Nutshell

In a Nutshell

NO FORUM QUORUM.—lsland leaders in Western Samoa in June for that country’s 10th independence anniversary celebrations were hoping to use the occasion for an unofficial meeting of the South Pacific Forum but there was no quorum. The Cook Islands Premier, Mr. Albert Henry, regarded as one of the forum’s lead ing lights was absent. The formal meeting will be in Suva in September as arranged. The celebrations went off as planned in the presence of two visiting prime ministers and one deputy prime minister,

Emanuel Trial Ends.—The

trial of the Tolai men for the murder, by stabbing with a rusty Japanese bayonet, of East New Britain District Commissioner Jack Emanuel ended on June 20 with the gaoling of five men. The Chief Justice, Mr. Justice Mmogue, sentenced William Taupa, the murder planner, to 14 years im prisonment; Alton Towaliria, who stabbed Mr. Emanuel, to 11 years; Joseph Tomarum and Likius Topait to two years and Topait’s father, Otto Kaliop to 18 months. Charges against five others were withdrawn.

Extenuating circumstances precluded the passing of the death sentence, the Chief Justice said. The men had been aggrieved because of the loss of their land and the Kabaira people realised their community was in danger of extinction through the loss of land.

Record For Speaker?—“I May

break world records as having served the shortest term in office,” said Mr.

Perry Kwan, Speaker of the PNG House of Assembly. Mr. Kwan an nounced his resignation on June 22 because he felt he was not experienced enough for the job. A European planter and coffee buyer, Mr. Barry Holloway, has been elected Speaker in his place.

Search For Knowledge.—

Four members of the BSIP Governing Council’s select committee on consti tutional development, Mr. W. Betu, Chairman of the Social Services Com mittee, Mr. S. Kuku (New Georgia member), Mr. S. Mamaloni (Makira/ Ulawa) and Dr. Ofai (North Malaita) are visiting Mauritius and the Sey chelles to study constitutional, educa

tional and rural planning and localisa tion methods in these countries. The team which is accompanied by Mr. A.

Manakato, a Solomons establishment officer, visited PlM’s offices in Syd ney. They return home on July 10.

Ship Blaze Tragedy.—An

American Samoan high chief was drowned and six crew members and four passengers were rescued when the Samoan interisland ship Lady Elizabeth caught fire and sank off Aunu’u near Pago Pago on June 4.

The dead man was Tialigo Siliaivao, of Ta’u, An inquiry board was told the ship was turned into a blazing inferno in a few minutes.

BARRIERS.—Nauru President Ham mer Deßoburt met with US Trust Territory Chief of Transportation, Mr.

Wayne Thiessen, early in June to dis cuss the 15 per cent, tariff imposed on Nauru Pacific Line’s trade with Micro nesia. The impost is an arbitrary pro tection device for the TT’s own Trans pac Lines, but Nauru claims they are not in competition and the sur charge merely raises prices to consu mers in the Marshalls. President De- Roburt also offered to invest $250,000 in Transpac, but the offer was declined, along with any change in the tariff.

“The Nauruans are foreigners and cannot buy shares,” Thiessen said later.

PIPA SURVIVES. The Pacific Islands Producers Association (PIPA), which everyone thought would be asked to commit suicide at the seventh conference in Rarotonga to make way for the South Pacific Forum’s Bureau for Economic Co operation, has had a reprieve. PIPA delegates decided that it should con tinue for another three years and then have its future role reviewed.

PIM learns that Tonga’s ambition to have the much-desired regional ship ping line based on the kingdom’s own Pacific Navigation Company was somewhat jolted by criticism aimed by delegates at the company’s opera ting methods.

Republic Of Minerva.—The

Tongans don’t like the idea of the republic and King Taufa’ahau, after a mystery trip at the end of May, declared the kingdom’s sovereignty over Minerva Reef. Ninety Tongan prisoners were taken to the reef to build an artificial island conforming with international law which says only permanent structures above the sea at high tide can be claimed as “country”. The King told his people South Minerva will become Teleki Tonga and North Minerva Tokelau.

The new portion of his kingdom had a tragic birth. One of the working party of prisoners killed another

during an argument. Meanwhile, the originators of the idea, Ocean Life Research Foundation, have published a report which says the Republic of Minerva is now a fact. Its progress from now on should be interesting.

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\'H ER E I* N EX T FESTIVAL?- Although a Noumea work planning conference for the SPC earlier this year proposed that the next South Pacific Festival of Arts be held in Tahiti in 1974, it s not by any means a foregone conclusion. There is a strong movement to keep the festival in Suva, where the first successful programme was staged in May and to have it in 1975 and every three years thereafter A decision won t be made before the next South Pacific Conference in Apia in September.

M r - Vl «° r e^ eC vl lv f °®‘ c ® r of the May festival, is likely to be approached soon to advise on the next festival.

Dalkin Departing—Air-Corn-

modore R. N. Dalkin, Norfolk Island’s Administrator ends his term of office and will leave the island in mid-August, he has told the islanders.

“It is felt that the term of office of approximately four years, bearing in mind the increasing complexities of the post and other factors, is appropriate to the 19705,” he said. His successor had not been named at the time of writing.

LAST DRlNKS.—Drinks were free at the oldest of Suva’s old-timers, the 91-year-old Melbourne Hotel, in June, but many a throat had a lump in it as the beer went down. The patrons were saying farewell to the hotel, latest victim of progress in

Fiji. It is being demolished to make way for a multi-storey office block.

It was built in 1881 by Mr. John Reading.

Development Hitch.—The

swift movement of Papua New Guinea towards self-government to haV e put in jeopardy a „ million sche^e b F Aus ' tr alian syndicate to develop Wuvulu Island 112 miles off the n £ rth coast of New Guin as a get-away-from it.al, retreat for some the ' world . s wel |. hee led. The scheme (for full de tai, PIM Feb 36) was appro ved b the PNG administration last De cember in an agree ment signed by the Administrator, Mr. L. W. John son xhe deve lbpers, Wuvulu Hold jngs Pty Ltd earlier this year be . gan semng the first of 181 o ne-acre blocks on the 3,600-acre island at $30,000 each. The company owns freehold most of the island, Following criticism that there is in sufficient land for the development ? eeds o{ . th 6 'slanders PNG Mincer ? or Mr. Albert Maon Kiki, has ! m P° unded ( on the pro and sto PP ed tEe sale of blocks. move f? as J a ‘ sed , qu l sd ° n security of freehold in PNG. , and , 1S 1,61118 watched w,th close m ' eres * EAGLES’ FLIGHT.—The Matupit Eagles, a Tolai team beat Maltech a West New Britain team, in an Aus tralian Rules football match in Rabaul on June 18 and then wished they hadn’t. After the game Maltech supporters chased the Tolais through the streets for two miles. Riot squads were called out and police made 25 arrests. Two people received treat ment in hospital. The Tolais rounded

off the day by sacking a West New Britain village near Rabaul Airport and, said the police “committed utter carnage”. The Tolais later offered to pay compensation for the damage they caused to village houses.

Australia-Nauru Associa

TION.—At the second annual general meeting of the Australia-Nauru Asso ciation held in Melbourne in April, Mr. J. K. Proudfoot was elected chair man. Committee for 1972-73 are Messrs. T. W. Star, A. E. Holmes, I.

Dedogi, and B. Hamilton. Honorary secretary, F. J. Thistlewaite, and honorary treasurer, G. F. Harris were re-elected.