The Editor's Mailbag

Bairiki Cover

I was most appreciative of PlM’s

August cover photograph, showing a

Gilbertese canoe about the foreshore of the island of Bairiki, for I spent a week on that island in October, 1945, on my way to Fanning Island in the Awahou, and I retain fond memories of the voyage from Suva to Fanning Island, which took a month, via the Ellice and Gilbert Islands.

I would ask you if you could obtain for me a copy of that photo

graph, suitably mounted, for framing?

[ have been a subscriber to PIM for ;ome years, following my two tours )f Fanning Island, of two years each, md seven years in Suva, as an execu ive of Cable and Wireless Limited.

Arthur J. Black

3 enpermint Grove, Western Australia. • PIM has had a number of inquiries ibout that cover. Photographer was mr friend and colleague Bruce 4 dams, of 16 Ormonde St, Epping, VSW 2121, a professional photo grapher who can supply prints.

Micronesians

In reference to “Micronesians -ome Out Fighting In Fifth Round )f Status Talks” (PIM, Aug., p. 11). 1 for one have always thought that he military, naval, and general trategic value of the US trust terri ories was about equivalent to their conomic value and to the economic alue of the GEIC, less Ocean Island, lie only reason for an American iresence that I can see is the need of he Islanders for a “Big Daddy”.

The Japs got precious little strategic dvantage from their possession ex ept before the war they did perhaps Buffalo” us somewhat. We have erived some advantages since the /ar for their use as nuclear and nissile test sites.

As military or naval bases, there > no place to hide on most of them, /hile all Oceania is subject to inter iction of its normal and base re upply by highly sophisticated sub marine fleets. And I have little doubt hat the computers at the ICBM sites an find them if they need to.

I am not speaking from complete >norance, I have travelled extensively irough the Pacific—New Zealand to Vake Is.; Ulithi to Soccoro; Pitcairn 3 Quemoy; and etceteras; and have

quite a few years’ experience as a senior naval and merchant marine officer.

As a taxpayer I do not mind our picking up the tab at the level we now do; but if this makes the Micronesians unhappy let them unhitch their little red wagon and trundle it off to where it pleases them. If they have the idea that if they pull the covers over their heads and ignore the world their problems will be solved, they have another think coming. The world’s major communities are growing by quantum jumps, and reaching out for power bases, influence, food sources and raw materials as never before.

The way to meet the future is with mature intelligence; not the pettiness displayed by so many of the “under developed world’s” politicians.

Geo. R. Jacobs

Glendale, California, USA.

I note the irony of calling Micro nesia’s future status one of a ‘com pact of Free Association’ with the US. It is a sheer farce for the US to declare that it “recognises its responsibility of promoting the development of the Micronesians to wards self-government and indepen dence” when all the implications of

the terms of agreement about its military presence there will make this impossible. Your Honolulu corres pondent is to be congratulated for highlighting the crucial inconsistencies in these ‘negotiated arrangements’.

Jone Dakuvula.

University of the South Pacific, Suva.

Dr Davis's Criticism

Dr Tom Davis’s article (PIM, Sept., p. 11) leaves little to the imagination—his fears are all enu merated. It does, however, appear that he has written this as a disgruntled loser and nothing else.

Dr Davis left these islands many years ago to better himself and only returned after that absence when a number of dissatisfied persons asked for him to return as they were all incapable of acting as a political opposition; they appeared to need someone who has a “name”, especially someone like Dr Davis, who is re membered by many for what he has done for them in the past.

I have resided here now for some years and have seen the benefits of New Zealand’s “paternal” administra tion and what the present government have tried to do since self-government.

This government has made many strides in all spheres and it was only due to New Zealand’s past adminis tration that it has been unable to meet the “status quo” caused by it. Cook Islanders all insist on pay rises with out a thought of where the money is coming from; previously New Zea land met that bill and unfortunately