Development Plan For University

A $3,440,000 project lasting four years, under the UN Development Programme, to help the University of the South Pacific, has been approved. A new Curriculum De velopment Unit proposed by the UNDP will provide a new curricu lum based on South Pacific require ments and will produce experimental teaching aids, including the printing of new text books.

A permanent unit will also be established at the university for curriculum and teaching materials development, and for the pre-service

and in-service training of teachers.

A spokesman for the UNDP said the vast diversification of the South Pacific as well as money shortages and a shortage of trained people, had impeded the development of a well constructed educational policy.

Secondary education had constantly suffered from the lack of professional resources. Moreover, the educational methods and teaching materials now used were borrowed from various foreign cultures and were largely irrelevant to the education needs of South Pacific children.

M J T ITTLE space, big crop.

Mt There is no home in H H Tupapa, Avarua, Takuva naine or Avatiu without some space available for planting. So let’s look at this fact, which has been calculated by the Department of Agriculture: Thirty-five square yards (seven yards long, five yards wide) will produce:— • Ninety shoots of taro-tarua, each producing an average of six corms. • Six corms, average weight four lb.

Total weight produced by our 35 square yard plot—36o lb of food for you!— ltem in “Cook Islands News”.

FOR the sake of the people of Atiu, Mauke and Mangaia one should hope that Conzinc Riotinto Ltd. finds no bauxite whatsoever in those islands.

The recent discovery by CRA of copper on Bougainville has led to scenes reminiscent of early 19th century colonialism.

The company has chosen 250 acres of land, which the Australian Administration, acting under a 1967 agreement, has had to provide. The landowners of this tract of land, named Rorovana, do not want to sell their holdings. They have been informed that the land will be taken compulsorily from them by the com pany at a price of $lO5 per acre and $2 per coconut tree.

This charming situation has been upheld by riot police armed with rifles and teargas to hold back the 4,000 landowners who are trying to defend their soil.— Letter from W.

Wilberforce in “Cook Islands News .

THE expatriate officer is repeatedly cropping up in this session of parliament, in no case to the advan tage of the expatriate. It may come as a surprise to Members that some expatriate officers —who are trying to teach our local colleagues for the future —come here with motives other than that of making money.

One doesn’t have to be a Member of parliament to know that most local people can’t afford most things imported and, therefore, the ex patriate buys what he considers necessities and for which he pays premium prices to subsidise the rest of the colony.

Listening to the “world” statements coming from the floor of the House causes one to wonder if the Mem bers of the House are learning from government as quickly as their col leagues outside are? It certainly isn’t

evident when one listens to “Today in Parliament” commentary on the radio.

This particular expatriate officer is quite willing to be dispensed with at any time.— Letter from E. W.

Brown in “Colony Information Notes”, Tarawa.

THE submarine volcano, Kavachi, south-west of the island of Katukai, New Georgia, was reported recently to be erupting. It was last observed to be active in September, 1968, but last month was sending jets of water into the air and cover ing the sea as far as the Russells with pumice.

A week later, when a chartered

From the Islands Press

plane visited the volcano, a 60 ft jet of water rose into the air carrying with it lumps of pumice and rock.

After one more jet the volcano then subsided and although the aircraft circled for 35 minutes, the only visible evidence of the volcano was a large patch of bright green water, enclosing an area about 20 ft in diameter of greyish, brown water, foaming and turbulent.— Report in “BSIP Newssheet”.

WHAT are we to do about the large number of Island residents who seem bent on suicide? I refer to the army of cyclists who pedal manfully around each evening with out rear lights. Obviously they have no idea of how invisible they can be on a dark stretch of road.

Perhaps we could organise a “Save a Cyclist” week, during which all car drivers would stop when they came upon an unlighted bicycle and deliver a short lecture to the rider. — Letter from Muriel Robertson to “The Bulletin”, Nauru.

Jehovah’S Witnesses Force

their way into homes where they are not wanted. The more you tell them they are not welcome, the more stubbornly they persist. This behav iour, going from house to house with magazines for sale, is deplorable.

We go to church on Sundays and listen to texts read out of the Bible by priests and laymen. At my home we even say our prayers every night.

Then we have devotional service over

the air. That is enough religion for any one person.

The police should take control and tell these Jehovah’s Witnesses to stop canvassing from door to door.— Letter from D. A. Vandenburg of Suva to “The Fiji Times”.

PLEASE convey my sympathies to the poor God who is accused in your paper of causing an extra day’s stopover of the Moana Roa at Aitu taki. Fortunately it is too ridiculous to be offensive, for it is a well-known fact that the God of such a God’s idea is already dead for some time.

Letter from Rev. A. M. J.

Kloosterman in the “Cook Islands News".

THREE persons appeared before Chief Judge Fraser in the High Court yesterday on charges of manu facturing home brew. The court takes a very serious view of this offence and showed this by fining the three offenders $45 each after they had pleaded guilty.

In spite of the fact that the hours of the government bond store have been extended and there is no restriction on the purchase of liquor, homebrew manufacturers are still being caught by the police.—Edi torial in the “Cook Islands News”.

IN my view the most important thing in any marriage is the spiritual union between husband and wife. I have seen a tremendous number of marriages or divorces with people of the same race.

In every country there are mixed races, mixed customs, mixed cultures and also mixed creeds. Inter-marriage between different races can never be exterminated as long as we live in this world. Every human being can use his or her own free will, which is a gift from God.— Letter from Alfred Halapua, Diocese of Mela nesia, in “BSIP Newssheet”.

ADAMSTOWN is a hive of industry of late. News has been received that two big passenger liners. Saga Fjiord and the United States, will make stops at Pitcairn in January and so everyone is working feverishly on souvenirs of every description so that they will have a good supply on hand for the two visits. ■ —ltem in “Pitcairn Mis- ■ ■ cellany”. W *