from ting islands press

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby New Guinea Islands premiers have called on the National Government to make unemployment “an offence” and that legislation be made to make employment compulsory. The East New Britain Premier, Mr Ronald ToVue who is also spokesman for the island premiers, said they could no longer tolerate social and political problems being created by people from other provinces.

From the “Police Blotter” report in the Marshall Islands Journal, Majuro Oct. 27 Wild Boys in Red Pick-up. At 0400 a resident of Mosquito Town informed police that a Red Pick-up full of boys was wild and throwing rocks at houses in Mosquito Town. No one was hurt but several houses were damaged from thrown rocks.

From the Marshall Islands Journal, Majuro Merchants on Ebeye are complaining because beer sales have dropped over fifty per cent since the new drinking law went into effect. Mayor Jacklick reports that the incidence of crime has also been greatly reduced and explained that it was directly proportional to the drop in beer sales. President Reagan must have heard of the good results on Ebeye as he immediately implimented a law to raise the drinking age in the United States from eighteen years to twenty-one. Good move Ronnie, learn from the experience of the Ebeye local government.

A letter by Agnes Ufi of Mount Hagen under the heading “Eve was free’ ” in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby I would like to express my concern about bride prices. Some of us Christians, we do not pay bride price. When God created Adam and Eve, they both married free. No bride price.

From The Samoa Times, Apia Seventy-five persons went to jail for theft last year but if related offences are taken into account then one of three persons sent to Tafaigata Prison last year was either a common thief, a burglar or a robber. These startling statistics are in the Annual Statistical Abstract 1983 released recently by the government statistician, Magele Mussolini Grawley. Seventeen were jailed for killing someone elese while 25 caused bodily harm with another 10 going up for common assault.

From The Samoa Times, Apia Of the 390 registered deaths last year 81 died of unknown causes but the top killers are as follows: heart diseases, 51; cerebrovascular causes (damage to brain vessels), 27; pneumonia, 24; liver diseases, 21; congenital anomalies (birth defects), 13; diabetes, 12; diseases of other parts of the digestive system, 10; intestinal diseases, 10; hypertension (raised blood-pressure), 9; septicaemia (blood-poisoning), 8; and suicides, 8.

From “the drum” column in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby.

CHAP in a high commission in Canberra, who had urgent documents to send to Lae, played safe and sent one batch by airmail, the other by urgent air-freight. The airmail parcel left Canberra on a Friday, and arrived three days later, Monday.

Cost, Kl. The “urgent” airfreight stuff, costing K5O, took 20

days. Both items were similar in size and the airmail one was actually a little heavier.

From The Fiji Times, Suva THE Minister for Home Affairs, Mr Militoni Leweniqila, has called upon Fijians to regard Indians as their “kaivatas” (brethren), and to leam from their enterprising ways.

“Indians are here to stay and it is time Fijians realised this,” said Mr Leweniqila when opening the Macuata Provincial Council meeting on Wednesday ... Mr Leweniqila said that Indians were known for their business enterprises.

“Fijians should not stand around and watch them prosper, as it would create jealousy and ill-feeling,” he said.

From an editorial in Rengel Belau, Koror BELAU is entering a “Golden Age” of violence, suicide, drug/alcohol abuse, social breakdown, and alienation, as more and more of our people particularly the young find themselves becoming strangers in their own islands.

A weekend does not go by without new additions to the casualty list stabbings, spear gunnings, stonings, all give an ironic twist to the banned Loverboy’s song “EVERYBODY’S WORKING FOR THE WEEKEND.” And almost daily, serious fights erupt, disturbing the peace. In three weeks time including last weekend, there have been two suicides.

Seriously, folks, is this any way to modernisation?

PNG is up with the rest of the world in introducing the latest forms of electronic digital communications, but the cost of ordinary letter-type mail is likely to rise, said Telecommunications Minister, Mr Evara. Grass Roots comments on the new technology in the PNG Post-Courier.