Nutshell

In a Nutshell

Murder Acquittal. The

Papua New Guinea Supreme Court has acquitted four men of a charge of having murdered Dr Luke Rovin, a Bougainville public servant. But they were convicted of lesser charges of having caused him grevious bodily harm. They were also acquitted on alternative charges of having offered insult to Dr Rovin’s body. The men, with sentences in brackets, were: Upila Namaneho, 30 (2i years), Aole Rohoso, 49 (2i years), Martin Aole, 29 ( 2i years), and Siri Liston, 20 (2 years). They are all from Fainufu Village, near Goroka. The Crown alleged the men beat Dr Rovin to death after a car in which he and another public servant were travelling failed to take a bend in a road and knocked down a six-year-old village girl.

PRICE CONTROL.—The Fiji Parlia ment will soon discuss a bill to control prices, charges, remuneration, dividends and rents. The bill is a sequel to the 90-day freeze on prices and incomes, which ended on June 30. The bill proposes to give wide powers to a prices and incomes board. A national economic council will make reports and recommenda tions to the board, and will also advise it.

MAORIS’ TOUR.—The New Zealand Maori Rugby team had an indifferent tour of Western Samoa, Tonga and Fiji in May/June, with seven matches won out of 10. Tonga beat the Maoris in a test. In Fiji, the Maoris lost the first two matches, one 9-39, but recovered to win the last three, including two tests. Results (Maoris scores first); Western Samoa XV, 11-6; Western Samoa, 12-0; Vavau- Eua, 35-8; Tonga Patron’s XV, 15-0; Tonga, 3-11; Suva-Rewa, 9-39; Nadroga, 15-16; Fiji, 6-4; Nadi- Lautoka-Vatukoula, 19-14; Fiji, 9-3.

BAD NEWS! Western Samoa’s Court of Appeal has reversed a decision by former Chief Justice Rothwell, who had ruled that Samoa Printing and Publishing Company could claim losses in its tax state ment. Samoa Printing and Publishing Co had entered into an agreement with certain shareholders for the

purchase of Samoa Printing and Publishing Co. Chief Justice RothweU said the losses, which belonged to the old company, could be claimed by the new owners because they had not yet fully purchased the old company. But the Court of Appeal found that a change in ownership took place and therefore the new owners could not claim tax relief on the old company’s losses.

SEA SAGA.—The story of the miss ing GEIC fishermen ended in June with all accounted for, but with one dead. His identity had not been con firmed in a report from Kapingamar angi atoll, Ponape, which suggested that two men washed ashore, with one dead and the other near death might be Rui Tiare and Babeia Kamainga, reported missing from Tarawa on January 17. An “unreported” missing man who arrived at Buka in PNG in March and lived for some time with villagers until he was seen by a mis sionary was named as Tebuana, who left his home in the southern Gilberts in a 12-ft canoe on January 29. 89 HOMELESS. Eighty-nine people were left homeless after a fire swept through Fiji Sugar Corpora tion barracks, known as the Low Lines, at Lautoka, on June 7. The residents were able to save only a few personal belongings before the fire engulfed the 11-room building.

Some men, paid that day, lost their pay packets in the fire. Relief organisations provided food and clothing, and temporary shelter was made available. The cause of the fire was believed to be a faulty power line.

Second University.—Papua

New Guinea now has two univer sities. The PNG Institute of Techno logy has been renamed the PNG University of Technology, The word “technology” was retained to show clearly the specialist nature of the university. The territory’s first univer sity, the University of Papua New Guinea, concentrates on humanities.

The University of Technology, on a 500-acre site at Lae, offers courses in a number of technological fields, and has a total student enrolment of about 550.

Fire Brigade Limited.—The

fiery destruction of a sawmill at Lami, outside the city limits of Suva, late in May, again highlighted the need to give the Suva Fire Brigade a new charter. The brigade refused to answer a call for help because its first duty is to the ratepayers of Suva, and attendance at a fire at Lami would have left Suva unprotected.

Some years ago there was a death in a fire in the Lami area. The then Mayor of Suva had refused to take the responsibility of allowing the brigade to attend and leave Suva un protected.

Coronation Coin.—The Cook

Islands issued a sterling silver $2 coin on June 1 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The obverse carries a profile portrait of the Queen wearing the diamond tiara, a wedding gift from her grandmother, Queen Mary. The reverse, designed by David Cornell, London, is an adapta tion of the formal coronation portrait of the Queen in profile, wearing the imperial crown with gown and emblems of the Commonwealth countries, and holding the sceptre with cross in her right hand and orb in her left. The inscription at top is “Twentieth Anniversary of the Coronation” and the inner inscription is “June Second 1953-1973”. At the bottom are the words “Two Dollars”.

A special limited minting was ordered for collectors.

To Absent Friends. More

than 500 guests attended a party on Rarotonga at the Ministry of Social Services centre in May to celebrate the 46th wedding anniversary of Premier Albert Henry and Mrs Henry. They “toasted” the happy couple but there was no reply. The Premier and his wife were in New Zealand.

Changing Exams. Pacific

Islands education authorities are planning to set up a board for regional examinations to replace the Oxford and Cambridge, NZ univer sity entrance and other exams, which, they claim, have little relevance for Islanders.

Gaol For Adultery.—Kauka

Bongere lost an appeal in the Supreme Court in Port Moresby against a three-month gaol sentence for adultery. Mr Justice Williams, who refused the appeal, pointed out that adultery was not a criminal offence in Australia and other Western countries but it was an offence under PNG law insofar as native people were concerned. One of the reasons why the trial magis trate had gaoled Kauka was that such an act created a dangerous situ ation between the wronged husband and his wife. The magistrate had assessed the possible repercussions which might have followed the offence and the desirability of impos ing a sentence substantial enough to reduce the possibility of repercus sions.