Letters

Reply to Ron Crocombe

Ron Crocombe’s review of my Race, Class, and Rebellion in the South Pacific (PIM June pp!3-15) deliberately misrep resents both the contents and the argument of the book. Let me just mention a few instances.

Dr Crocombe correctly points out that the Panguna Mungkas Association, as de scribed in my book, was founded on the basis of ethnic exclusiveness. However, he mistakenly asserts that ‘most readers will interpret from his (my) wording that it was vis-a

vis Europeans . ..’ This entirely

overlooks the distinction made throughout the book between race, class, and ethnicity, i.e., relations between whites and non-whites, between members of distinct economic entities, and between members of non

white populations respectively.

It should be clear to any reader of the book that the Panguna Mungkas Association, which I helped create, was an ethnic as sociation.

Furthermore, Dr Cro combe’s description of the Bougainville situation is inac curate, and he ignores my cen tral argument, namely that

explanations of complex phen

omena such as the Bougainville strike require attention to a great variety of causes, some of which are described in the book.

He justifies his criticisms by quoting me out of context, and complains of errors without specifying details. This is not

surprising because this utterly

inept review is solely an attempt, for reasons best known to the reviewer, to charge me with some ulterior motive for writing this book.

Thus, the review is filled with

such phrases as ‘convey an im

pression’, ‘a reader is left with

the impression’, ‘Dr Mamak

implies,’ ‘conveying the same

image’, ‘understates’, ‘played

down’, ‘a diversionary tactic to imply’, and so on.

Almost the entire review is an attack on my view of re bellion. However, Dr Ahmed Ali, the book’s co-author, is praised for providing a much more accurate description of the term on the last page. With out checking his facts Dr Crocombe has made a tactical error here. I wrote that page, not Dr Ali.

Alexander Mamak

San Francisco California USA

Tuvalu: Nine isles,

not eight

Whilst the government of Tuvalu is delighted that you should have seen fit to publish a feature on the attractions of its islands (PIM Jul p 29), it is a little concerned that, due mainly to the passage of time, any would-be tourist might be misled by certain inac curacies.

Dr Weinstein made his visit in December 1978. One thing which has certainly not changed since then is the fact

that, despite the country’s

name, there are nine islands, not eight. Most people tend to overlook the smallest, Niulakita, which has now been permanenty inhabited for many years and on which only this month (July) a primary school was opened.

The rates at the Vaiaku Lagi Hotel are due to be increased from September this year and will then range from $A 12.20 for a room, plus a further SAIS per day for meals. There are three other licensed premises on Funafuti, but apart from Niutao, Vaitupu and Nukufe tau all the ‘outer’ islands are

‘dry’.

The last of the phosphate workers from Banaba were repatriated at the beginning of this year. There are no plans for a local fish cannery. The government has, however, re

cently concluded a licensing

agreement with South Korea and hopes to conclude similar agreements with the Taiwanese

and Japanese.

Communicatons both in

ternally and externally have

improved considerably during

the past few months. There is

currently a thrice-weekly air

service to Suva and a weekly service to Tarawa. On May 21 the internal air service started and now connects Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau and Nukulaelae with Funafuti. Its capacity, however, is very lim ited and any intending tourist would need to make a booking well in advance.

Apart from one or two other minor inaccuracies Dr Wein stein has certainly managed to capture something of the at mosphere of the islands. Those who do manage to venture this far can be certain of a visit they will never forget. No visas are currently required, but a visitor must be in possession of a valid passport and an onward or return ticket. He or she will be permitted to stay for a maxi mum of four months.

I. Ionatana

(Secretary to Government) Funafuti Tuvalu

PNG forces for

Hebrides?

So Papua New Guinea, hardly able to stand on its own wobbly legs, and with its own daily media filled with Lawlessness, Rape and Murder in capital letters, is thinking of sending its

Australian-equipped military

forces to the New Hebrides to support Father Lini and enforce ‘independence’, ‘free dom’ and ‘democracy’ with gun barrels.

Presumably, the Australian Ml6s and Bofors will have a fair chance against Stevens’ bow-and-arrow forces, and with Australian Prime Minister Fraser himself in command of the situation, ‘independence’ and ‘democracy’ a la Pol Pot, Timor and Irian Jaya will be established in the New Hebrides.

What is certain is that any blood spilt in the process of

implementing ‘independence’

and ‘democracy’ in the New Hebrides will be added to the historical account of Australia, not PNG.

