Press
p. 23 · Read in the full issue
From the
Islands
From the Nauru Post, Nauru Young girl being interviewed by local employment service officer was asked if she had any special hobbies. She said her main interest was in spending weekends with her boyfriend, touring the country on the back of his motor bike and camping out under the stars. ‘Really,’ said the interviewer, ‘doesn’t that worry your mother?’ ‘Oh, no,' said the girl, ‘I always wear a safety helmet.’
From Micronesian Independent, Majuro
The Ralik Ratak sunk in the Majuro lagoon on the night of Sept. 15. A group of potential spectators had gathered at Monkabuk membership club in hopes of witnessing the final voyage but the ship wailed until after dark to depart. It had been anchored for several years. The Evangeline anchored nearby is now listing and seems to be following the route of the Ralik Ratak. The Ralik Ratak was owned by MI ECO and was a field trip ship in the sixties and seventies Geoff Sinclair in the Cook Islands News Here’s the letter of the week, and I quote it in full. It was posted from Rarotonga; ‘I was trying to organise our wedding night. First point was accommodation, so I rang the resort hotel. The Rarotongan, asking the tariff for the bridal suite. “Just a moment,” came the reply. A couple of moments later the receptionist returned. “Is that for two persons or one?” The writer adds: ‘lt’s true ... It could only happen in the Cook Islands.’ (Thanks to W.
R. Tschan, Rarotonga, for directing our attention to this item Editor. PIM.j From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby, reporting criticism of overseas trips for
parliamentarians
The member for Gulf, Mr Tom Koraea, called for an end to the gross wastage of public funds. T find it hard to believe that an elected member of parliament can effectively look after the people of his electorate when he is spending his time in a girlie bar in a foreign country,'he said.
From a tongue-in-cheek column by ‘The Nose’,
Micronesian Independent, Majuro
Secret sources placed in highly secret places have indicated that the Kili Council has been given the State of Alaska to resettle on.
This word comes from a source in the Kremlin that indicated that several high level talks had gone on between members of the Kili Council and several Soviet ambassadors in the United Nations.
The Kili Council has been complaining that the United States has not given them an adequate place to live after blowing up their home island of Bikini years ago and leaving it a nuclear wasteland.
The Soviet Union further explained that the territory of Alaska was sold to the United Stales for the sum of 12 million dollars back in 1867, and that that agreement was made by the old Defunct Czarisl Regime. Since, as far as the Kremlin is concerned, that agreement is a hundred plus years old and was made by the old Czarisl government, the Soviet Union does not recognize that deal and maintains now that Alaska is once again Russian territory. The Soviet Union said that while Alaska may be colder than what most people in Kili are used to, the place has several choice islands in
the Aleutian Chain as well as vast mineral reserves that could be used to buy lots of cola and USDA food . . .
From Tohi Tale Niue, Niue A poor unfortunate lady and her three children were robbed of their fish lunch last Friday in Alofi by a big, brown, hungry dog.
Although the woman reported tha matter to the police hoping to receive compensation from the dog’s owner, little could be done.
Moral of the story beware of big, brown, hungry dogs.
From a letter signed ‘Love Game’, Tam Tam, Vanuatu While 1 appreciate wholeheartedly the PNGDF soldiers promptness in calming within a mere three weeks the situation on Santo which highly trained British and French Commandos could not tackle, I cannot help criticising our women for their unshamefull cheatings of their husbands and boyfriends, by going off, flirting and sleeping with some of the PNGDF officers . ..
From Marshall Islands Journal (successor to
Micronesian Independent)
Adding to the normal confusion at the start of the school year is the lack of school buses. The two large yellow buses which normally carry most of the students are both,out of operation. One lacks only a fan belt but the other needs major parts, according to an Education dept, official. By Thursday October 9 one of the buses was back in operation.
From Our News, published by the Office of Information, Papua New Guinea The United Church has called for a stop to the sale of Playboy magazine, and to make rules harder for the selling of liquor in villages. The Church made this decision after the 13th Urban Regions United Church Synod at Vabukori village in the National Capital District. It said these things were both bad for the welfare of the people . . .
From Tam Tam, Vanuatu Southern District’s or TAFEA’s Agricultural Show held at Lenakel, Tanna, from October 9-10, attracted at least 4000 people from all islands of the South. His Excellency, President Ati Sokomanu, who declared the Show open on the second day, told the crowd that Tanna Island, being the most fertile island in the whole of Vanuatu, producing the best and largest potatoes, onions and other tropical vegetables, means that her people must work even harder to increase their agricultural produce so that the country will eventually decrease its imports from Australia . . .
From the Tonga Chronicle, Nukualofa Some people in Tonga have been trying to smuggle Eua parrots into New Zealand to sell them at very high prices, the Ministry of Police revealed in a recent statement. Superintendent of Police, Paula Vivili, said that on September 25 he received a telephone call from New Zealand Customs Department informing him that it had confiscated 16 parrots on board the Frysma. This species of parrot is only found on Eua, and nowhere else in the world.
According to Superintendent Vivili, individual birds have been bought in Eua for between $3 and $lO and sold in New Zealand for prices ranging from $2OO to $3OO. The Eua parrot is included in the list of birds which are protected all year. ..
From The Nauru Post, Nauru Further to our article World War 2 Relics Unearthed of Issue No 39, another underground concrete chamber’s still air was disturbed after 35 years, when high spirited Romanus Billy and Ricky Kun broke through the phosphate-filled entrance, last Thursday. This chamber is situated close to the other one found the previous week, and from it the youngsters dragged out to the surface what appeared to be part of a metal operating table and trolley, which suggests the use of this underground chamber by the Japanese during World War 11 as an operating theatre. The interior appeared to have had an application of veneered panelling which had been charred either by deliberate burning or as a result of a flame thrower. Since the last issue, a number of people have visited the area to have a look at the findings.