Letters

What's Wrong With Norfolk?

Sir, —Your article on Norfolk Is land, by Ken McGregor ( PIM , April, p. 29), interested me.

As an ignorant outsider, who has spent only two weeks on NI (this was two years ago), I endorse the opinion of a local councillor that unrestricted development on NI has reached saturation point and gone far enough.

I fear that NI will eventually pay dearly for the wave of artificial “progress” which engulfed it during the 1960’5, this being simply a cycle of cause and effect. During my visit, I clearly saw the writing on the wall and was then apprehensive regarding the future of NI. My impressions were: A small, once-beautiful island, over populated, being rapidly and ruth lessly despoiled by the steamroller of “progress”, some of whose inhabitants were more interested in commercial ism and the exploitation of tourists than in anything else.

Motor vehicles (which now total more than 1,000, not including motor cycles), already too numerous, threatening to inundate the island.

One wonders exactly how many motor vehicles can be stacked on to NI before they topple off into the sea.

Wild life (other than fish) tenuously established and engaged in a struggle for survival in a despoiled environment rendered inhospitable by an excess of hostile humanity.

Township of Burnt Pine depress ingly ugly and untidy, suggestive of a semi-shanty town in outback Aus tralia. Unrestricted and unsupervised jerry building, excessive and alarming.

Garbage disposal system primitive, deplorable and short-sighted. Super fluous roads, in excess of actual re quirements, consuming potentially useful land and precipitating soil erosion. Pine forest resources rapidly

diminishing.

Soil erosion plainly apparent.

Agriculture neglected. Catering for tourists mediocre. Climate and scenery delightful. Residents friendly, hospitable and co-operative.

I was surprised that there was such brisk activity in non-essential road construction, and the destruction of natural flora and landscape, in which earth-moving machinery was engaged, when the urgent need for the pre paration of a communal rubbish tip was so blatantly apparent. For

example, NI appeared to me to need Prince Philip Drive as urgently as Sydney needs another Opera House.

The slovenly, barbaric manner in which the island’s garbage was then being dumped over the cliff at Head stone Point (a once-beautiful locality, prior to the advent of “progress”), to be regularly and reliably deposited, by the tide, along the west coast, was depressing and astonishing to me, as it must be to any conservationist and admirer of natural beauty. After two years, this impression lingers in my mind as the most depressing spectacle I have ever witnessed.

W. S. Hall.

North Sydney,

Nsw.

Stop Smoking!

Sir, —I refer to the encouraging news that the P-NG Administration is to embark on an anti-smoking edu cation campaign. As an expatriate Australian worker in the territory, I have observed the obvious enjoy ment and satisfaction the natives get from smoking.

They seem to really relish the foul tasting and smelling toxic fumes. To watch a European guiltily inhale and quickly exhale, knowing he is shorten ing his life every time he does, makes me hope we will soon smell the last of this obnoxious habit. It is amazing to me that the missionaries have not done more to curb smoking. If any thing, they seem to encourage it.

The blame for what must be thousands and thousands of prema ture cancer deaths, must lie squarely on the European (especially Aus tralian) expatriate who used twist tobacco as a much sought after pay ment for service. I would like to see the Australian Government recognise this and extend their extensive cam paign to the territory.

Neil Campbell.

Panguna, Bougainville.

Coastwatcher, Yauwika

Sir, —The well-known New Guinea coastwatcher, Yauwika, had a lot of publicity in Brisbane, when he visited here in May. Yauwika came to Aus tralia to meet the Queen. I was able to spend an enjoyable afternoon with him and we swapped reminiscences going back many years. He is still full of humour and good sense.

Meanwhile I was particularly pleased to read {PIM, May) about the editor’s meeting with Miss Wood ford, granddaughter of the famous first Resident Deputy Commissioner of the Solomons.

C. M. Woodford came to Australia as a passenger on the same ship as

my father, (it was my father’s second trip out, about 1880 or 81 I think) and they became great friends. When I first went to the Solomons in 1927 my father wrote to tell me that I would probably meet a lot of people who knew Mr. Woodford. I met many of the old timers who knew him well and thought the world of him. I have always regretted that I did not take notes of these people and what they told me of Mr. Wood ford.

As my father and Mr. Woodford wrote to each other for many years it may be possible that the present Mr. Woodford has some of my father’s old letters among his collec tion. I think that it would be worth inquiring.

E. W. Seton.

Sunnybank, Queensland.

Micronesians In San Fran.

Sir, —Recently in my studies of Pacific cultures I have been trying to locate any Micronesians living in the San Francisco Bay area or else where in California.

I called the San Francisco office of the Trust Territory of Micronesia, but much to my surprise the people there did not know of a single Micronesian living here. Indirectly, however, I have learned that some Micronesians are definitely in this area, though I have no way of con tacting them.

Could you be kind enough to run this letter in PIM so that anyone knowing of Micronesian friends or relatives in the Bay area or else where in California could send me their names and addresses? I would very much like to contact these people, wherever they are.

Richard A. Goodman.

Box 9385, Berkeley, California 94709 US.

Wrong Song

Sir, —Regarding the PIM (May, p. 28) article, “7,000 say welcome back the Samoan way”, telling of the welcome to the astronauts at Tafuna Airport in American Samoa, it is worth mentioning that the “traditional song of welcome” that was sung was a Maori song, “Haeremai”.

We watched the doings on TV, and were surprised to hear this song.

No doubt other, Samoan songs were given as well, but “Haeremai” was given pride of place.

F. H. E. King.

Takaka, New Zealand.