So far, any Australian par

ticipation in bringing freedom,

democracy and independence

to others, from Vietnam, Cam bodia, to Timor, Irian Jaya and Zimbabwe, has only resulted in mass atrocities and racial disas ters. Let us hope that the New

Hebrides will be the exception but all indications point in the direction that it won’t.

Manfred Eiserman

Cairns Qld Australia

PIM infiltrated

by anti-Semite?

I thoroughly enjoy my monthly

encounters with PIM, and read each copy from cover to cover.

Isolated as I am here on the North Atlantic coast of Canada, I find it refreshing and informative to receive monthly news from my adopted area of the world. However, I must

take exception with something

that appeared in a recent issue of PIM. I refer to the article ‘New Hebrides: Whether Pea cock or Phoenix, a bird of ill omen . . .’ (PIM Jun pl 8).

The article itself is informa

tive, and provides important

background information for the occasional news reports in Canada about the recent prob lems on Santo and Tanna.

However, buried in the heart of an article on the South Pa cific I found myself face-to face with a particular form of nastiness and hatred out of place in the Pacific Islands: insidious and invidious anti- Semitism. I may be reading too much into the author’s style but of the five named principals of the Phoenix Foundation, we are told the religious/ethnic origins of just one; Michael Oliver, of Lithuanian Jewish origin. What about the Toots’ of Hospers, Doom, and the others?

If that doesn’t have any bear ing on the foundation, then why should the origins of Oliver? What is to be gained from this priceless bit of infor mation, other than the insin uation that somehow his Jewishness has something to do with the Phoenix Foun dation’s reprehensible activites?

By extrapolation, we can con clude that all Jews in the South Pacific are involved in evil machinations.

I am not saying that this was intended by the author. I am simply telling you how anti- Semitism works, and how the article appears to the mind of the anti-Semite. Recent his tory, and even the events of today, have taught me that

much. Now we are confronted with the ludicrous implication ‘Jews are responsible for the trouble in the New Hebrides’.

Nonsense! Nazism was nourished by, and flourished in an atmosphere of such inane slander and innuendo, and look at the results.

With all the real problems in the Pacific, must we raise the spectre of something so warped and ugly? It will only divert our attention away from the sol utions that will make the Pa cific region a better place for all to live.

(Dr) M. C. Zelenietz

Halifax Nova Scotia Canada • The comment on Michael Oliver's religious/ethnic back ground was made solely to ex plain in part why he spent time in a nazi concentration camp in World War 11. Editor.

A representative

NZ sample?

Dr Stephen Hoadley, Associate

Professor of Political Studies at the University of Auckland (PIM Jun p 39) found that 175 of 251 people in the Eden elec toral district of New Zealand believed that their country should give more aid to the

developing world.

As the sample is taken from one particular area, and rep resents about 0.006% of the total production of New Zea land, the question is: how valid is this result country-wide?

Mua Wilson

London UK

Authorship of

Samoa book

Of course Sir Guy Powles Aug p 37) is correct in pointing out that the authorship of the book History of Samoa was wrongly attributed to K. R.

Lambie. Notwithstanding that

the publisher’s correction slip

referred to by Sir Guy was not in the copy I received, this was realised, and, by quoting Lam bie’s own words as did Sir Guy I thought that my re view (PIM May p 45) had made it quite clear that it was, in fact, the work of the late

Father Fred Henry of Tutuila, In respect of the later, aborted. Outline of Samoan History , Sir Guy takes me to task for my use of the word ‘collaboration’. Since it was Lambie’s idea to produce such a book for use in schools, that it was commissioned by him, produced under the aegis of his (Education) Department, and

presented carrying his preface,

it seemed to me that by writing the text at his request, Sylvia Masterman ‘collaborated’ in Lambie’s project to the highest

degree. However ...

(Dr) Leonard

Goodman

Waverton NSW Australia

‘Stop blaming

others!’

I’m probably wasting my time, but please let me reply to the letter by Otto M. Nikatel (PIM Jul p 6) which itself dealt with my earlier letter (PIM May p 6).

When will ‘independent Papua New Guineans’ stop searching for excuses and blaming others for their own laziness and incompetence?

I suppose, Otto Nikatel, that your father spent big money on your education. But instead of using your education to the nation’s advantage, you re turned to your village, Womsis, where nothing has changed in the last 100 years, in spite of independence, and women have to do all the house and garden work, while you and your Wantoks sit on your fat behinds and grumble and rattle about white colonialists and

Indonesian expansionists.

