Information wanted

Archives-September 1944

Incidence of S. Pacific

hurricanes to be studied

The director of Meteorological Ser

vices in Fiji, Flight-Lieutenant Ralph

Dyer, intends to make an intensive study of the incidence of hurricanes in the South Pacific area.

For this study, he is anxious to collect all possible details of past serious storms affecting Fiji or other Pacific islands.

He would like to enlist the aid of any residents of the South Pacific who could loan, for copying, any photographs of written or printed details of past hurri canes and hurricane damage.

All documents and photographs received will be treated with extreme care and will be returned as soon as copies are

completed.

All material should be registered and addressed to the Director of Meteorological Services, Box 288, Suva.

The full address of the sender should be enclosed in order to ensure safe return.

Flight-Lieutenant Dyer asks particularly

for these details; The date of the storm; the locality affected and the approximate track of the storm.

It should also include the severity of the storm and damage done - illustrated by pho

tographs, if possible.

Finally, any relevant weather observa tions made at the time should be included.

Traders have their troubles

MANGAIA, June - The small, indepen dent storekeepers of this island find life difficult these days. Their lot, like that of Gilbert’s policeman, is not a happy one.

The “small” store has to make, in order to survive, large profits on a very small stock. Usually the trader doesn’t benefit; it is the Administration that gets this money!

And now, to make matters worse, profits are “fixed”.

Result: Several cases of alleged profi teering, and two of unlicensed selling of goods - one man being penalised to the extent of 16 pounds and 15 shillings.

Nobody holds a brief for the calculat ing profiteer. But the small traders could be assisted in legitimate business y a reduction in their licence fees (at present five pounds yearly). Then, they could carry on without resorting to illegal stratagems of the kind described. ■