and recall his mentioning several exciting escapades he had in his early days in the Gilbert Islands.

My husband and I have a new little son and I am hoping to tell him about his multi-racial relatives as he grows older.

(Mrs.) D. Corrie

Mareeba, Qld., Aust.

Any Cronsteadts?

Sir, —I am very interested in the article that appeared in August’s PIM in reference to the wife of Mr.

“Pop” Johnson, who was one of 10 children of an early new Hebridean, “Mr. Alec Cronstedt”.

I am Robert Cronsteadt and I also have a brother Archie here in Santo. We both grown families.

I was born in the island of Emai, just off Vila and Archie was born at Ambrym. My father’s name was Carl Cronsteadt.

I would be interested to hear from any of the Cronsteadt people who are now in other parts of the Pacific or in Australia.

R. Cronsteadt

Box 130, Santo, New Hebrides

Western Samoa

Sir, —I read an account recently of a State visit by the Governor- General of New Zealand to the islands of Samoa. The impression given me was that the Samoas form a kind of “Crown colony” of New Zealand! Consulting a popular en cyclopedia, I discovered that some form of independence was granted to the Western sector of those islands in the early sixties! Correct?

Since it is possible for us Lon doners to find much current infor mation in PIM on the Australasian scene, would you give us some de tails on the present status of Robert Louis Stevenson’s “second home”.

London Reader

WCI, London. • Western Samoa has been since 1962 an independent sovereign state not a member of the British Commonwealth or the United Nations. But she benefits m from agencies of the UN and is virtually treated as a Commonwealth mem ber, and New Zealand still subsidises Western Samoa financially in a number of ways.