You do not have to remind me, Otto Nikatel, that I am one of those ‘political refugees’. But I am not a ‘political refugee’ from Australian or Western ‘colonialism’, or Indonesian ‘expansionism’. I am a refugee from Papua New Guinean male chauvinism, cowardice and incompetence. I am happy to have escaped a society which was shameless enough to betray its own West Papuan brothers to the benefit of

foreign exploiters.

I am only a Melanesian fe male, but I am sick and tired of reading paternalistic contri

butions from our former col onial administrators who say they feel so sorry for us poor Melanesians, just as I am sick and tired of Melanesian males

constantly accusing others for

their own incompetence.

Let us accept the facts for what they are and not hide from them, or blame others.

Dorothy Wakau

Cairns Qld Australia

B. T. Ford

Principal

Rabaul Secretarial College Rabaul Papua New Guinea

Missing ANGAU

records During World War II Australia instituted the Papua New Guinea Loyal Service Medal as an award to indigenous people who served the Allies beyond the norm. The medal was in sil

ver and hung by a 30-inch chain around the neck. One side shows the Australian coat of arms whilst the other has the legend ‘For Loyal Service’ and a punched number. The first medals were presented at Kokoda in late 1942 and the last in 1946. The presentation was usually made by field offi cers of ANGAU, two of whom state that they recorded the name of recipient and the num ber on the medal he was awarded. This documentation was then sent to ANGAU

Headquarters.

The Australian archives and Central Army Records have lists of the recipients of this medal. But neither authority has the number of the medal

received against the recipient’s

name.

Does any former ANGAU member know where these details are today, or do any have personal diaries, letters, etc, which give this information for the presentations he him self made?

The information is required to complete this section of a study on currencies, medals, badges and awards of Papua New Guinea.

(Dr) W. J. Mira

15 Harrow Rd Bexley 2207 Australia

The railway line

that ‘schnapped’

For some years now, perhaps because of my former affili ations with Western Samoa, I have been intrigued with an odd snippet of information that I read in a New Zealand news paper relating to the pre-World War I days of Western Samoa.

The subject matter concerned a

railway built by the colonising

Germans.

The story, as I recall it, stated that on the grand opening day all of Apia’s government and business community leaders were invited to travel the length of the railway line, celebrating the event as they went.

The celebrations took the form of ‘schnapps’ being con sumed with great gusto at each village that the engine and car riages stopped at, and it would appear that certain august

gentlemen, or possibly the

engine driver, not wanting an early conclusion to the festivi ties, saw to it that the frequency of the stops increased to a measurable degree. In a short time all and sundry were

thoroughly inebriated.

It appears at this stage that the train, with a little turn of speed up, ran out of line with the unsatisfactory result that the engine came off the rails and had sufficient momentum to carry it into the lagoon where it puffed its last con temptuous belch! Could it be that one of PlM’s readers could

supply an insight into that glo

riously incredible day when

perhaps the world’s shortest lived railway opened and closed for business?

Perhaps my information on the events of this pre-World War I era has been distorted with the passing of time. But I would be most interested if anyone could substantiate these facts (or otherwise), or provide a colourful detailed description of what must have been a most significant day in the colonial Pacific in the early years of this century.

Randal J. Lockie

PO Box 7186 Boroko Port Moresby Papua New Guinea From PIM to

Pif?

I’ve been a PIM reader since 1972 and I believe PIM is the only magazine in existence covering the South Pacific re

gion. Congratulations on a job

that is being well done.

Because of the obviously increasing activities in this re gion in such fields as politics, economic development, etc, may I suggest that you publish two issues per month instead of the current one? This would make your news items more up to date as well as enabling you to cover more stories.

How about it Editor?

T. J. Ravian

Madang Papua New Guinea • Thanks for the suggestion, which would certainly have the advantages you describe. But whenever we have considered such proposals in the past, we have come up against the fact

that freight charges would make it quite uneconomic. This re mains the fact. As things stand, it takes a fortnight for each issue of PIM to reach all its many destinations in the Pacific and beyond. But thanks again for the thought. Editor.

Sidney Gross

again

I would like to comment on the letter by Tuvalu Prime Minister Toaripi Lauti concerning the government’s dealings with Mr Sidney Gross and the Green Valley Acres Corporation (PIM Jun p 5).

