Nutshell

In a Nutshell

Hurricane-Battered Bud-

GET.—Fiji’s budget brought down on November 21 by Finance Minister Charles Stinson aims to raise nearly s96m, S2om more than the last budget. Tax rises were 2.5 c a gallon

on petrol (tax is now 19c, but port service tax of 0.75 c a gallon) imported beer 24c a gallon, wines 50c a gallon, cigarettes o.BBc, tobacco 40c per lb, private vehicle traffic fees up 50 per cent, with an extra $5 for first vehicle licence application.

Dividend income will be taxed as personal income, plus a tax on bonus shares and other revenue profits.

Private vehicle imports will be limited to 2,000 in 1973, with price control.

Hurricane relief will receive s2million from reserves. Tourists are expected to yield s4om. Capital expenditure includes $7 million for SPSM shares and land.

VISITORS.—The Fiji Visitors Bureau office in Sydney was inundated with telephone calls offering assistance for the victims of Hurricane Bebe.

Manager Russ Gribble said for several days telephone calls came every two minutes, many from far distances.

Some calls were late at night. He was able to report that some Fiji tourist

resorts were badly damaged, but they

managed to survive. Several hotels on the north and western coasts of Viti Levu closed till repairs were made, and Mana Island resort was out of action. The Beachcomber at Tai Island closed its accommodation till early December.

Fiji Workers For Nz.—New

Zealand will admit about 130 Fiji Islanders to cut scrub. Most of the labour is required in the middle of the North Island to develop farming in areas where suitable local workers are not available. The NZ gesture is, in part, a hurricane relief move and came after the NZ High Commis sioner in Fiji reported that thousands of people, particularly small farmers, had been affected.

GENEROUS NAURU.—In addition to the gift of $lO,OOO to the New Guinea famine relief, the government of Nauru has recently made gifts to disaster-stricken countries all around the Pacific. The depredations of hur ricane Bebe called forth a donation of $lO,OOO to Fiji and $5,000 to the GEIC for Funafuti. During the emergency the services of Air Nauru were offered to back up the inter rupted flights of Air Pacific, and radio communications were routed via Nauru. A gift of $5,000 was made to the Philippines for food relief.

Nauru High Commission.—It

has been announced from Canberra that Mr L. G. Sellars, 49, an Aus tralian career diplomat, who earlier was named Australian representative in Nauru in succession to Mr R. K.

Gates, will be Australia’s first High Commissioner to Nauru. His respon sibilities will also include Australian interests in Micronesia and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. A reciprocal ap pointment by Nauru had not been announced at PlM’s going to press.

FINGERNAIL CLUE.—Using blood samples, hair and finger-nail parings says, Dr Carlton Gadjusek of the United States Institute of Health, scientists from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography have established a re lationship between the people of Tongariki in the New Hebrides, Aust ralian aborigines and Samoans. Dr Gadjusek was in the New Hebrides arranging for a visit of the Scripps Institute’s ship Alpha Helix. The

ship will take scientists to the Banks and Torres Island where they will attempt to trace the genetic history of the islanders.

P & O Wrangle Continues.—

Seven of the 16 directors of ship ping giant P & O resigned on Novem ber 20 following the failure of a move to merge with the Bovis company. Mr Ford Geddes, the chairman of P & O was among those who resigned. The influence of Hong Kong shipping magnate Mr Y. K. Pao is hinted in the move to block Bovis. Meanwhile, although directors are fighting for independence for P & O, there is still a strong possibility of a merger with the Inchcape group (PIM Nov, p 86).

Lord Howe Alrstrlp.—Aus

tralia will soon have to decide whether to go ahead with its proposed air strip on Lord Howe Island. Sir Reginald Ansett warned in November that unless a decision is made he will stop the flying-boat service from Sydney after next July, thus leaving the island without an air link. The flying-boats were old and un economic, he said, and the govern ment subsidy paid for them over the years could have built an airstrip.

ROAD HORROR.—Western Samoa’s worst traffic accident this year had been in late September when three people died after a truck failed to take a corner. But then in October eight people, six women and two men, died as a result of a collision involving a bus and a truck at a bend on the West Coast Road. The disaster could perhaps have been avoided. Speeding and drunken driving have been alleged as contributing to the accident.

