Islands

From The

Press

From an editorial in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, reviewing a readers’ forum on tribal fighting in the PNG Highlands: The causes are well known and many of our letter writers have repeatedly underscored them. Land, women, pigs, drink and payback all contribute to the area’s instability. But many astute observers have looked deeper and their conclusions warrant more detailed analysis. For example, the region is* the most heavily populated area in PNG and many Highlanders have no land of their own. Can’t they be resettled in areas where there is plenty of land? And when it comes to work, what about cottage industries?

From an address by the Chief Justice of Western Samoa, Mr Justice Nicholson, at a ceremony for the admission to the Supreme Court of barrister/solicitor Mr Asaua Falaniko Fuimaono, in Savali: I promise you hard work but rarely dull work. Do not hesitate to seek advice from your more experienced brethren.

Advice to young lawyers is the only advice that they will not charge for. It is no disgrace to take advantage of that

privilege.

From the Arawa Bulletin: Small trade stores in the North Solomons which are licensed to sell beer and other strong drinks should be closed down, a spokeswoman for the North Solomons Women’s Fellowship said this week ... members agreed that all small trade stores selling liquor should be closed and allow only the hotels and clubs to open to customers for a short time. The women also pressed for a complete close-down of takeaway sales . . . The conference, attended by more than 60 women representatives from all women’s fellowships in the North Solomons, agreed that most family problems experienced by women and the communities are caused by drinking and careless attitudes of people who trade and consume strong drinks.

Australian Minister for Administrative Services, Senator R. G. Withers, on the campaign in Norfolk Island to collect residents’ signed declarations on the Island’s future status, in an interview with the Norfolk Island News: It’s not for me to criticise Norfolk Island customs maybe that’s the method of doing it here. But I think I’m bound to say that, putting my own Australian experience on it, I hope people haven’t worked too hard or spent too much money on it. Because I would regard it as totally, completely and utterly useless ... Fancy me conducting a referendum in Australia do you want to pay income tax?

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier: Highlands coffee buyers are being threatened and attacked by coffee sellers, who are unhappy with the recently reduced coffee prices, according to a Highlands driver. Mr Koipa Kupa said yesterday that buyers were being threatened because they were unable to pay the price demanded by sellers. In the most recent incident four sellers bashed a driver on the Highlands Highway near Asaro after he refused to pay KlOO for a bag of parchment coffee. Mr Kupa said current prices for parchment coffee in the Highlands were between K7O and KBO a bag because of the price fall. Coastal people had stopped buying altogether because of the fear of

being attacked ...

From the Lae Niu&i A house-boi ran one mile to ring the fire station after fire broke out in a 25-year-old Housing Commission home on

Namanula Hill, Rabaul on Tuesday. He could not use the phone in the house because it (the phone) was locked. Two fire engines from Rabaul Fire Station and a fire truck from C.A.A. raced to the fire. But by the time they arrived fire was raging in all the rooms. They fought the blaze for 55 minutes but the house was completely destroyed.

From Stan Ritova’s column Here and There in The Fiji Times: The old Fijian charm worked again for the Prime Minister’s delegation at the Commonwealth leaders’ conference in London earlier this month. A Welsh detective was assigned to the Prime Minister for security purposes. When he was re assigned a few days later he wouldn’t go. Commented the PM’s private secretary, Mr Lote Buinimasi: “The detective became really attached to us because of our traditional Fijian

hospitality.”

From the Cook Islands News: It was reported today that Mauke had completely run out of cigarettes. The heavy smokers are attempting to ease their need by smoking the banana leaf. Efforts are being made to fly some cigarettes in to Mauke to help those in need when the test flight goes to Mauke later this week.

From an article by an un-named woman replying to an article by Bernard Narokobi and published in the Papua New Guinea Post-

Courier:

To quote from Mr Narokobi’s article published May 25, “The virtues of Western civilisation are not y6t benefiting the masses”. It may not be benefiting to your way of thinking Mr Narokobi but it certainly helps me and thousands of innocent girls like myself, to open our eyes and brains so as not to keep us down on the ground ... You know what men are like.

Sitting all day long chewing betel nut, smoking, eating, drinking and fornicating from woman to woman. What else do they need? Of course, bride price for their daughters so the money and food can last long. Oh, what a lovely Melanesian life! And what a hell of a life for us women! I am glad that Western civilisation is getting deeper and deeper into our country and slowly stopping men like you dreaming of a Melanesian way of life.

A night at the “pictures” in the Gilberts as described by K. Bareua in a letter to the Atoll

Pioneer:

A fantastic Kung Fu film was screened. That was on Saturday 25 June at the Meria Cinema, Betio. So active were the actors, that they aroused a tremendous applause from the audience. At the end of the first reel, a cut was made, and another Kung Fu film, a completely different one entitled “.. . Woman’s Fist” was partly shown. A few minutes later, there came a cry from the projectionist apartment “That is for our Sunday show”, and the continuation of the last reel went on . . .