Yesterday

Indonesian demands for part or all of New Guinea dominated the politics of early 1950. President Soekamo said: “New Guinea will be ours before the last sunset of this year.”

Mr. Sujono Hadinato, chairman of the Indonesian National Party, said: “Dutch New Guinea must be released from colonial exploitation simultaneously with the rest of Indonesia.”

Mr. D. Usman, Indonesian representative in Australia, said: “Dutch New Guinea is likely to be included in the United States of Indonesia within a year or so.”

Other news in PIM for January, 1950, 20 years ago this month, in cluded: A new regulation, restricting the number of New Guinea labourers from 150 to 37, who could be carried in coastal vessels, came into force. PIM backed the planters, who opposed the regula tion, and said many territory em ployers wouldn’t be able to engage New Guinea labour at all.

Gales lashed French Polynesia in early December, ’49 and the schooner Hotu was driven aground in the Tuamotus and the Denise, owned by John and Sam Mervin, was abandoned at sea. Both

schooners were reported total losses.

Koro Island, Fiji, reported the discovery of a live American aerial 50-lb bomb. It was thought to have been dropped during Allied landing rehearsals at Koro in July, 1942, in preparation for the Ameri can Marines’ first landing at Guadalcanal.

Copra prices for 1950 were under review and predictions were prices wouldn’t be lower than ’49.

Ruling rate was about £Stg.so a ton. PIM urged NG planters to press for a “stabilisation reduc tion”, ranging from £AS to £8 per ton—taken from their returns by the Production Control Board, since about 1947.

Mr. Jack McNulty, son of one of the pioneers of Thursday island who settled on the island in 1860, died on Thursday, aged 65. Asso ciated with managing the Federal Hotel on Thursday, Mr. McNulty left a valuable collection of arti facts and manuscripts on the island’s early days.

In a “nasty little blow” near Vavau, Tonga, the Seventh-day Adventist Mission lost its launch Endeavour. “I am afraid the storm will make a serious reduction in our copra production,” PlM’s man on Nukualofa said. “Indica tions are that there will be no banana crop for at least 12 months.”

Tahiti was forming tourist plans.

Hawaii investors were interested in building a new hotel and French Polynesia’s new Governor, Mr.

Anziani, was actively encouraging investment from overseas and locally.