The Fiji Times excerpts from March 1

March 1

MEMBERS of the crew of the Marine Department ship Degei II lowered a boat soon after she went aground on a coral patch off the Vanua Levu coast. The ship was refloated under her own power two hours after the accident. Attempts to pull her off with an anchor failed.

March 2

A LOCAL judge, Justice Moti Tikaram, was to be Fiji’s first Ombudsman. Mr Tikaram was to see the Prime Minister, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, for final discussions about his appointment. Ratu Sir Kamisese told a news conference that they hoped details of an agreement and conditions relating to the new post would be completed.

March 3

SEVENTEEN Lautoka Hospital student nurses who walked out of their wards returned to duty. The trainees were protesting against the tightening of discipline by the hospital authorities. Their off-duty hours had been reduced to cut down on late nights.

March 4

ABOUT 3000 mourners from all parts of Fiji attended the funeral at Lautoka of Pandit Ayodhya Prasad, the founder and general secretary of the Fiji Kisan Sangh farmers’ organisation. Mr Prasad, who died in Lautoka after a short illness, was cremated at Drasa according to Hindu Vedic rites.

March 6

NOISE from Suva guesthouse disturbed doctors, nurses and patients at a Colonial War Memorial Hospital Maternity annexe. A senior nursing sister said noise from the two guesthouses near Anderson Maternity annexe, sometimes went on all night. She said it disturbed patients and nurses.

March 7

OWNERS of commercial premises in Suva had mixed opinions about the Senate’s appointment of a select committee to examine the possibility of controlling rent for their properties.

March 8

THE Fiji Government had decided to begin preparations for a changeover to the metric system of weights and measures. The Minister for Commerce and Industry, Vijay R. Singh, said attempts were being made to recruit an expert to work with an advisory committee or metrication board.

March 9

A FIJI virologist had warned of an increase in the number of abnormal births because of an outbreak of German measles. Babies could be born deformed or with heart defects.

March 10

A GROUP of civil servants opposed a decision by the Fiji Public Service Association (FPSA) to join the Fiji Trades Union Congress. Their opposition had prompted the FPSA president, Atfoa Varea to send a circular to association members about the proposed link.

March 11

FIJI sugar workers asked for an increase of 27.25 cents an hour to bring their basic pay up to 60 cents an hour, when they meet South Pacific Sugar Mills Ltd officials for wage talks in April. This represents a rise of more than 80 per cent.

March 13

THE rate of population growth in Fiji continues to go down. In 1971 it was 2.08 per cent compared with 2.09 per cent in 1970 – a significant drop from 10 years previously when it was 3.38 per cent.

March 14

AT least 104 prospective candidates to contest 52 seats in the House of Representatives general election were to begin preparing their nomination forms in time for filing. Nominations time had been fixed between 10am and 1pm. Polling was to take place between April 15 and 29.

March 15

THE missing trimaran Triptych had arrived safely at Totoya Harbour in the southern Lau group. A spokesman for the search and rescue centre at Nadi Airport said the centre found the Triptych through a routine radio check with Totoya.

March 16

TEN Suva householders had been warned by the Coconut Pests and Diseases Board they will be prosecuted if they do not clear heaps of rubbish from their gardens. The board’s manager, William Firoa said the rubbish heaps made good breading grounds for rhinoceros beetles.

March 17

PORT authorities told Suva Chamber of Commerce they were willing to tighten security arrangements at Suva wharf with the aim of minimising cargo pilfering. The chamber suggested that all cars and covered vehicles should be searched before they left the wharf.

March 18

A SUVA woman was gaoled for nine months for fraud involving nearly $1200 which belonged to the Peace Corps. The woman was employed as a clerk at the Peace Corps headquarters in Suva.

March 20

AN independent candidate in the general election had criticised Radio Fiji for not giving