Yesterday

"The more things alter, the more they stay as they are", was an old somewhat mixed-up truism often quoted years ago. And it also goes for today and for yesterday. Twenty years ago, PIM reported that a government department in Wellington had hinted that in future it might be more difficult for Cook Islanders, Samoans and other Islanders to gain entry to New Zealand. It was likely to be a case of "No accommodation, no entry", as a result of publicity given to considerable overcrowding of certain Islanders, especially in the Auckland area. All sorts of things have happened constitutionally in the Islands but nothing's changed!

There was much guessing as 1956 opened about which island Great Britain would choose for a series of nuclear tests following an announcement that Britain and Australian scientists would, at the end of 1956, explode an H-bomb on an uninhabited Pacific island. The researchers had a short list of 20 islands. As it turned out the "honour" fell to Christmas Island, in the GEIC.

A controlling interest in South Pacific Brewery, Port Moresby, was bought by the brewers of Tiger Beer in Singapore for a reported $A660,000. The deal was carried through quickly, and in secret.

Nominal value of the brewery shares was $2. The majority shareholders sold for $6 a share.

A policy of total alcoholic prohibition for Papua New Guinea was suggested by the Rev Alan Walker, a Sydney Methodist minister, who visited PNG as Leader of the Australian Mission to the Nation. He said it would be the only sensible policy for PNG. No other form of control could protect the native people from the ravages that alcohol had released in every other society.

A Fiji Airways Drover aircraft crashed in heavily timbered rugged country near Nasauvere, in the headwaters of the southern arm of the Wainamala River on December 20, PIM reported in January, 1956. There were no passengers in the aircraft. The pilot, Captain Brian McCook, was carried by stretcher and boat to Baulevu, by the Rewa River, and from there to hospital in Suva by ambulance. McCook said the plane hit a tree and lost the right wing. He held

the nose up so that it could crash tail first. He put mail bags the plane was carrying under a wing.

Two chief judges were knighted in the New Year Honours list—Mr Justice Phillips, Chief Judge of the Papua New Guinea Supreme Court, and Mr Justice Ragnar Hyne, Chief Justice of the Fiji Supreme Court. The New Zealand Minister for Islands Territories, Mr Thomas Clifton Webb, was also knighted.

There was an announcement from the NZ Minister of Island Territories that preliminary examination of the ill-fated mystery ship Joyita excluded piracy, mutiny, explosion, collision or grounding as possible explanations of the loss of all on board, or of damage caused to the ship. Evidence collected would be placed before the commission of inquiry, headed by Mr Justice Marsack, in Apia.

A Fiji party which visited Samoa to study banana growing and exporting there, reported that damage from bunchytop, leaf spot and scab moth was not as severe as in Fiji. The Samoan product looked better when shipped than did the Fiji banana. There was much to admire in the organisation and working of the Western Samoa scheme. The system, whereby individual growers packed their own fruit, was better than the

system of collective packing stations in Fiji. The export pack of Samoa bananas generally was very good. The report ended: "If the difference between Samoa and Fiji fruit is as great on arrival in New Zealand as it is at the points of departure, Fiji can expect to meet serious competition from Samoa should more shipping become available to that country, unless a better product is exported in a more attractive pack from Fiji".

It was expected that the Norfolk Island whaling station would lead to improved shipping services to the island. The whaling station was expected to be in operation about August or September.

The whale oil would be shipped in bulk. The only regular shipping service to Norfolk Island was provided by Burns Phi Ip's Tulagi, which called every two months on the Sydney-New Hebrides- Solomon Islands-New Guinea service.

The New Zealand Government had adopted a policy which virtually prohibited persons of mixed descent from visiting the Dominion, Mr (now Sir) Maurice Scott claimed when speaking in a Fiji Legislative Council debate. His protest expressed the resentment of many Fiji people of mixed descent. In recent years the NZ regulations governing admission of people from Fiji had been intensified in that direction, although it was significant, as Mr Scott pointed out, that people of mixed descent serving with the Fiji Government had no difficulty getting permits.

One result of the Van Camp canning operation at Pago Pago was an increase in postal business. To cope, a branch postal office was opened at Fagaitua Village, Eastern Tutuila, and another in the western district of the island of Leone.

After 28 years' service with the Cook Islands Administration, Mr W. W. (Wes) Graham left for New Zealand and retirement. For many years he was a member of the Education Department staff, and started his career as assistant teacher to Mr McGruther, at Mangaia. He served at other schools and held high posts in the Education Department before becoming Resident Agent of Mangaia in April, 1953.

Mr P. J. Twomey, of Christchurch, to whose untiring efforts the leper patients of the Pacific Islands owed a great deal, announced that he intended retiring from the position of secretary of the Leper Trust Board at the end of 1956. He would remain as director of the organisation, however, and visit Pacific territories regularly. Mr Twomey died in August, 1963.

Brian McCook after the accident.