Press

From The

Islands

From the Cook Islands News: The Hair Cutting Ceremony of Master Poaru Poaru, son of Mr and Mrs Poaru took place at Panama at the home of his grandparents Mr and Mrs Moko Irangi. Over two hundred invited guests attended the ceremony. The four-year-old Poaru Poaru dressed in his best was seated on his beautifully decorated chair with his thirty-six plaits tied with white ribbons. After the cutting ceremony all sat down to a very delicious spread prepared by the families.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier:

A man is in hospital with severe burns after a fire at Epo Plantation in the Gulf Province. Building damage is estimated at about K 15,000. Kerema police said the fire started when a plantation employee’s oil lamp ignited petrol he had rubbed on his arm and legs to keep warm. The workshop which he entered was also burned.

From an interview with departing Gunter Buczynski, former manager of the Melanesian Hotel at Lae, and his wife as reported by the

Lae Nius:

. . . They said one time they will remember easily is shortly after arriving in PNG. Only three weeks after taking over, Gunter went down to start the day only to find the place deserted.

Shortly afterwards he found his staff. They were marching up the street demonstrating in a strike for higher wages. Never having been approached by a representative of the staff with claims prior to the strike, Gunter was more than a little bewildered.

From the Arawa Bulletin: At a recent meeting of the Ba-na Community Government, members claimed that in the past there was not so much rain as there is now with the presence of Bougainville Copper. They believe the type of chemicals used by BCL for processing copper gets washed into the sea and evaporates with the water to form nimbus cloud which later gets blown back inland to bring heavy rains in the area.

From the Tohi Tala Niue: The Minister of Finance, the Hon. Robert R. Rex late last week announced that there would be an increase in the wholesale and retail price of petroleum. This was due, he said, to the increase in the bulk price of imported fuel and the devaluation of the New Zealand dollar in November, 1976. Petrol will now retail at $1.40 per gallon and diesel at $1.07 per gallon.

From The Fiji Times: The Minister for Labour, Ratu David Toganivalu, has undertaken to consider an increase in the government grant for indentured labourers and their sons and daughters who want to go back to India. Opposition member Mr Chandra Pillay complained to the House of Representatives that the $270 grant had not been increased since 1939 when it had been the cost of a one-way sea passage. The Nadi-Bombay air fare was now $768, he said.

A royal comment, reported in the Tonga Chronicle, on possible export of flying foxes to Guam: . . . His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV said flying foxes fetch a good price in Guam. They cost US$l5 per flying fox there. The exporting of flying foxes to Guam will benefit the kingdom, not only in overseas earnings, but in reducing damage to fruit crops by the flying foxes.

From the Marianas Variety: Bill Brewer loved the islands when he was in Saipan as a Peace Corps volunteer. He loved them enough to return to Saipan to work under contract to the Environmental Protection Board at Trust Territory headquarters. But since his return in February, 1975, Bill Brewer’s Guale Rai home has been burglarised five times. He has lost nearly everything of value ...

Now he is bitter. “I still love the island”, he said .. . “But a small criminal element is spoiling life here.”

A comment by the Ysabel Council on government elections as reported in the Solomons News Drum: The members of the council disagreed with having photographs of candidates on ballot boxes because this would encourage voters to vote for candidates who were good looking and “sometimes not the best” . . .

From the Micronesian Independent: A bill that would penalise members of the Congress of Micronesia for unexcused absences was introduced in the Senate. The bill, authored by Sen John Mangefel of Yap, would amend certain sections of the TT Code relating to salaries of congress members. The amendment provides that a penalty fee of $5O a day will be assessed and deducted from the salary of any member of the Congress whose absence from any day of a regular of special session is unexcused.

From The Fiji Times: Several Suva city councillors yesterday walked out at royal visit rehearsals at Albert Park after they were seated in an uncovered pavilion. The councillors, who were non-Fijians, walked out because they felt that white cards they had been issued with entitled them to sit in the covered pavilion, where dignitaries would sit.

From “The Commonsense Corner” of New Caledonia’s France Australe: “The courts have been presented with a certain segment of society which is particularly disadvantaged: the drunkard) ' who stabbed his brother-in-law with a steel rod lived in a slum and simply sought escape in drink. In the case of infanticide in Noumea’s Latin Quarter, a young woman, poorly endowed mentally, had to face successive pregnancies and blows from her husband and make her budget meet with SAIOO per month! (sentenced to 5 years imprisonment) . . . When we speak of recession, there are many poor people who know the acuteness of it.”

From the Solomons News Drum: A strange turtle was caught off the reefs at Sikaiana recently.

The turtle, about 4 ft long and 3 ft wide, had Japanese writings on its yellow back. The fishermen caught the turtle while they were fishing. They took it home and ate it with other villagers.

From the Tuvalu News Sheet: His Excellency the Commissioner and his party had a rough time on their tour of the Southern islands . . . Most of them were thrown into the sea several times as Nivaga’s heavy two-ton workboats capsized time and time again in confused seas., . He (Commissioner Mr Tom Layng) said he only wished he could have been accompanied on this tour by representatives of the New Zealand, Australian and British aid agencies so that they could see at first hand what everyday conditions, even in fine weather, can be like in the outer islands . . .