The Editor's Mailbag

Solomons Elections

Sir, —A funny thing happened to le on my way to the forum! The eneral elections for the new BSIP roveming Council took place on une 3. I had been nominated, with Dur opposing candidates, for the astern Guadalcanal electorate. r oting took place at 10 polling laces and the final count was made y the returning officer at Marau. fr. Leone Laku was declared the inner over me by a majority of 20 ates.

The returning officer called here n his way back to Honiara on unday, June 7, and gave me the jsults of the poll. He also told me lat 123 votes had been rejected scause they carried markings indi ating that such votes could be lentified as those of particular aters. This was all the information ; felt justified in giving me.

It was up to me to ask for a scount if I wished, or, pro ded sufficient evidence could be >und, to petition the High Court >r a new election. I sent investi itors to all the polling stations and, ;ting on the information they •ought back to me, asked Mr. David eating, barrister and solicitor of oniara, to act for me in petitioning ir a new election.

He wrote to the chief returning ficer asking for answers to certain :rtinent questions. A period of 30 lys is allowed to petition. On July I attended the office of the chief re rning officer and asked him if a reply as available to the letter Mr. Keat g had sent to him on my behalf, ich a reply was forthcoming after small delay.

The following day Mr. Keating esented my petition to the High 3urt asking for a new election.

A preliminary hearing was held in e High Court building at which e rejected votes were counted. It as found that if the votes had en admitted at the original count en Mr. Laku’s majority of 20 votes 3uld have been converted into a inority of 10 votes and I would ve been the winner.

This investigation took place on jgust 4 and the High Court hear g took place before the Chief stice on August 10. On the even g of August 4 I was informed

by my legal adviser that neither the Attorney-General nor Mr. Leone Laku would oppose the petition. I did not attend personally the court hearing on August 10 but was repre sented by Mr, Keating. No witnesses were called and the court decided to grant a new election.

The new election took place on October 10. I was the winner over the next closest candidate, Mr. Laku, by 977 votes against 362.

The purpose of this letter is to point out that although government was aware that the 123 invalid votes had been marked in such a manner, by government polling clerks, as to cause them to be rejected at the count, I was not advised of this by government authority until the 30 days grace had almost expired, and then only after my legal representa tive had asked for the information.

Had either myself or my agent been present at the polling stations concerned, or at the final count, then I would have been aware of the state of the poll, had the rejected votes been accepted. I am not aware why the returning officer could not give this information to me.

I was entitled under the electoral regulation to be present, either in person or by my agent, at the polling stations and the final count, but,

apparently, in my absence I was not entitled to be told what actually took place, or where the blame lay in re gard to this disenfranchisement by the action of government polling clerks of 123 votes which changed the results of the poll.

Under the regulation, the Attorney- General had the right to petition the court for a new election. Apparently, he did not think that the circum stances warranted him taking any action. I had to arrange my own investigation before I obtained sufficient evidence to sustain my own petition.

So far as I am aware, the government-controlled Department of Information (which supplies “news” to the broadcasting service) has not yet stated that the action of govern ment employees was in any way re sponsible for what took place, or that this action changed the result of the first election.

I trust you can see your way to publish this in order to put an end to wild rumours in this part of the world as to what did or did not take place.

Joseph Bryan.

Rere Plantation, Guadalcanal.

Kind Words From Tonga

Sir, —Since late is better than never, may I extend my most sincere congratulations and very best wishes to PIM on occasion of its 40th anni versary in August. I take the greatest pride in extending this greeting, though belatedly, for several reasons.

Firstly, PIM is a part of Tonga, since its founder and first editor, Mr.

R. W. Robson, thought of the need

for such a magazine while in Vavau, in May, 1914. Secondly, there is not a single publication in the world that attempts to bring home each month, to all parts of the area it covers, varied news and informations of direct interest to the welfare of its readers as PIM. Thirdly, at times, PIM has published criticisms on Tonga that at a glance seemed damaging and unwarranted. How ever, on closer study such criticisms have provided stimuli for the proper assessment of Tonga’s welfare.

The editor and staff deserve to be highly congratulated for formulating well-founded constructive criticism integrated into articles about the different governments of the Pacific islands.

Lastly, may I extend my personal hope and wish that Mr. Robson will have many more years to live. I met him in 1941, while I was a student in the then Central Medical School, Suva. In 1952, in Tonga, I wrote him a personal letter and en closed my first article to be pub lished in PIM in response to an article by a Tongan, criticising Tongan royalty and nobility. Mr.

Robson not only published my article but wrote me a short personal letter of encouragement for express ing my frank views and my loyalty

to my country. Since then, Mr Judy Tudor and Mr. Stuart Ind« have been very kind and have pul lished some of my articles in m efforts to uphold the good name c Tonga, its nobility and royalty, may be a losing battle, but I wi always be indebted to PIM for pul lishing my views on Tonga as I se it, for the benefit of the Tongans.

May PIM, the pillar of trutl understanding, encouragement an accurate informations for the peop] of the South Seas, go on serving tfc Pacific Islands for generations.

(Dr.) Joe Fanamanu

Nukualofa, Tonga.

Games Film

Sir, —Seeing that the South Pacifi Games is drawing near, I think would be a good idea if the Sout Pacific Games Council would a; range for a special film coverage c the Games.

After the Games the film woul be sent around the other Pacifi Islands so that people would hav a chance of seeing what’s going o in the Games. The film, if showi will be charged to cover its costs.

D. Kalorl[?]

Vila, New Hebrides.