writer to interview Jerry Pentland and

Goya Henry, who are somewhere around. 1 don’t mean a reporter such as interviews blokes like me for half an hour, but one who can be inter ested in writing a book and spending a week or so with them.

Not only will an early history of flying in New Guinea be available but also a history of the Royal Flying Corps. Both were in the early days of New Guinea flying and the stories they can tell are worth a fortune.

Jerry’s stories are sometimes exag gerated, but having lived with him for 12 months or so I know they are not too much so.

Lance Wilkinson.

Samarai, Papua. • The old hands concerned are both in Sydney, and we occasionally hear from Goya. Their New Guinea aviation stories were recorded some years ago by that other remarkable New Guinea pioneer lan Grabowsky, when he was putting together the raw material for a history of New Guinea aviation. lan became ill in Melbourne, and his huge dossier of facts is now in the capable hands of Jim Sinclair, of Goroka, NG, who is getting it into book form. There’s a review of Jim’s latest book, on Gibbes Sepik Airways, in this issue of PIM. But for some oj the difficulties of producing instant history from old-timers, see the com ments, Up Front column, May PIM.

Fiji Drinking

Sir, —It’s an old, old story, the one put out by the liquor brewers (PIM.

June, p. 35) that beer has to be 8 per cent, or 9 per cent, proof spirit if it is to keep in the tropics. It just isn’t true. A friend of mine in Fiji regularly bought cartons of canned beer imported by the Suva Co-op. from England—Toby was the name of one of the two varieties. It was well below the strength of the local brew—it didn’t taste as good either— but it kept well. The real objection by the hotel keepers in Fiji to weaker beer is that it might not. be welcomed by the Fijians who’s main aim is to get stoned as quickly as possible.

Your June article reported the grow ing incidence of drunkenness in Fiji, This is not confined to Fiji or to under-developed countries, but it is more noticeable in places like Fiji where there is little or no control over drinking. There are only two rules imposed by hoteliers —the drinker has to be able to pay for his drink and be still conscious when he asks for it. Unless there is more con trol, the staggering, brawling drunks will continue to pour out of Fiji’s bars.

T. C. Ross

Auckland, NZ.