ACROSS THE PACIFIC.

Otago Witness, Issue 3831, 16 August 1927, Page 37

ACROSS THE PACIFIC.

LORD HOWE ISLAND. By Jonx Crossley Hartle. — We spent more than a week in Lord Howe Island, and were invited to five dances, four dinners, and six lunches. All’ these we were able to attend, as we’ were safely anchored inside the lagoon, and so could leave the yacht to look after herself, although she was slightly aground, at low tide. One morning, however, a roaring gale blew up, and ominous sounds came from the anchor chain. Some said, we were dragging; others thought not; but as a nasty rocky shore lay about 100ft' from our stern we proceeded to lift anchor and try again a bit further oub toward the reef. The engine for once in a way behaved itself, and going full speed ahead just managed to push us out inch by inch into the eye of the wind, and we dropped the pick in a fresh place, paid out chain, laid a second anchor to port, 1 and then lay back on both to about 30 fathoms. By night, however, it seemed to be movinrr both of them, so we tied all the weights we could muster to tha chains and then let out another 10 fathoms. This held her and by next morning the gale petered out and we were saved.

Lord Howe Island is apparently run more or less on a communal basis. The sole means of support is the palm seed business, this being the one spot on eartli where these ornamental palms grow to perfection. The population i* about 130 and the export of seed amounts to about £lO,OOO to £12,000 annually. Each, islander of 31 years gets 50 shares, this being the maximum. Man and wife can hold 100 shares with 10 shares for each of the fust three children and five shares for the fourth—total 135 shares. After this ' children are unremunerative and so larger ' families are discouraged except as a gene-’ ral reserve to replace casualties. Outsiders under 50 years of age can buy in by committing matrimony with an islander and serving 10 years for a halt and 20 years for a full share. Offspring being presumably on the same terms', they are thus made for life, in a beautiful isle, nice climate, little work, and no noxious creatures—not even tax collectors.

Taxes are paid by rat-catching one day a week, and even then 4d a tail is paid out to the catchers. The maximum wage in this paradise is 6s per day for every kind of work, even plumbing, and 6s per bushel is paid for gathering the palm, seed, which is sold by the New South Wales Government at about £5 per bushel and dividends paid out on the shares. The only fly in the ointment seems to be the refusal to give the islanders a balance sheet, or even to tell them where the reserve fund is invested, and how much money there is in the bag. Under the motherly—not to say grandmotherly —eye of the New South Wales Government, however, the island has a nice, safe, easy sort of life, albeit somewhat cabbage-like, and productive of a hospitable, generous people, whose only anxiety seems to be whether they are doing sufficient for the fortunate visitor..

And the serpent lies in this. The hold* ings of land are not the property of the islanders, no compensation is given for any improvements, not even for the houses they erect, and if one is absent for five years the whole is forfeited. We had a great send-off, being loaded up with fresh fruit, bread, sweet potatoes and roasted chickens, and boatloads of me- women, and children escorted us out through the reef, waving us goodbye, and begging us to come again—which’ we have every intention of doing, if possible, on the general principle that one cannot have too much of a really good thing. We left Lord Howe Island on July 2 with a fresh north-west wind blowing us along at about seven knots, sea easy and weather fine. We logged 160 miles the first day. Then the breeze freshened, and the sea misbehaved itself with tho usual disastrous effect. Under staysail and double-reefed mainsail we made 180 miles the second day. Next day the wind eased off, and then came in light from the south-east, and, with the sea calming down, we made Norfolk Island about midday, a run of 480 miles in 72 hours. To our great disappointment we could not get any inside anchorage, and so our stay bad necessarily to be short, as only during very fine weather can ships anchog outside.