The Editor's Mailbag

Incidentally, for the record, Dr Roosman, who wrote the earlier article on Irian Jaya criticised by your latest contributor, is not a poli tical scientist. He is a linguist, specialising in Bahasa Indonesia, who is attached for the time being to the Department of Political Studies at the University of Papua New Guinea. He is, of course, an Indonesian.

Paul Grocott.

(Lecturer in Political Studies, University of Papua New Guinea).

A Condominium

Complaint

It was interesting to read in PIM (Dec, p 23) the comments of Mr D. H. Curtis on the article A Con dominium complaint.

One can agree to a certain extent with his view that there is a lack of adequate training opportunities for New Hebrideans, so that the number of men with technical skills and know-how is insufficient for the needs of the country. However, what the writer of the original article meant, I think, was that the Joint Regu lation covering immigration is not being enforced strictly enough, so that, in effect, foreigners, often with no better qualifications than many New Hebrideans, are being given employment. Since French and Brit ish immigration officers work under separate rulings in any case, it often transpires that the immigration policy does not cater for the welfare of the local inhabitants.

Asa member of the National Party I welcome the praise given for its constructive criticism of govern

letters

ment policies and a recent notable achievement is the recent Joint Regu lation allowing appeals from Native Courts to the Joint Court, not to mention the construction of a foot path on the Tagabe road as a mea sure towards road safety, which was the direct result of a National Party demonstration.

I am afraid that as a New Heb ridean I cannot endorse the views of Mr Curtis that other political parties are solely concerned with the wel fare of the New Hebrides. The coalition of UCNH, MANH and Nagriamel was made mainly to com bat the rising influence of the National Party. Members of this coalition include French plantation owners who must have different views from true Na Griamel followers and it is doubtful whether they would be happy bedfellows for long.

Na Griamel in any case is alive only in name since many of its mem bers have deserted their leader Jimmy Stevens. Like a shepherd without his sheep, Jimmy is being used as a puppet of the French government in

an attempt to popularise its policies.

Mr Curtis is a relative newcomer to the New Hebrides and while he is a man of obvious goodwill he has not given himself enough time to study the real set-up in the New Hebrides, especially outside Vila.

Hope the new year will bring him fresher thinking.

Vila Correspondent.

(Name and address supplied).

Beautify The Islands

I lately took a pleasure trip to Polynesia, and I think it is perhaps worthwhile stating my opinion that the matchless scenic beauty of some of the South Pacific islands is about to be spoiled by the disgusting sight of empty bottles and cans washed up by the tide, piled up in the streams or scattered at random in the bush.

While 1 admit that such tiny islands as Bora Bora and Huahine cannot boast a waste disposal unit of their own, I wonder why the ac cumulated refuse is not collected at regular intervals so as to keep the islands clean and attractive.

In other respects, I was also most

disappointed with Polynesia.

When compared with the Carib bean Islands, the South Pacific Islands are mostly lacking in colour

ful flowers. And yet, lots ol orna mental trees and shrubs have been planted of late years, in particular around the new hotels, but they are mercilessly stripped of all their flowers for the benefit of some tour ists, who seem to be at a loss to enjoy their holidays unless they are bedecked at every turn with innumer able wreaths and crowns of flowers.

For my part, I like to see flowers at their best, that is to say in their natural environment. As a keen gardener, I have an idea that a wide range of flowering trees and shrubs could be grown to perfection in the South Pacific Islands.

As far as I know, satisfactory re sults have already been obtained by the School of Tropical Agriculture in Moorea where selected ornamental plants are being grown on trial in the famed Opunohu Valley.

In Rarotonga, a scheme for the beautification of the island is in pro gress and some outstanding varieties of Cassia and Tabebuia (shower and trumpet trees) have been success fully introduced into the Cook Islands.

On several occasions, recommend ations were made that a small part of the mountainous interior of Rarotonga should be set aside as a botanical and scenic reserve. It is

now up to the local authorities to take a sensible decision.

Anyhow, in all probability, the forthcoming South Pacific Confer ence on National Parks and Reserves to be held under the competent leadership of New Zealand, will bring up the subject again and mark an epoch in the preservation of Nature in the whole South Pacific area.

Robert Rousseau.

35 rue Henri Barbusse F 75005 Paris France

Guise, The Trader

Your December issue (p 63) had a review of a book in which the grandfather of Dr John Guise was referred to as a “trader”.

I don’t feel that is really a lower ing of anyone’s status. I have known many “island traders” over the years in the Pacific, most of whom are not bad sorts at all. In fact some, often referred to in times past as “noted Islands traders” have got knight hoods. It is all a matter of degree perhaps.

In the case of John Guise, his grandfather was more than just a trader and I have the testimony of that great solid old figure, who cer tainly fitted the Pacific Islands stage, Bishop Newton, who had no time for romantics and knew only the truth.

On my arrival in Samarai in June, 1934, he was very anxious for me to meet Andrew Guise, John’s father, who served on the mission’s yacht, the Maclaren King. Andrew and I became good friends.

The bishop told me that he had been approached some years before by de Guise, who apparently pro duced proof of his identity and who wanted to be married to his New Guinea partner. (Both the Bourbons and the de Guises were Pretenders to the Throne of France, the balance at this stage with the de Guises.) The bishop, knowing the compli cations of marriage alliances in royal circles, did his best to dissuade him, but he was adamant and Bishop Newton took a perfectly legal service.

Some time later, what the bishop had feared came about. De Guise returned to France and, under pressure, the marriage was dissolved by the Pope, probably on the grounds that it had not been performed by a Roman Catholic priest. I had a feeling that de Guise succeeded to the title, Due de Guise.

The late Bishop Newton was priest-in-charge of Taupoto at the time. When I revisited Papua and had an hour or so at Taupoto in 1957 as we came down the coast, a cutter awaited me with a poignant

little note from John’s father, whom I had not seen for 18 years, regretting his state of health was preventing him from renewing our old associa tions. He was a gentleman and, now departed, had done his best for his family.

The Ven C. W. Whonsbon

Aston.

Castle Hill, NSW.

Hey Yachties!

There is very little available in formation about Niue Island and most of the information yachtsmen have access to concerning Niue is hopelessly out of date. As you know the Niue Government has recently embarked on a programme of pub licity to attract tourists. We would certainly welcome more yachtsmen —in the past they have been our only “bona fide” tourists.

Representatives of Niue Island Bluewater Yacht Club have been trying to improve facilities for yachtsmen and to this end have had a Tee shirt made, on which is printed the name of every yacht which called at Niue in 1974. The shirts are avail able for SNZS each. Since the pro ceeds are for such a worthy cause as yachts and yachting we would appre ciate a little “on the side” free ad vertising.

If readers of PIM wish for further information they should let me know.

Peter Ell.

Nibwyc

PO Box 55, Niue. • Pacific Publications’ Pacific Islands Year Book contains four full pages on Niue Island, its history, geography, demography, government, law and order, land use and develop ment, finances, communications, edu cation, housing, religion; in fact everything about the island with the exception of very recent happenings such as the attaining of self-govern ment (October 19, 1974) and the new hotel, which opened its doors in October, before completion, to house guests attending the self-government celebrations. The Year Book retails at $A9.50 plus postage. — Editor. ® A-PNG Cable is the rather un imaginative name for the new tele communications cable which will run between the Overseas Telecommuni cations Commission (Australia) station in Cairns and the Boroko ex change. The cable, estimated to cost $8.3 million, is a joint venture be tween the PNG Department of Posts and Telegraphs and OTC (A). The cable will have a 480 two-way channel capacity and will supplement the present SEACOM cable link.