Editor’S Mailbag

Uncle Sam Says

It is encouraging to note that prospects for the formation of a regional maritime organisation in the Pacific Islands are improving, and it is hoped that similar develop ments in the airline field will occur.

These prospects could be im proved considerably if these regional entities were planned as complete vertically-integrated en terprises, with ownership and op erational control of all facilities and equipment, shore-based and mobile, domestic and foreign, in which title is presently held by all of the Pacific

Island states which would become participants in the endeavour.

Each Island member would ex change their equity in current transportation assets, whether air port, aircraft, dock/piers, ship and support gear, for a like value of stock shares in the enterprise.

It could be organised as a public corporation, which, in effect, would be a multi-national company. These companies have been outperforming other types of organisations in modern times.

All employees should be paid wages prevailing in Pacific Rim countries, with the expectation that their productivity and efficiency

would be commensurate with the Pay- Island disputes over landing rights and reciprocal shipping agreements would be greatly miti gated by such an arrangement. Ex pensive duplication in capital ex penditures could be avoided.

Utilisation factors could be im proved.

Yours for progress,

A. Hansvold,

Uncle Sam Agency, Seattle, Washington.

Slugged Yachtie

The American yachtie Raymond Quint was way wrong when he made out the Solomons light fee was put up by the English (PIM, Feb, p 25).

He hasn’t sailed around out here enough to see what’s really going on.

Kenilorea’s answer (PIM, March, p2l) set him right.

The light fee is only part of the Solomons anti-yacht programme.

No doubt when they go independent there will be lots more. Like PNG, they’ll make you not only bond your boat but bond yourself as well. Then they’ll “search” your boat for a day or two, turning everything inside out, and acting vicious as hell.

Quint doesn’t want to admit it, but it is not just anti-yachtie, its anti whitie.

The light fee rip-off is just thinly disguised racism. Bougainville, theoretically belonged to PNG but really filled with Solomon Islan ders, is full of black-white problems.

Quint’s “very friendly and helpful people” are just waiting for their in dependence to show the world that black is beautiful, baby, and the Solomons are black and are going to stay that way. Whitie, look out, Kenilorea is probably reading up on Idi Amin’s tourist policies even now. Yachties are just the easiest group of whities to attack under their still-cautious black panther ism.

To prove it, just look at the small inter-island boats that come from Bourgainville (PNG) to the Solomons. Do you think they pay a $lOO light fee?

Klaus Schaffer

Yacht Hilda Hong Kong. • (Copy to Mr Peter Kenilorea.)