The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1944-03-26


electric vibrator Temperatures
rarely top 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Civilization stops at the coast;
the interior is still pretty much
of a question mark. Many natives
live in fear of enemies and spirits
eat ants, snakes. and dogs, in
dulge in noisy revelry.
Tales of canribalism still CONF
from the back country; head-hunt
ing persists. Jungle natives live
in stockaded villages, are wary O.
strangers and tribesmen from
distance, believe all misfortune
due to sorcery OF enemies, are
ruled by superstitions, regard jus
tice as "an eye for ar eye"
Chinese, Maiays, and Javanes
brought in b. Germans during
their occupancy before Wor Id
War l diluted native strains, light
ened local color affected dialecs.
Negroid characteristics of the Ne
lanesian stock are apparent. Pd-
gin English is the common tongle.
Malaria, tuberculosis, dysentey,
and beriberi are problems beynd
native measures.
Contact wit h whites tuned
many natives to plantation wrk,
domestic service, m e traies.
Prewa- native population totled
about $1,000.
Native women. known as Ma
ries, do the drudgery, are the
islands pack mules. In NATIVE dis
tricts women wear loin clothscall-
ed lap-laps; in towns they wear
slips to avoid punishment fG I'M
modesty.
Men loaf, hunt, fight, prinp. A
travelling costume would include a
loin cloth, a bandolier of split ba.
mana leaves, smudges O. l i'm e
around the eyes, dust aid coco
nut oil smeared on the chest, a
palm leaf vanity case, aid a pet
cockatoo perched on the houlder.
On festive occasions natives
wear masks and high haddcess-
es, streak paint on ther naked
bodies, festoon themselvs W i t h
steamers of colored paler. Pre-
cision dances rival the footWork
of Radio City's famed bckettes.
Time is kept to the clrking OF
shells ana the beating o drums.
Singing contests spice village life.
Betel nuts are chewed y young
and old.
New Britain's chief TWINS are
Rabaul and Kokopo, ole capital.
Rabaul, squatting on tie shore
flats edging the blue 1aters of
spacious Blanche Bay With it S
backdrop Of green mourains, in
spired the name, "Napls OF the
South Seas" To the natves it is
the place of n1angroves' Center
of white population and ne copra
trade, Rabaul had BUSINESS and
official life that spread aross the
bay to Kokopo.
Government officials an clerks,
missionaries, labor recruiters, pa
troll officers, shipping mn n d
planters met in offices an hotels.
Discovery Of gold in NEARBY New
| Guinea doomed Rabaul, aade it
headquarters for prospectcs.
Germans planned the town,
made wide streets, canopid them
with Towering trees that lrop a
carpet of bright petals ii tn e
blooming season. Rabaul Gained
the worlds highest per capit own
ership of automobiles foc sze OF
town-population was about 5000
before the war. Rabaulers vreck-
ed many cars in fast driving to
beat the heat, were proud 4 the
$50 miles of ''navigable" Dads
leading through the hinterlaad.
Blanche Bay is the islands best
and biggest harbor. Elsewhere,
many bays bite into the shorelne,
give access to coconut plantations.
Sharp-toothed reefs hem the moth
ern and northwestern coasts.
Coastal settlements are small,
have only primitive facilities. Val
ue is in open ground for alrtlelcs'
as at Cape Gloucester, or shell
tered landing space, as at Gas
mata and at Arawe, first to tai
i under Yank attack.