from the islands press

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby Under-aged High school students are being picked up by candidates to vote for them, it was claimed yesterday. A Western Highlands teacher, who did not want to be named, told the Post-Courier he had released students at the request of candidates to go and vote. Most of them were aged between 13 and 15 well below the legal voting age of 18.

He blamed the people who updated the common roll last year for excluding people’s ages. Thus electoral officials could not stop the practice.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby The Archbishop of Port Moresby, Sir Peter Kurongku, wants Papua New Guineans to have more babies. Commenting on a television news story about maternity provision at Port Moresby General Hospital, Sir Peter said: “Papua New Guinean people naturally love babies. This ‘no more babies’ attitude is an imported idea. We must continue to fignt this anti-life mentality.” He urged the Government to see there was enough food, well-equipped hospitals, schools, homes and employment for the people.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby Two prisoners on remand at Buimo Jail were forced to sleep in the toilet because of overcrowding, it was claimed yesterday.

Paul Isikia cleared yesterday by Lae District Court of playing a part in the K 165,000 robbery at Lae Airport in February said prisoners had decided at a meeting among themselves that the two would resist any attempts to force them to spend another night in the toilet.

From the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby Single police men and women have good news and bad news about food. The good news is that the Police Commissioner, Mr Tasion, has undertaken to recruit qualified cooks and improve the appearance of messes. The bad news (for some) is that messes will now be supervised by officers and they will have to wear shirts and behave.

From the PNG Post-Courier, commenting on the shortcomings of the Port Moresby hospital The operating is almost directly above the morgue. It is quite disturbing to hear someone wailing loudly outside the morgue when there is an operation being carried out upstairs.

From Cook Islands News He said if livestock farmers cannot look after their animals, the wandering livestock can fetch a good price on Rarotonga where there is always a demand for local pork and goat meat.

From the Times of Papua New Guinea They said that very soon they would have to work out other means of getting payment for their daughters, the little ones, because the big ones had failed to bring anything to the household except “roadside babies”. . . . Once a mother, the girl becomes “second hand” and down goes the bride price.

From The Tonga Chronicle, Nukualofa Custom officials will appear in new uniforms consisting of a sky blue shirt and navy blue long trousers as from July 4, His Majesty’s birthday. His Majesty has consented to a request from the Hon J.C. Cocker, Controller of Customs, for the new uniforms for his staff to replace the old Khaki ones.

From a letter by “Concerned Doctor” in the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier, Port Moresby So AIDS has finally arrived in Papua New Guinea (June 16) what absolute rubbish. AIDS has been here for many years.

Many health workers and doctors know of a number of Caucasian males, resident in Papua New Guinea for many years, who have died of the disease. Someone in the health department once said that in PNG it is easy to control epidemics you just ignore them and do not report them, and they cease to be epidemics. This is what is happening here.

From the Cook Islands News, Rarotonga Dog tags received from the police station after registering canines are proving to be too costly for dog owners. Two Matavera residents have filed separate complaints to the Police Department concerning the removal of tags from their pet dogs collar.

According to a reliable source, police suspect that other dog owners are removing the tags for the purpose of using them for their own pets.