Dealing with the latter first, the prime minister writes that it ‘is not a Government project’.

But the prime minister and his government plainly commit ted themselves on the sale of lands through such actions as the following: • They advertised over Radio Tuvalu, a government organisation, on behalf of the Green Valley Acres Corpor ation to all Island Councils that Sidney Gross’s harbingers, Pula Tokalasi O’Brien and losefa Lameko, were travelling on one voyage of the Tuvalu Govern ment vessel, Nivanga, to talk with Island Councils about the sale of lands in Green Valley, Texas. The government is widely believed to have paid the fares of the businessmen.

Concerning Sidney Gross, the following facts seem to be relevant; • The prime minister slated at the feast held in Funafuti in honour of Mr Gross’s visit that this gentleman had come to Tuvalu to prove to the people that the many rumours circulating as to the spuriousness of his dealings with Tuvalu were unfounded. • Mr Gross was accorded a reception in Funafuti at the same level of traditional enter tainment as is provided for diplomatic representatives of the rank of high commissioner and above. • The prime minister called a Cabinet meeting to allow Mr Gross to attend and discuss matters with the Cabinet con cerning Tuvalu. • The prime minister stated over Radio Tuvalu that Mr Gross was a Christian and, as a result, wanted to help Tuvalu

because he knew that Tuvalu was a Christian country.

I believe that the prime minister and his government should now work very hard to rectify the very unfortunate image of Tuvalu which they have created.

Islands Observer

(Name and address supplied) A traditional moneys club During the past two years I have been editor secretary of a club, founded in America, de voted to traditional moneys of the world. Due to locality, and availability of items and infor mation. my own interests in this field are biased mainly towards those moneys used in the Pacific region and I am in the process of forming a club, based in Australia, designed to promote the study and collecting of traditional moneys. Two 20-page journals will be issued each year with articles, news items, members’ requests, etc. Annual subscrip tion, for the Pacific region, is set at 5A2.50 (which should just cover actual costs, plus airmail postage of the journals). The adding of items to collections is up to each individual collector, but as Edi tor of the Traditional Money Association, I would appreciate receiving correspondence from persons who have first-hand knowledge in this field.

The association library con tains articles and other ma terial from many writers in cluding Quiggins, Malinowski, Firth, Mead and McCarthy but most references date to the early part of this century or before. The only major ‘cur rent’ publication on the subject we’ve been able to find is Trade and Exchange in Oceania and Australia , 1978, by Jim Specht and J. Peter White.

Over the past few years I have been fortunate in obtaining information from a very small number of corre spondents in Papua New Guinea and the New Hebrides.

What I am now hoping for is further current or moderately recent (within the last 40 years) information on the sub ject which can be recorded in the association’s journals for

the benefit and enjoyment of all interested persons.

Col Davidson

3 Mathoura Place Orange Australia 2800

Remembering the

Induna Star Concerning Mr Aplin’s letter about the Induna Star (PIM May p 7) I can provide some in formation.

As a boy living in Rabaul be fore World War II I can quite

clearly remember seeing this

vessel leaving and returning to the harbour as it went about its coastal trade.

I do not know where it went except that one of its stops was at its owner’s plantation to load copra for overseas shipment from Rabaul.

I feel sure its owner, or part owner, at that time was Cap tain Rondahl. There were two brothers of this name, Eric and Oscar, and I think it was the former who had an interest in the Star. He had a plantation on the south coast of New Bri tain.

During the volcanic eruption

in 1937 of Vulcan Island and Matupi crater on the fringes of Bismarck Bay, the Induna Star had a lucky escape from Simp son Harbour (Rabaul Har bour) when a tidal wave

following the eruption nearly

took the vessel on to dry land.

Having made its escape from Rabaul (along with the American cargo ship. Golden Bear the Star valiantly assisted the Montoro (Burns Philp line) in evacuating women and chil dren, who gathered on the north side of the Gazelle Peninsula, to Kokopo which was a considerable distance from the volcanoes. My mother, sister and I were on the Induna Star that day.

I’m sorry I cannot give very much information, but only hope that what I’ve written may fill a few gaps. In its day the Induna Star was a cut above the average ‘schooner’ engaged in the New Guinea coastal trade, and could indeed be called a ‘star’ among that

motley fleet.

‘Bob’ Clark

Strathfield NSW Australia