LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 19455, 13 January 1927, Page 10

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The name of "Bloody Bridge,” in Norfolk Island, has a significant. and fearful meaning, as was related by the islanders to Mr W. J. Osborne-White, chiei officer of the New Zealand Government steamer Hinemoa, recently in Auckland. In the bad old days, when Norfolk Island was a penal settlement, the convicts engaged: in constructing this bridge murdered the six warders m charge of them, and buried their bodies beneath it. The authorities took a terrible vengeance. ■ The whole twenty convicts concerned were rounded up on the scene of the crime and shot,- first being compelled to dig their own graves. Bach man was stood on the_ brink of his own grave and tumbled into it as he was shot. Seventeen were despatched in one lot, and the three men remaining were compelled to fill in the graves. Then two more were shot, the remaining convict being required to cover them. Then he, too, was executed in the same manner. It is hard to imagine so shuddersome a scene to day when the peaceful beauty of Norfolk Island, occupied by the pleasant and law-abiding descendantof the mutineers of the Bounty. Nauru Island, which is a mandated territory under an Anglo-Anstralia New Zealand commission of three, is represented in Australia just now by a delegation of twelve Nauruan chiefs and three police officials, who, according t u the Australian Press, will spend a month in seeing and being seen. It is an nounced that. “in order that Nauruans may become acquainted with civilisation and life in Australia, the Administrator of Nauru (Brigadier-gen-eral T. Griffiths) has arranged for the visit, which should prove of great cdu oational value to the Nauruans. The island of Nauru has an approximate area of nine square miles, and a native population of 1,200, and is divided into fourteen districts, each district being iinde r a chief. The Governments of New Zealand and Japan, which also hold mandates in respect of islands in the Pacific, have accorded opportunities for natives in mandated territories under their control to visit those countries ” “Yours is just about the oldest industry' of which we have historic knowledge,” said the Minister of Lands (the Hon. A. D. M'Leod), addressing the conference of the Master Bakers and Pastrycooks’ Association at Wellington. “ You have to go right back to Genesis to find a reference to baking, wneu Abraham gave an order to prepare three loaves of bread. The industry is just about as old as history. Later on in the Roman age there are frequent references to the trade, references to the making of bread, and to the magistrates who watched the bread makers (Laughter.) Later ou in history we find tho baker who presented false weight and was burned in bis own oven. (LAughtcr.) Ido not think we are quite as hard as that, hut we keep a watchful eye,on you all the same.” (A Member: “ A very watchful, eye.”)