From the Islands Press

M MJ WISH to suggest a £ £ J- cheaper and far more efficient method of dealing with the goat and pig menace than shooting. The idea is to import a pair of cheetahs from India. The cheetah is a cat, the fastest thing on legs, absolutely harmless to man, easily tamed and a predator on small mammals. It does not breed unless food is plentiful; but, in any case, the progeny (if any) could be sold to zoos all over the SW Pacific area.

Besides controlling the goat and pig population, a large number of rats would be destroyed by these animals. As there are no other small mammals on the island other than dogs and feral cats (both of which could do with a reduction in numbers), and they could not pos sibly escape to the mainland, there could be no serious objection to their presence here. They would also be a considerable tourist attraction.

Letter from Mr. E. Rhoades in Lord Howe Island’s “Signal”,

INDEPENDENCE commemorative

dollar pieces will be sold at $2O for silver and $6 each for cupro nickel. How many genuine citizens of independent Fiji (who will be the real ones concerned with indepen dence), besides the overpaid MFC’s can afford such luxury?— Letter from N. K. Naidu in “The Fiji Times”.

HERE is a young woman willing to risk her very life on a daring attempt to raise money for a worth while charity I mean Bonnie Quintal, of course—commencing her solo flight right around this great continent of ours, and she can’t get people to sponsor her for the princely price of 1 cent per mile. The use to which this money is to be put is such a worthy one, helping your own sick and needy, that I really can’t understand why she hasn’t been inundated with offers of help. Now all you smarties who have used Norfolk Island to feather your tax free pockets, how about dipping into them and helping along Bonnie’s cause? I have been a visitor to your island for several years so I feel proud to send a cheque to cover 1,000 miles.— Letter from Nell Richards in the “Norfolk Islander”, about Norfolk Islander Bonnie Quintal’s hid to fly around Australia.

THE dead body of a 7 ft shark was washed up on the shore near Suva. In it were found nine live baby sharks. They were speedily dispatched.— ltem in Fiji Government news-sheet.

THERE is something I want to know for myself and for the older people of these islands.

We want to give some criticism about certain types of customs now present at Marshall Islands High School which were brought to these islands by the American teachers.

Some of these customs, or life-styles, are not in accord with the way of living here in the Marshalls. We see that some of these teachers are bringing the life-style of “hippies” to our islands.

Looking ahead, we see that it will not be long before all the students in MIHS will pick up this style of living. With this in mind we ask the principal of the high school and the islanders who work with him to have these hippy types understand that we, the parents of MIHS students, do not like to see the faces of these people. Say to these white-skinned people with the long beards that we do not want this life-style here.— Letter from Aaron Silk, in the “Micronitor”, Majuro.

THE road running through the British Paddock in Vila is a private road intended to give access to the offices and houses in the British Paddock and not a public road to be used as a short cut between the Avenues Winston Churchill and Edmond Colardeau.— Commandant of British Police in the “British Newsletter”, Vila.

BEFORE going any further with the project of enlarging this air port runway, it would be much fairer and in line with “the peace and good government” of Norfolk Island for a referendum to be held on the subject, voted on only by those who are really permanent residents of Norfolk Island. Those who are here because of their vocations for a period of a few years and those who are here to work until they reach the age at which they can return to their homes to collect pensions, should not vote on a subject such as this.

There seems to be so much feeling about bringing large jet planes here that it seems only right for the residents to express their wishes for or against it.— Plea from Miss M.

Ward in the “Norfolk Islander”.

IF any of the 75 people who went to the lecture on transcendental meditation expected an uplifting lecture by a Maharishi such as pictured in the advertisements, they were bitterly disappointed. We are reminded again that even in Samoa, one must be very careful to read the fine print, and not be taken in by general appearances. The lecture, delivered by a Mr. Hogan who re cently came to the island, was at best a few facts which could well have been taken from an elementary high school psychology lecture. The audience, made up mostly of young Samoan ladies, was told that through transcendental meditation their lives could be freed from tensions and frustrations, at $75 for four lectures. —Letter from “Disappointed” in the “Samoa Times”.

AN article under the column “O Lelei Lau Mate” (How’s your guess) in our issue of September 25, we asked readers to guess the identity of the person who laughed

so loudly and annoyingly at the pictures in the Tivoli on the night of September 21. A Miss Susie Williams of Apia has informed us that many people have singled her out as the person referred to in that article. Miss Williams has asked us to apologise and we humbly say sorry to Miss Susie Williams.

Apology in the “Samoa Times”, Apia.

IN the interests of safety the public are requested not to congregate around any aeroplane which may be parked on the area in front of the basketball and tennis courts.— Note in “The Bulletin”, Nauru.

TRYING to convince the French that they should stop nuclear tests in the Pacific will be difficult.

It might be just as easy to convince them that Tahiti should be returned to the Polynesians and New Caledonia to the Melanesians. Nevertheless the attempt must be made and it should have the backing of the Australian Government and the Administration of Papua-New Guinea.— ■Bj Editorial in “Papua-New V H Guinea Post-Courier”. 7 w