TUMBUNA TIMES in NEW GUINEA

 

FLYING & FRYING PAYS

Images courtesy of South Pacific Post. Copyright SPP.

By BIG PAT

THE 1960s was the decade of the space race, and of rock and roll, Elvis, the Beatles, hippies and surfing.

But in PNG, according to the annals of history, a common house fly, got three people into very serious trouble.

Mothers Day weekend was coming up. Shops and hotels all offered Mother's Day specials.

Steamships promised Mamas all manner of perfumes starting from $2 (Australian) in all manner, shapes, sizes and scents if hopefully the papas got a pay rise.

There was the time-tested Chanel, Jean D'Albert, both direct from Paris. sniff sniff.

It was May 5, a Friday of 1967. The police vagrancy squad from Koki and Boroko had raided the PDC compound at Hohola and 266 native employees were questioned at 1.30am.

Eight men were arrested and charged on vagrancy charges and appeared in the district court.

While her 'wantoks' were being charged, a pretty young Tolai lass named Miss Nerrie Tabunawa was taking her chances as the Rabaul entrant in the Red Cross Miss Territory quest representing Rabaul.

Over in Milne Bay, cargo cultists were burning bibles and passbooks and inciting workers to leave their jobs.

In a sports spread on pages 14 and 15 of the South Pacific Post Peter McMahon, the Magani fullback, and John Maraga, the Paga winger, were locked in an Arthur Summons-Norm Provan like embrace.

Then kaboom. It happened on a day when the Administration tribunal was determining wages for public servants, a common house fly flew flat into flystory.

 The headline was: FLY FOUND IN RABAUL BREAD

RABAUL: The owners of a Rabaul bakery were this week fined on three charges of having contravened the pure foods ordinance.

The owners, and their son, of Hennessy's Bakery were cautioned on a fourth charge.

Appearing in New Britain District Court, they pleaded guilty to all four charges.

A fifth charge was withdrawn.

The charges were laid by the Public Health Department after a number of complaints were received from people who had bought loaves from the bakery.

Complaints ranged from dirt baked into the base of the sandwich loaf, a fly in the crust, and even a chip of glass in a loaf.

The magistrate, a Mr P Quinlivan fined the owners $7 on each of three of the charges, a total of $21.

The PSA or Public Servants Association was, about the same time as the famous fly, making itself heard by the administration, but it seems, not as famously enough.

Back then the front page of the South Pacific Post famously screamed in bold type:

MATHEWS LIFTS BASE WAGE $40.

The Salary increases ranging from $40 at the base rate, to $600 a year for the highest administrative and professional posts, have been fixed for local public servants.

The pay rise was to take effect the following month of July.

But it was too late for a memorable Mother’s Day.

The PSA was shocked at what the page 3 pointer suggested.

The Post noted the atmosphere in the courtroom was one of excitement and most of the natives were from the Papuan Medical College.

Further down, the paper noted the eminent natives at the meeting: Oala Oala Rarua (President Workers Association), Percy Chatterton MHA Central), John Guise (MHA Milne Bay Open), Vincent Eri (President Teachers Association) Ebia Olewale (teacher), Maori Kiri (president Kerema Welfare Association) and Joseph Nombri (patrol officer).

As we all know they become some of our first and finest national leaders and were knighted by the Queen.

The PSA advocate Mr R Hawke was appalled by the decision. Two weeks later a new political party in Wewak called the United Christian Democratic Party led by Otto Kovinngre, Cletus Woramo and Pita Simongun set 'P&NG becoming the 7th state of Australia' as one of their party platforms.

In Canberra news of the pay rise fight raised eyebrows as well as sentiments that were just as fried as the adventurous fly.

WAGES UNDER FIRE was the heading and the story read: Wage policy in the territory would cause turmoil and bloodshed in the not-too-distant future.

Mr Frank Stewart, a Labour MP from New South Wales said he had heard from a highly critical government official on the policy.

Mr Stewart was reported as claiming the official had told him: Their wages would be sufficient if they didn't get high ideas and want to eat meat, bread, butter and jam.

If they stick to their native foods, they can manage.

Really? Bread? Butter & Jam? how about the fly . . .