Islands

From The

Press

From a letter by William Long Wah, bus company manager, in the New Hebrides News: . . . . We have advised school headmasters to instruct children on how to behave themselves while travelling by bus, and not to put their heads, arms or bodies outside the windows and doors. It would be a great help if all parents would do the same. One of our drivers last year did actually reprimand a child for misbehaving in the bus and spanked the child. The outcome of this was that our driver got bashed up by the parents and friends of the child ...

From an editorial in the Papua New Guinea

Post-Courier:

The protracted strike by Australian air traffic controllers certainly underlined PNG’s strong dependence on Australia. It also drew attention to some weaknesses which we, as an independent nation, could find it hard to live with in the future.

The existing airline policy is a particular case in point. The question must now be asked. Is it in the best interests of PNG to remain so closely tied to our southern neighbour? If the strike in Australia had continued for a few more weeks it would have virtually paralysed PNG. The cost would have been catastrophic.

It would have severely affected the nation’s economy ... Our traditional links with Australia are of prime importance but we must also look to the future.

From the women’s page in The Fiji Times: “Breast fed is best fed” is the slogan of a group calling itself the Nursing Mothers of Fiji. The group’s leader is Margaret Taylor who trained with Nursing Mothers of Australia as a group leader “. . . we were appalled at the blatant advertising artificial feeding formulas were getting in Fiji”, Mrs Taylor said. Some products bore the claim that they were a “complete alternative to breast milk”, which simply was not true. Mrs Taylor said there was no way that artificial formulas could be made completely to match breast milk and added: “Cows’ milk is for cows and that’s what most formulas are made from.”

From the Cook Island News: An unusual event occurred last Sunday evening aboard MV Manuvai while enroute Atiu. At about 10 pm Mrs Maui Maui, a member of the Women’s Institute, gave birth to a baby boy atop No 1. hatch ... Controversyimmediatelyaroseoverthenamingof the new arrival. The Manuvai crew naturally preferred the name “Manuvai” while the Women’s Institute deemed “Women’s Institute” appropriate. Mrs Maui and her son navigating under their own steam, caught the first barge ashore the following morning at Atiu, leaving the matter of the naming unresolved.

A poser in the Solomons News Drum: Can fish tell when an earthquake is coming? That is the question puzzling Solomon Taiyo catcher boat crews who have reported a falling off in the catch following the earthquake. Nine boats fishing in the area bounded by the Russels, Ysabel and Malaita have found that the skipjack catch has dropped by about 30 per cent. And the odd thing is that the fish seemed to vanish about 24 hours before the earthquakes on April 21.

From an article by Joe Murphy writing on “Religious Activity in the Marshalls” in the

Micronesian Independent:

You must have heard somewhere along the line about the difficulties missionaries run into spreading the word well none of what you heard is true about the Marshall Islands where not only is it not difficult to get a religion established here, it’s almost impossible to avoid success ... Now there is an amazing proliferation of competitive missionary activity that boggles the imagination and makes one wonder if all this talking and persuading isn’t more an indication that the Marshall Islands is a nice soft place to gospelize than a sorry statement implying that the people here are so sinful and woebegone that all this missionary activity is thought necessary ...

From the Samoa Times: Young church officials who will be ordained as pastors in the Congregational Christian Church tomorrow at Malua have been instructed by their elders to have haircuts. Similar instructions were given to some tutors at Malua Theological College and that some of the tutors’ wives should not wear certain dresses and hairstyles “because these do not suit them as pastors’ wives. Most of the young pastors who are playing rugby in their village teams have also been told not to “because pastors do not play rugby”.

From Ruby Matthews’ (nee Yager) reminiscences

about Kingston in the k Old Days’, in the Norfolk Island News: “What did we do for fun? There were balls, any excuse for one too.

They were held in old Rawson Hall near Branka House. It was a stone building, convict built. We had a fine orchestra and for these occasions Hugo Quintal, George Nobbs and Bert Starr played violins and Swain Quintal at the piano. We didn’t pair off.

Everyone danced with everyone else. We danced the Lancers, the Chatish, square dances and the old-time waltz and others. If we got thirsty we had a drink of water under the tap.

From a letter by Beachy in the Cook Islands

News:

It is with growing concern that one views the number of barbed-wire fences being erected around the island. In particular the fencing off of beach sections seems to be the 'in’ thing and one wonders what the situation will be like in a few years if all owners of beach sections follow suit. After all they do not own the beach and lagoon. Surely steps must be taken now to protect all Cook Islanders’ right of access to the lagoon not just the lucky few who are owners of beach sections.

The drinking pattern in Tonga as recorded in the Tonga Chronicle by Minister of Police ‘Akau’ola: ... Given the opportunity, the drinking session startsquietly and builds up to a very fast pace (usually dictated by the fastest drinker). It is therefore not uncommon, under such circumstances, to find that three participants have consumed two cartons of beer, or a bottle of whisky and one carton of beer in two hours. These drinking sessions seldom take place at the parents’ home for the family generally objects. A secluded spot is selected, for uninvited “friends” are not looked on with favour, unless they also contribute.

From a speech by Papuan secessionist leader Josephine Abaijah reported in the Papua New

Guinea Post-Courier:

Sex prostitution was a lesser evil than political prostitution, the Member for the National Capital District, Miss J. M. Abaijah said yesterday. Sex was not the only morality... For example, there are plenty of political prostitutes who are willingtoselltheir political support for personal gain irrespective of what the people want.”