From The Archives

September 1930

SW Pacific Market Report The Americans, be they at peace or war are commercially minded.

According to Newsweek, latest market

reports from the South-west Pacific state i* 7 that Jap sou ...m ' venirs ( gas masks, hel mets, paper money etc) are still

selling strongly in New Britain.

Favourite exchange mediums for these trinkets are fresh eggs, oranges, canned good. Wristlets and watch bands made from scrap plane duraluminium, scapped Guadacanal or Tarawa, bring $8 to $l5, according to craftsmanship.

Necklaces of cat’s-eye shells $2O-$5O.

Shares have been sold to provide new offi cers’ clubs. One such, in the Hotel du Pacifique in Noumea - complete with a long bar, slot machines and a mess - orig inally sold issued shares at $25. These shares are now quoyed at $6OO, and have

Pacific Islands

paid handsome divi dends in cash - or grog.

New Airmail Service

for Fiji

Fiji is to share in the new British Dominions airmail

letter arrangements which came into oper ation on August 28.

Letters must be written on the correct lightweight forms. Neither registration of these letters nor enclosures will be permit ted. Fiji residents will be able to take advantage of this new service as soon as a supply of the forms is received in the Colony. Details of charges and a list of the countries to which the special airmail letters may be sent is expected to be pub lished in Fiji shortly.

Only Private Car on Tarawa In England, the rate of postage has been i fixed at 6d; in New Zealand, at Bd.

There are numerous trucks and jeeps on Betio (Tarawa) which now a busy

American base, but there is only one pri vate car. It is owned by Captain Edwards, a British officer who commands the local detachment of Gilbert and Ellice Islands labour corps.

It is not much of a car - one door is missing and the body fabric is percolated with bullet holes - but Edwards is proud of it. It belonged originally to the Jap admiral in command of Tarawa and was still in running order when captured by the Marines.

It was presented to Edwards in recog nition of the work done by his Labour Force in unloading stores for the Marshallese campaign.

Edward finds ownership of the car embarrasing in one respect only: newcom ers to the island are apt to plant them-

selves in its path, in good American > fashion, and —k attempt to ( j bring it to a

wfgr standstill

with shouts of “taxi.”

Established 1930