Nutshell

In a Nutshell

OLYMPICS BlD.—The Western Samoa Sports Federation has applied for membership in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games committees. If accepted. Western Samoa is expected to send as representative to the Munich Games, Mr Paul Wallwork, who has won three gold medals at the South Pacific Games for weight lifting. Mr Wallwork, now at an Australian university, was offered a place in the Australian Olympic team, but had to withdraw because officials objected that he was not an Australian citizen.

No Fijian Labour.— New Zea

land’s Minister of Agriculture recently rejected a request by the North Canterbury Nasella Tussock Board to allow it to bring 38 workers from Fiji, pie board was unable to recruit sufficient locals, but there were men unemployed in the region, and despite many of them being unsuited to the type of work, permission could not be granted while they remained.

Convair For Samoa.—Accord

ing to some sources, Pan American may not use a jet in their inter- Samoa service. They may instead use a Convair 640 turbo jet capable of carrying about 60 passengers as com pared with 40 passengers for Polyne sian Airlines’ HS 748 turbo jet. Pan American is expected to apply to the government soon for landing rights.

Pitcairn’S Population.—Pit

cairn Island is short of people in the 21 to 50 age bracket, according to the census figures compiled last December which give the total popu lation as 92.

There are only 24 (nine males and 15 females) between 21 and 50 years of age, but there are 25 (16 men and 9 women between 61 and 90. Young sters up to 10 years number five boys and seven girls, and between 11 and 20 years there are 11 males and eight females.

The Rhino?—The Bsi “News

Sheet” reports that Western District copra plantations are being attacked by the Scapanes beetle which causes curved frond disease” and destroys coconut palms. The beetle has also been found on Malaita. A picture of

the beetle was included with the report. The beetle looks suspiciously like the rhinoceros beetle, which is posing such a great threat to the Fiji copra industry, having been reported recently to have invaded Vanua Levu, until now the last beetle free bastion of the Fiji copra industry.

Tonga’S Man In London.—

Mr Inoke Faletau, Secretary to the Tonga Government but for the last 12 months external relations officer at the University of the South Pacific, has been appointed the kingdom’s High Commissioner in London. He succeeds Baron Vaea.

Home From Home.—Ex-Fiji

residents living in Adelaide, South Australia have formed the Adelaide Fiji Association. It aims are to foster an interest in everything affecting the mutual welfare of Fiji and Australia; to offer hospitality and friendship to visitors from Fiji and to interest pros pective visitors to Fiji in Fiji’s people.

The secretary is Mrs J. B. Rankine, of 62 Sussex Terrace, Westboume Park, SA, Quarterly meetings will be held and annual subscription is $l.

Chain Letter Ban.—The New

Hebrides joint administration has banned the promotion of chain letter schemes with a regulation issued on July 7, which imposes penalties of up to $l,OOO fine and 12 months im prisonment for scheme promoters.

Chain letters, sponsered mainly in Australia, have caused serious trouble in Island territories. According to the administration chain letter promoters have been visiting the condominium.

In one Western Pacific territory about $B,OOO a day had been going to promoters in Australia. The law also makes it an offence to pass on such letters and the Post Office has been authorised to refuse to transmit them.

BEETLE WINS.—The rhinoceros beetle has won the battle for a foot hold in Fiji’s main crop producing centre of Vanua Levu. Ever since the beetle was first discovered in Fiji in 1953, a stern fight has gone on to prevent it from invading Vanua Levu. That the fight had gone against the defenders was suspected in April when a beetle was discovered on the Buca Bay property of Mr Laurie Simpson, chairman of the Copra Producers Association. It might have been a lone invader, the producers hoped. Now a dead male beetle and 72 larvae have been found in two different areas of Buca Bay. The beetle attacks the coconut palm, eventually destroying the tree.

MISSING AT SEA.—After a week at sea in a tiny open boat, without water, food, fishing gear, or even a sail,

little hope remained for the survival of four young Cook Islanders who were lost at sea in July. The men, Teina Kavae, Ua Rimamotu, Paulo Koiatu and Poatu Siku, Manuae Atoll copra workers, it is alleged, on July 5, stole a 15 ft boat equipped with an outboard motor and five gallons of petrol. It was thought they planned a landfall at Aitutaki 60 miles to the north-west, but since then despite air and sea searches, nothing has been seen of them. Their reasons for making the voyage were not known.

Norfolk’S New Men.— Norfolk

Islanders elected their new council in July, putting Mr W. M. Randall at the top of the list of 16 candidates, all men, with 663 votes. A Christian, Mr S. E. Christian, was only one removed from the bottom of the poll.

Winners of seats were W. M. Randall, R. G. Weslake 609 votes, G. E. Ander son 528, J. H. Ryves 515, B. C.

Mackenzie, 507, G. G. F, Quintal 498 C. L. Evans 491, R. A. Smith 488.

No doubt they’ll all be gratified with the assurance given the islanders by the Minister for External Territories, Mr Andrew Peacock, when making his first visit in June. “You may rest assured,” he said, “that I would never take any action affecting Norfolk Island without first taking into account the views of the council and through it the wishes of the people of Norfolk Island and the views of the Administration.”

Tax Havens Closed.— Norfolk

Island’s career as a tax haven is over.

The Australian Government will intro duce legislation plugging holes in its tax laws through which companies have been able to use special tax exemptions operating on the island to avoid paying income tax.