M.A.—Mr Francis Bugotu, a senior education officer in the BSIP has been awarded the degree of Master of Arts in English language linguistics at the University of Lancaster in the UK. He is the first Solomon Islander to receive an MA. He has sub

sequently been doing a course in administration before returning to the Solomons at the end of this year.

Quarantine Rejected.—At A

referendum in November, Norfolk Island electors rejected a Common wealth proposal that a high security animal quarantine station be built on the island. Voting was 452 for no, and 384 for yes, with nine informal.

Australian Minister for Health, Senator Anderson had said earlier that agreement by the islanders was essential for the station.

MESSIAH. —A number of villagers from the Maprik area of the PNG’s Sepik were charged with murder in November, after it was alleged that they took part, with a ringleader known as the Messiah, in the murder of two men, who had themselves volunteered to be stoned and clubbed to death after the Messiah assured them they would be resurrected.

Workers Ban.—Png In Novem

ber added to the list of occupations at which expatriates may not work.

Forty-two occupations have been pro hibited immediately, with another 53 to be restricted after two years, and five others after three years. On the two- and three-year restrictions, the employer must meanwhile provide training for one New Guinean for each expatriate employed. Immediate restrictions include shop assistants and seamen (other than on overseas vessels). Two-year restrictions include radio announcers, display artists and motor drivers. Three-year restrictions includes typists, general bookkeepers and bank tellers.

Samoan Airlines Squeezed.—

Western Samoa intends to allow Polynesian Airlines to operate an in ternal flying service, in competition with Air Samoa Ltd and Samoa Aviation. Mr I. R. Best, Managing Director of Air Samoa said: “Should Polynesian Airlines introduce an air craft internally, both present operators

would very soon be out of business.”

The Minister of Civil Aviation, Tupuola Efi, said the government had tried everything possible to make the two present internal carriers co operate for the sake of the public; that they had failed to do so; and that, therefore, the government was left with no alternative but to allow Polynesian Airlines to run an in ternal service in addition to its regional service.

Polynesian Airlines, which is about 71 per cent owned by the Western Samoan Government, plans to pur chase soon a small aircraft to be used to fly spare parts for PAL’s HS 748 turbo jets. When the aircraft is not being used in this manner, it will probably be lying idle, but if kept busy on an internal flying service it would help to pay for itself.

Labor In Power. —In A Sur

prising landslide in New Zealand, the Labor Party under Norman Kirk regained office on November 25, winning at least 56 seats to the National Party’s 31. A Labor govern ment in NZ means stepped up op position to French nuclear testing in the Pacific. With growing likelihood of a Labor victory in Australia on December 2, the possibility emerged of closer co-operation between Aus tralia and New Zealand on Pacific matters. ALP leader Gough Whitlam said he would seek an injunction against the French tests in the World Court, and even break off diplomatic relations with France if necessary.

Pacific Islanders could expect more sympathetic treatment on migration under an Australian Labor govern ment.

Micronesian Elections.

Final results for most seats at the Congress of Micronesia elections in November were announced as PIM went to press. Of the 33 seats in Congress, 27 were at stake; the re maining six Senate seats were not up for election. For the House in the 6th district of the Marshalls, Ekpap Silk was leading Bilimon Amram; but firm results were: MARIANAS: Senate— Olympic T. Boria; House—Felipe Atalig, Pedro P. Tenorio, Herman O.

Guerrero. MARSHALLS; Senate— Wilfred Kendall; House—Charles Domnick, John Heine, Ataji Balos.

PALAU: Senate—Lazarus Sal i i; House—Timothy S. Olkeriil, Polycarp Basilius, Tarkona Pedro. PONAPE: Senate—Bailey Olter; House—Joab Sigrah, Bethwel Henry, Resio Moses, Singiwo Hadley. TRUK: Senate— Tosiwo Nakayama; House—Raymond Setik, Sasauo Harau, Endy Dois, Masauo Nakayama, Machime O’Sonis.

YAP: Senate—John A. Mangefel; House—Luke M. Tma n , John Regulimar. Nine were unopposed.