Pacific Report

□ Family Continues Fight

THE family of the late former Premier of the Cook Islands, Albert Henry, believe their father was unjustly treated when he was convicted of conspiracy charges.

They are defending his right to have “Sir” engraved on his tombstone, though Albert Henry was striped of his knight hood in 1980.

The late Premier was convicted of con spiracy charges involving $337,000 of Cook Islands Government money. Tupui Ariki Henry, son of Albert Henry, is emphatic that his father was not guilty.

“We are putting ’Sir’ back on the tomb stone on the strength that the old man was not guilty,” Tupui Henry said. Mr Henry claims to have in his possession files that state the truth.

“We don’t think our father was right; we know he was right, and have the evi dence that proves him right.

“But it can’t be decided in any court because the court’s decision was unap pealable ... it has to be made known some other way.”

Albert Royle Henry was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1974.

The $337,000 that caused his knight hood to be withdrawn was used to charter planes to fly Cook Islands voters from New Zealand to Rarotonga before the 1978 election, which saw Albert Henry voted back to power.

He died in 1981 Mr Albert Henry, but his family has had a tombstone engraved bearing the words Sir Albert Royle Henry.

Tupui Henry said the family is trying to clear his father’s tainted name and have his knighthood restored: he had ap proached NZ Prime Minister David Lange about the matter, so far without success.

Albert Henry originally pleaded not guilty to the conspiracy charges, but changed his plea to guilty and was sen tenced to three years’ probation with a condition that he did not become a can didate for political office.

“Dad was advised by his lawyers to plead guilty because that way the fine would be minimum, he would carry on as premier and he would carry on as Sir Al bert that’s why he changed his plea,” said Mr Tupui Henry.

Albert Henry’s tombstone was made in Auckland, and Mr Tupui Henry said it would be taken back to the Cook Islands and placed on his father’s grave.

“At the moment there’s just his bust. It’s a centre of interest not only for the locals, but tourists as well,” he said.

“Although Dad may not have his name cleared by the court, it will be cleared by the people who knew him and they will re member him as Sir Albert Henry.”

The tombstone arrived in Rarotonga in May: however, the family has not de cided when to have it mounted.

□ Aquaculture On Guam

THE United States Army Corps of Engi neers is investigating the environmental impact of proposals to fill wetlands on Guam for construction of aquaculture ponds and facilities.

According to Colonel Chip Wanner, Honolulu District Engineer, work would promote the aquaculture industry, but should any federal or Guam agency notify the Corps that proposed activity is detri mental to fish and wildlife or other envi ronmental or cultural resources, the Corps would issue a suspension order and, if nec essary, direct remedial measures be taken.

□ Rabaul Vulcanology Rumbles

AUTHORITIES in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain province believe they know the identity of those responsible for harassment of staff and damage to equip ment at the Rabaul vulcanological observatory.

The incidents, which resulted in the resignation of two expatriate members of the observatory staff and the threatened resignation of the observatory chief, Doc tor Peter Lowenstein, were apparently caused by disgruntled former employees at the observatory.

Efforts are under way to identify those involved before the matter is placed in the hands of law enforcement agencies. Ra baul’s Disaster Control Committee mon itors the equipment, and can take measures to evacuate town residents in the event of an eruption.

□ 2500-Year-Old Fijians Found

A TEAM of New Zealand archaeologists excavating burial sites at the Sigatoka sand dunes 90 kilometres west of Suva has re covered the remains of about 50 people and according to radiocarbon dating the sites are around 2500 years old.

The leader of the New Zealand team, Doctor Simon Best of Auckland Univer sity, said the burial sites are not only im portant to Fiji, but to the whole of the South Pacific. They strongly resemble those of the early Polynesians who colon ised parts of the South Pacific.

The remains will be given to the Fiji Museum, except for some that will be sent to New Zealand for further study then re turned and re-buried at the sites.

□ Violence Mars Samoa Cricket

THE 1988 Samoan Cricket Competition has been cancelled following violence in volving two village cricket teams. The

cause of the violence was an umpire’s con troversial decision that resulted in mem bers of one team attacking those of the other with cricket bats.

Samoan cricket is a modified version of the English game and requires a differ ent kind of bat, ball and stumps. The num ber of players is almost unlimited, and fatalities have resulted in the past from the use of cricket bats in disputes.

□ Nz Fisheries Row Resolved?