Announcing details of the new laws, Treasurer Mr Billy Snedden said the measures would become operative from July 19. Existing provisions of the tax law applied to the island would be replaced by measures opera ting as if the island were part of Aus tralia. There would be some exemp tions which would only apply to genuine residents of the island.

Island residents will not pay tax on income earned on the island or from anywhere outside Australia. The same exemption will apply to companies incorporated on the island if the com pany is wholly owned and controlled by island residents, who do not also live in other parts of Australia.

The measures will also apply to Christmas and Cocos Islands. Tax gaps will also be plugged in Papua New Guinea, Mr Sneddon said.

New Samoa Hotel.— The

Western Samoa Trust Estates Cor

poration, the country’s biggest planta tion and land owner will build a hotel near Faleolo Airport. WSTEC will own about 50 per cent, of the shares of the hotel company, and a Japanese group the other 50 per cent.

Construction is expected to start in two month’s time.

A GAUGUIN SALE.—A unique set of the painter Gauguin’s cyclostyled magazine “La Sourire”, attacking offi cials and social behaviour in Tahiti in the late 1800’s was sold for $18,500 at Sotheby’s auctions in London, early July. Text of the first six numbers of the set were written out in Gauguin’s hand. The set was pre pared for Georges-Daniel de Mon fried by Gauguin, who had apparently forgotten to keep copies of the first six issues for him. In writing out the text Gauguin made many alterations, such as substituting adjectives, or using stronger language in his attacks on the officials and social behaviour of Tahiti. Buyer of the set was Erasmus.

Tolais For Council.— Png’S

Chief Minister Michael Somare ap peared to achieve some successes on the Gazelle Peninsula last month when 10,000 Tolais gathered for a meeting and called upon him to rein state the suspended Gazelle Local Government Council. Condemnation of the splitting of the Tolais by Mataungan Association patron Mr Oscar Tammur was voiced by Mr Oscar Tovalue to tumultuous ap plause. The previous day a meeting half the size called by the Mataungans had pressed Mr Somare to abolish the council. He told them this could be done if they wished, but they would miss out on government assistance with local amenities if there was no authority to take its place.

Tammur Hurt In Riot.—

Mataungan Association patron Oscar Tammur, with two other Mataungan leaders, John Kaputin and Melchior Tomot, was taken to hospital follow ing a not in which all three were hurt ™ month in a village near Rabaul.

PNG Lands Minister Albert Maori Kiki was meeting with local people to discuss land matters when argument flared into blows, the first of which is alleged to have been between MHA Matthias Toliman and his brother Michael who were on opposite sides in the dispute.

Turtle For Dinner.—Whiie

spear-fishing outside Manihiki’s reef in the Cook Islands at the end of June, loane Kaitara found a school of turtles resting on the surface.

Disturbed, they sounded. loane swam down after them and after a deter

mined, two-hour chase single-handedly brought three of them to the surface.

This operation, where the swimmer seizes a flipper and steers the creature upwards demands skill and is more dangerous than it might appear, for although the turtle has no teeth it does have a sharp and bony edge to its jaws capable of severing a

finger. The turtles loane brought up weighed 200 lb, 175 lb and 28 lb.

With the help of 14 year-old Fred Arahu, loane managed to reach the reef before his light outrigger canoe was swamped, and that night the islanders dined on more than 400 lb of turtle meat. loane Kaitara won a bronze medal

in the fishing competitions at Tahiti in the last South Pacific Games.

FREAK ACClDENT.—Rarotonga’s

drivers do not have to worry about fog or smog, but in late June thick dust clouds from Black Rock quarry, where metal is crushed for the con struction of the new airport, caused three vehicles to collide. Mrs Freeth was driving a utility and had her two children with her. As she approached the quarry she slowed down as thick dust almost blinded her. A new car, being driven in the same direction by Miss Jill Johnson struck the utility in the rear. Then a bus ran into the rear of the car. Miss Johnson was cut on the leg. The worst casualty was the new car which was exten sively damaged.

BIG CATCH.—Using a piglet as bait, islanders of Uripiv in the New Hebrides caught a tiger shark. Twelve feet in length, the shark was believed to be one which has pestered the islanders for some time. Three men had to fight hard to drag their catch ashore. When they cut it up, they found their catch was bigger than they expected. There were 40 unborn tiger sharks inside her.

POLITICIANS DEFECT.—A jubilant Michael Somare, PNG’s Chief Minis ter, said in Goroka in mid-July that five United Party members of the House of Assembly were expected to cross the floor to join the National Coalition Government. Mr Yano Belo joined the National Party at the begin ning of July, and four more expected to follow were Mr Turi Wari (lalibu- Pangia), Mr Waitea Mognolias (Laigap), Mr Ninkama Bomai (Gumine) and Mr Pena Ou (Hagen).

Mr Belo is the first Southern High lander to join the coalition. A people’s Progress Party candidate, Mr Kuk Byang, won the by-election for the Middle Ramu constituency held at the beginning of July. He beat five other candidates in the election post poned when a candidate died during the general election. His party, which is in the coalition, now has 13 mem bers in the House of Assembly.

Pressure Off Gilbertese.—

Gilbertese seamen, whose livelihood has been threatened by the Australian maritime union’s ban on ships employ ing crew at wages below those fixed by the International Transport Federa tion, have been given a breathing spell. ITF men met British Foreign and Commonwealth Office representa tives in London on July 15 and agreed to negotiate a special contract for the Gilbertese. ITF and Australian Water side Workers’ Federation representa tives will meet the GEIC Government in Tarawa early in December. See page 87.