from the islands press

From The Samoa Times, Apia The production of home-brewed beer for sale is rising again partly because of the higher prices for Vailima beer and partly because of the rising need to find other sources of income. Last week the police confiscated three barrels and 70 bottles of illegal beer from a place at Lalovaea, one barrel and a dozen bottles from another house at the area and two barrels from one place at Mataututai.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier A man was held at knife point and robbed of K 15,000 bride price money in Port Moresby on Wednesday, police said yesterday.

From The Fiji Times Suva City Council’s lawyers retained to recover rates arrears collected the cash but did not pay it into the council’s accounts for up to two years, the Lord Mayor, Cr Navin Maharaj, said yesterday.

Talking to reporters in Suva, the Lord Mayor said about $14,000 that should have been paid straight to the council after collection was held by the lawyers without the council’s knowledge.

“In one case, the money paid was kept for two years by a lawyer, in 10 cases the lawyer concerned kept the money for 18 months and in two cases the money was kept for nine months. ” Cr Maharaj said.

Grass Roots in the PNG Post-Courier The Australian government is fortifying houses occupied by its defence personnel on loan to the PNG Defence Force, against the rising Port Moresby crime tide. It is believed each of the 55 houses involved will set aside a room for the fortification treatment which will involve the fittinf of steel barr. A spokesman for the Australian High Commission said the houses were occupied by personnel living away from army barracks. Cost of the work will be borne by the Australian Government. No details were available on which rooms were favored for fortification.

From Tam-Tam, Port-Vila Students and teachers from Unesua High School, during a recent Science Field Trip to Tanna, were discriminated against by an angry dugong! One of the teachers who was with the group, said they were warned by the villagers at Port Resolution that the normally docile sea animal “resents white people”. The dugong, he said, responds to local calls. When summoned, it appeared and frolicked in the shallows. Unfortunately though, the discriminating dugong spotted Science teacher Mr William Allen from New Zealand and a young boy (white) in the group, it sent the teacher scrambling ashore to safety and attacked and tossed the boy so hard that he lost his pants!

From Te Uekera, Tarawa About 20 invited guests witnessed this year’s passing out ceremony at the MTS (Maritime Training School), Betio on Friday. Although nearly two hundred were invited, only the 20 turned up. What made it worse, the guest speaker didn’t turn up either (he was sick).

From a report in the Marshall Islands Journal of a fire which destroyed a restaurant and store in Majuro. . . . Kejjo also told the Journal that a telephone call was made from the Sun Hotel to the police department to report the fire but that it took over one and a half hours for the fire truck to finally arrive at the scene. “I was told that the delay was caused by the fact that the police had to go get the firemen because they (the fire crew) are the only ones who know how to operate the fire truck”.