DAYS after public uproar greeted a June Waitangi Tribunal ruling that Northland Maoris have under the 1940 Treaty of Waitangi exclusive ownership of their fisheries, a radical plan was mooted to soothe the row. The proposal, for a fish eries corporation owned and controlled jointly by the State and Maori people, was rejected by Maori members of the NZ government’s working committee on fish ing rights; nor was it approved by cabinet ministers.

Although the tribunal’s ruling is not le gally binding, Mana Motuhake party leader Matiu Rata hailed it as heralding a new economic order for Maoridom . .. while hostile fishing industry leaders warned of violence over the claims.

□ University Branch In Tonga

A multi-million dollar extension of the Pa cific and Asia Christian University is to be established in Tonga by Youth With A Mission, an international inter-denomi national organisation that established the university in Hawaii in 1982.

“In this university we put God first,” said Mr David Holmes, director of a re search institute set up as part of the uni versity’s overall planning. “We believe that if God is put first in education, then the whole man is built up. It is not just a ques tion of knowledge knowledge must come with wisdom.”

The director said his institute will first determine the specific needs of the King dom and the means by which the univer sity can fulfill those needs. A board of reference, consisting mainly of Tongans, will oversee the project.

Among the specific objectives of the extension are: to provide tertiary educa tion within the Kingdom in selected dis ciplines at a cost within reach of the people: to establish a model pre-school and early childhood education centre for the devel opment of new curricula and teacher training; to provide seminars, workshops, and short courses of significance for those in business and Government; and to fa cilitate the establishment of new Tongan businesses and to enhance those already established.

Although the university has met all the requirements for the purpose of issuing university degrees under the state laws of Hawaii, it is not yet accredited by any agency or association recognised by the US Commissioner of Education.

□ Hospital Plan For Pacific

THE Ministry of Health and staff of the National Hospital in Apia will be receiv ing special assistance in hospital opera tions improvements under a program funded by USAID’s Regional Office in Suva, Fiji. Mercy International Health Services, which, conducted a hospital charges and budget study and provided basic computer training for the Ministry’s finance staff several months ago, will be in charge of this new project.

Mercy will provide an expert team composed of a hospital administrator, hospital finance officer, nurse director and plant engineer to work on-site in Apia with the appropriate hospital staff and depart ments. After a review of each depart ment’s current operations the team, with its Samoan counterparts, will prepare an action plan for improvements in each hos pital department.

Assistance will also be provided through the formation of an in-service ed ucation committee at the National Hos pital to encourage utilisation of local personnel in providing a large portion of training needs at the facility.

On a broader regional scale, selected employees from each of the four Federated States of Micronesia will receive speci alised training in hospital electronic equipment repair under a training pro gram being provided by Mercy.

A complete biomedical equipment in ventory of each of the FSM hospitals was completed as the first step in the program.

This was followed by a site visit to each of the participating hospitals by Mr Tom Schuessler, a Mercy biomedical electron ics engineer. Mr Scheussler met with health directors and trainees to determine spe cific skills each should acquire during the formal training phase of the project. Dur ing the next phase of the project the four trainees will spend three months at St Jo seph Mercy Hospital in Mason City, lowa, where they will receive intensive training by the regional hospital’s biomedical elec tronics staff under the direction of Mr Schuessler.

It is also planned to provide them with an introduction to refrigeration repair and other skills particularly needed to help maintain equipment at FSM health care facilities. The four will then return to their hospitals, accompanied by instructors from the biomedical electronics staff at Mercy Hospital, who will assist the newly trained technicians in implementing maintenance and repair programs. The hospitals will also be provided with elec tronics tool kits and basic test equipment.

□ Fiji Indians Look To Nz

A YEAR after the first military coup in Fiji, Fiji Indians are still inquiring for re sidency in New Zealand. Figures released at the end of April showed applications granted were doubling compared with the same month last year. A peak was reached in December 1987, when 64 families were granted residency. An application now costs SNZ2OO, so people unlikely to suc ceed are advised not to apply.

□ Niueans Object To French Aid

NIUEANS in New Zealand have objected to their government accepting aid from the French. About 21,000 signed a petition ob jected to their government accepting a major aid package for a new telecommun ication system. The objectors, mainly concerned by continued nuclear bomb testing, presented their petition to Mr Vi vian Young, leader of the Niuean Oppo sition People’s Action Party, who was visiting Wellington.

