Friday July 8, 1966
The 400 Methodist passengers from the cruise ship Kula Lumpur were entertained at a buffet dinner at the Annesley Primary School last evening.
Bus company seeks action against drunk passengers
A bus company has appealed to the police to take drastic measures to counter the problem of drunken passengers. PacificTransport Ltd has alleged that the drunks have slashed bus seats and interfered with luggage.
Writing to the Fiji Times, the company claims that for several months, it has been having trouble with drunk passengers - Fijians comprise a majority - travelling from Sigatoka to Vatukarasa, Komave, Matakula and Navutulevu.
The situation is going from bad to worse, the company claims.
"The police should prosecute any passenger contravening or failing to comply with the provisions of the regulations", the company says.
Regarding seat slashing, the company says it is seriously considering installing wooden seats, especially buses on weekend services.
The letter states:
"At the moment we are installing expensive cushioned seats for the comfort of passengers. We think it would be a great pity if we had to decide to revert to wooden seats".
After saying it was proud of the bus system which has been made into an efficient organisation, the company said it maintained that innocent passengers "ought not be deprived of privileges they are now enjoying because of a handful of hoodlums".
Tofua sails with Fiji Bananas
Fiji sent 2912 cases of bananas away yesterday in the Union Steam Ship company's ship Tofua which sailed about 4pm for Lyttleton in the south Island of New Zealand and then Auckland. Of the cargo of bananas, 709 cases were contributed by Lomaivuna Settlement and 1893 cases came from the Waidina co-operative. Fiji's farmers also exported in the Tofua 2049 watermelons, 565 cases of dalo and 457 cases of ginger. It was the first shipment of dalo out of Fiji since the hurricane and floods in February of last year.
Preparing for 1966 Festival
To date promises have been received from 11 firms and organisations to sponsor entrants in the Miss Hibiscus 1966 contest in connection with the Hibiscus Festival. This was reported at a meeting of the Hibiscus Festival Association committee on Wednesday evening.
The committee was told that so far, 45 prizes have been given for the contest.
It was also reported that the Fiji Women's Club were organising a flower show to be held at the Civic Centre on Sunday, September 18, in connection with the festival, and the Royal Suva Yacht Club will again stage a sail past and a regatta on the same day. There will be a combined religious service at Sukuna Park on the night of the same day with the Police Band providing the music.
Weather affects quality of cane
Unusual weather in Fiji's sugarcane district at the end of 1965 and at the beginning of this year have affected the quality of cane being harvested.
Lack of rain has retarded cane growth and reduced the quality of cane being delivered to the mills. Some of the mills are experiencing teething troubles with items of plant and machinery newly installed under the mills expansion programme.
This week in Fiji history: July 9, 1962
Catholic priests ordained at Suva
With solemn age-old ceremony replete with symbolism, four young Fiji-born men were ordained priests for the Catholic Mission in Fiji by Bishop Victor Foley, at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Suva yesterday.
A church, crowded to the doors with relatives of the young priests occupying the front seats, and hundreds more people packing the verandah saw the Reverends Daniel R Johns, Joseph Rasiga, William J Rounds and Raphael Kavuru raised to the priestly dignity.
The largest ordination ceremony in Fiji and the first since 1959, it occupied more than two hours. It was attended by two other bishops, Bishop Rodgers of Tonga and Niue, and Bishop Joyce of Christchurch, and a score of priests, some of them from the seminaries in Christchurch and Dunedin.