The Fiji Times — extracts from January 2-31, 1967
January 2
Three Fiji citizens received the MBE and one of the Queen's Police Medal in the New Year Honours List. They are Mr Desmond Singh, chairman of the Ba Township Board, Sister Mary Herve of the Fiji Leprosy Hospital on Makogai and Warrant Officer Isoa Vakaciwa of the Fiji Military Forces.
January 3
The Oriental Queen, the first passenger ship to arrive in Suva in 1967 berthed yesterday morning with 335 passengers for Auckland and Sydney on board.
January 4
The population of the city of Suva is about 54,000, the Census Commissioner Dr F.H.A Zwart said yesterday.
January 5
A 12-year-old boy drowned in the Qawa River in Labasa on Tuesday and a young man disappeared while swimming in the Sawani River on Monday.
January 6
Twenty-two villagers of the delta village of Daku, Tailevu told the Senior Magistrate, Mr Moti Tikaram, of the Suva Court yesterday that they had burned down a house because they had been ordered to do so by their chief. In statements to the police, they said they would do anything he told them to do.
January 7
Many sections of the community were represented at the funeral in Suva yesterday of Mr R.N.Caldwell. At his own wish, Mr Caldwell was buried at sea.
January 9
A man from Lautoka told the Third Class Magistrate Mr Vishwa Nath that he stowed away because he wanted to see the Queen and the Queen's Palace in England.
January 10
Fiji may have a State lottery and private business interests may be allowed to establish "one or more high class casinos" in the Colony. The proposal if adopted would require changes in the law.
January 11
The survey of deaf children being carried out in Fiji by the New Zealand specialist, Sefton Bartlett, has shown the need for the establishment in the Colony of special educational facilities for the deaf.
January 12
Sir Maurice Scott, a barrister and solicitor and former Speaker of the Legislative Council was accidentally "shot" in Lami this week by a stone thrown up by a motor mower operating on the roadside.
January 13
Forty names will come out of a drum in a "lottery" in Levuka in a few weeks. The prizes will not be money or articles but plots of land in the picturesque Lovoni Valley, Ovalau.
January 14
Information on unemployment and underemployment in Suva will be sought in a survey which is to be carried out in the next two months by the staff of the Government Statistician.
January 16
The New Year has started with a band, according to the Medical Department in its health bulletin for the week ending January 7. There has been a case of typhoid fever, one of tetanus and one of leprosy. There were 22 cases of gonorrhoea.
January 17
When two men saw cows feeding in their cassava plantation and breaking down the plantation, they attacked one cow with cane knives. The cow, which was badly injured and in pain, had to be destroyed.
January 19
Nearly 2000 travellers will be at King's Wharf in Suva this morning. They will arrive in the P and O liner, Chusan, and the Shaw Savill liner, Southern Cross. About 880 of them will stay overnight.
January 20
The Levuka Township Board has told the Chief Secretray, Mr G.P.Lloyd that it approves of State lotteries provided the income is used to benefit the people but does not approve the casinos.
January 21
"Bye Bro, Bye Sis. Look after the family." This was one of the farewells at Nadi Airport
yesterday afternoon when 108 Fiji men serving with the British Army prepared to board an airline for the flight to Singapore and a return to their units. They had had two months leave.
January 23
An epidemic of infantile diarrhoea in the Colony had claimed 316 cases by the end of the second week of the year, but fortunately the outbreak continues to be of a mild infection.
January 24
The last and most impressive stage of Suva's new Post Office was declared open yesterday by the Governor Sir Derek Jakeway after he had cut a ribbon across the main doorway with a pair of scissors. More than 100 guests watched.
January 25
The first shark hooked in Levuka in 1967 was a grey nurses caught by Jone Soqetam an employee of the Pacific Fishing Company Limited, who was fishing from the Queen's Wharf at lunchtime on Friday.
January 26
Now that the FEA has begun its operation, will consumers pay more or less for power? It is hoped that the only consumers who will have to pay more are the few who enjoyed the benefit of subsidised electricity rates before the FEA took over. The rest should pay the same or less.
January 27
An outbreak of leaf-hoppers on rice fields in the Navua district has been reported by the resident field officer. The outbreak is particularly severe in the Calia and Nakaulevu areas.
January 28
After 12 days of mud, moisture and mosquito its back to work on Monday for most of the men of the Second Battalion, Royal NZ Infantry Regiment, who have been training in Fiji.
January 31
Fiji could be one of the greatest big-game fishing places in the world, but the assistance and cooperation of the Government and tourists is needed.