□ Skin Specialist Honoured

DR lAN PRYOR, former director of Wel lington Hospital’s epidemiology unit and well known for research work in the is lands, was presented with an honorary Doctor of Science degree at Victoria Uni versity, Wellington. His early research fo cused on health problems of Maori people, while later research was conducted in the Pacific, notably in Tokelau. □

□ Solar Water For The Islands

“OUR SOLAR systems currently supply village water to at least seven Torres Strait Island communities: in fact, there are more island communities on our order list.”

Mono Pumps (Australia) Pty Ltd’s export manager Rick Bertisan is delighted with the wide acceptance of the Mono Suntron solar water-pumping system in the Torres Strait Islands. Bertisan says water re sources on these islands are limited, so systems were developed to collect water from hillside soaks by collection galleries to a lined well. Water is then pumped via a surface-mounted system housed in a shed with the equipment on the roof.

Coconut Island, for example, with a population of 150 people, is served by a 16 solar panel system pumping 16,000 to 21,500 litres per day at a 20-metre head.

The Mono solar system has no wearing parts compared with a windmill-powered system; spare parts are readily available and solar power is adaptable to every site, while wind power is only adaptable to some. Mono Suntron pumps, made in Mordialloc, Victoria, have been exten sively tested in the Australian outback, where they operate from an hour after sunrise to within an hour of sunset.

□ Dumped ... On Page One

ELECTRICORP and private firms in New Zealand shipped toxic wastes to Wales for incineration last year, the Auckland Sun day Star noted in a postscript to a Page One lead, reporting that the Tongan Cab inet would consider a secret plan to burn and dump toxic wastes from the United States. Details had been leaked to the pa per, the Sunday Star reported.

□ To Fiji From The Cooks

CASHMORE MCNICOL, a clothing company and one of the Cook Islands’ largest private employers, is reported to be moving its opperations to Fiji. The New Zealand based company was originally the Olsen Clothing Company; its factory in Rarotonga employed about 50 people, most of them women.

□ Fiji Tourism Stirs Again

NEW ZEALANDERS are beginning to inquire again at travel agencies about Fiji resorts, but bookings have only been tric kling in. One agency that has taken a few bookings said the present trend was to book accommodation on Viti Levu for one night rather than longer holidays, at this stage, on smaller islands.

□ Bcl Wants Ban Lifted

BOUGAINVILLE Copper chairman Don Carruthers has called for a lifting of the 15year ban on exploration on Bougainville.

Mr Carruthers informed BCL share holders that the Bougainville Copper Agreement was due for review this year and that lifting of the local moratorium on ex ploration headed BCL’s priorities for the review of the agreement.

The agreement provides for discus sions between BCL and the Papua New Guinea Government every seven years to ensure it is operating fairly (Bougainville Copper is 53.6 per cent owned by CRA, 19.1 per cent by the PNG Government, and the rest by public shareholders).

Initial discussions on the review had taken place with both the PNG and Prov incial Governments, and a timetable for the review was being drawn up. “Because of the long lead times in exploration, eval uation and development of any resource that may be discovered, it is of the utmost importance that the moratorium now be lifted,” Carruthers said.

The PNG Government had indicated it is willing to lift the exploration ban, but the Provincial Government has stated that questions of compensation and the social

sffiMsr“

Bougainville Copper recorded a profit in 1987 ofsA 147.7 million (K 93.6 million), up 106 per cent on the previous year and the best result in real terms since 1974. The increased profit reflected exceptionally good copper prices, particularly in the second half of the year. Copper prices had reached a record SUS 1.45 per pound at the end of the year, taking the average for the year to USBI cents compared with US6I cents in 1986.

Gold prices had also been strong, averaging SUS 447 per ounce in 1987 compared with SUS36B the previous year.

□ New Firefighter

A NEW high-pressure firefighting pump has been released by Pacific Pump Company of Rydalmere, NSW. Called the QP2O3SE, the new firefighter is of alloy construction and is fitted as standard with a three-way firefighting outlet that provides two 2.5 cm (1 ”) outlets and one 3.5 cm (1 “) outlets. The unit is capable of a maximum head in excess of 74.9 m (246 ft) and an output pressure of more than 100 PSI.

Maximum flow is 400 litres (88 gallons) per minute.

Due to the variety of applications for such a pump, Pacific is offering the QP2O3SE in both Honda and Briggs & Stratton petrol-powered configurations and Acme diesel-powered form.