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The Samoa (N.Z.) Expeditionary Force 1914–1915

Chapter XVIII. — "The Pull Thro'"

page 105

Chapter XVIII.
"The Pull Thro'".

After the establishment of permanent quarters and when the novelty of garrison routine had begun to lose its charm, a few of the Force whose civilian lives were cast in the "inky way," discussed the question of establishing a military newspaper. The matter had been mooted on the transport coming over, and the legend is that it was in the fertile brain of one Pat. Hanna that the notion germinated.

Early in September a census of those possessing journalistic attainments revealed the fact that the Force was singularly rich in well-known newspaper men and literateurs. These men enlisted the sympathies of the two Regimental Padres (Chaplain-Captains E. E. Maiden and T. Segrief), and on the last Sunday in September, 1914, a meeting was held in the London Missionary Society's Hall on the waterfront. The questions as to what form the proposed publication should take, the nature of the articles to be called for, the cost of production and the duties of management, were the subject of an animated discussion, and, with the help of the technical knowledge available, the scheme was soon reduced to the realm of practicability. Those present formed themselves into a body to be called "The Literary Committee of the Advance Party," and it was unanimously decided to proceed with the project. The name for the paper was a matter of weighty consideration, and was eventually decided by a majority vote. The result of this vote was that there burst forth at a later date upon the astonished gaze of the troops a journal called "The Pull Thro'," with which was incorporated the "Noumean Nightmare," "Suva Send Off," and "Samoan Sun."

The meeting broke up with a very definite warning—at the outset it was to be made clear to contributors that the strictest censorship of articles submitted would be necessary, as, at all costs, the revealing of military information had to be avoided. page 106While the best legal opinion available was prepared to scout the Jaws of libel, it had a very healthy respect for the provisions of the Army Act. There was reputed to be, hidden away somewhere in that nebulous statute, a reference to divers pains and penalties for those who "published or caused to be published" any matter which reflected upon the ability, character or the intelligence of superiors in rank. Comment was made on the fact that the converse was apparently not the law of the land, and the most pungent reflections upon the character or ability of one's inferiors in rank seemed to be within both the spirit and the letter of that somewhat one-sided enactment. This provision in favour of superiors was responsible for the suppression of many highly-flavoured efforts submitted by the members of the rank and file. The sub-editors have vivid recollections of some anonymous and inspired vituperation which, if only on account of its obvious sincerity, should have deserved a better fate than the oblivion of the waste-paper basket. Indeed, there was a vague doubt in the minds of the censors as to whether the name of the paper itself were not libellous. Its primary significance was innocent enough, being an article of daily use amongst troops, designed to break off short in the rifle and cause considerable inconvenience in its extraction. Its secondary and more poignant significance lay in the fact that it was a nom-de-plume applied to one of the officers, an ex-Indian Army captain, who was the possessor of a habit, distinguishing him from his namesake, of never breaking off short in anything that he undertook. He was reputed to have definite notions on the subject of lampooning officials, and the censors of the Literary Committee decided that it must be made quite clear that the name of the journal was to be understood only in its primary meaning.

As soon as word went round that contributors were required, a steady stream of manuscript commenced to flow in to the Literary Committee. It is very much doubted if ever a paper of the ultimate dimensions of the "Pull Thro'" required as much sorting, sub-editing and re-writing as proved necessary in September and October, 1914. During a lull, however, the Committee considered as to where the journal should be printed. page 107At this juncture difficulties of a technical nature obtruded themselves. The port of Apia was the possessor of but one printing press, and that one was particularly antiquated. By assiduous attention to business it wheezed out a weekly periodical which rejoiced in the name of the "Samoanische Zeitung" (afterwards named the "Samoan Times"). It was a royal folio sheet of eight pages printed in Samoan, German and English, and nominally edited by one Emil Luebke. The editor, however, was said to have taken to the hills after a protracted bout of his favourite laager beer. The publication and management of the paper was left to James Ah Sue, a picturesque half-caste Chinese Samoan, the son of Bully Hayes's Chinese cook.

The Committee accordingly waited on Ah Sue. Ah Sue was at all times prepared to be helpful, but he pointed out that the type in which it had been decided to print the publication was all used in the "Zeitung," and that the copy would have to be set in larger type. This necessitated new lay-out and rearrangement of the manuscript that had been prepared. He later indicated that the native compositors could not read English manuscript, and that all handwritten matter had to be reduced to properly punctuated typescript. This was bad enough; but when it was discovered that there was only one typewriter available in the whole of the Samoan Group and that it was in the last stage of senile decay, the Literary Committee began to think that they had taken on a task of Herculean dimensions. However, two members of the Committee had graduated at the "case," and actually set up the type of most of the first number of the paper, and shortly prior to 14th October, 1914, it was ready to go to press.

Ah Sue then pointed out that his press, being of the vintage of the early sixties, was operated by manual power. This proved to be only too true, and working the press was highly reminiscent of one's childhood days turning the family mangle. Relays of native boys took turns in supplying the power, and gradually the first four pages were run off to the number of about 2000 copies. In an ill-guarded moment, however, one of the Committee dropped the hint that at least 4000 impressions were required.

page 108

The natives lost heart immediately and before the work was half completed they struck for higher pay. This was refused, and the edition was ultimately completed by the Committee themselves. Stripped to the waist and streaming with perspiration, they mangled day and night with no other encouragement than an occasional bottle of laager beer supplied by the presiding genius, James Ah Sue. Then followed the folding, cutting and distribution of the paper, and about 4 p.m. on 14th October, the many-sired brain-child of the Literary Committee was born. Mails were at this time infrequent, and the troops were longing for reading matter. It had been with some diffidence that so great a number of impressions had been decided upon, but the determined rush made by the rank and file for copies of the journal, partly for local consumption and partly to despatch to relatives in New Zealand, was a gratifying sight to the weary Literary Committee.

Some of the verse and paragraphs were obviously the work of unpractised amateurs, but a good deal of the matter was the best that professionals could furnish. Officers' little mannerisms were deftly turned to advantage in rhyme and prose, and a serial set of verses, "The Ballad of the B'hoys," relating to troopship life, ports of call, landing and subsequent garrison routine, ran through several issues and bore the stamp of an observant brain and a sublime sense of humour.

It was the original intention of the Committee to publish the paper weekly. The difficulty of obtaining the requisite leave from regimental duties, however, coupled with the limitations of the "Zeitung" plant, necessitated an alteration to this programme. Application was accordingly made to the manager of the London Missionary Society's printing establishment at Malua, Mr. H. S. Griffin, and he undertook to print the second and subsequent numbers of the paper.

The second edition was published ten days after the first, on the 24th October, and its appearance was an excellent indication of the improved plant with which it had been produced. Difficulties continued to crop up, but these were overcome much more easily than those besetting the path of the initial produc-page 109tion. The compositors at Malua could read English and English manuscript, and the derelict typewriter was accordingly abandoned. Mr. and Mrs. Griffin were the soul of courtesy and hospitality, and those who were fortunate enough to get night leave to stay at Malua will ever have the happiest recollections of sleeping in a real bed, without having their anatomy explored and punctured by the venomous fauna which flourished in the sleeping quarters at Malifa and Vaea.

The London Missionary Society's plant at Malua was up-to-date and contained many ingenious labour-saving devices which in turn had been improved by the enterprising manager. It was in this establishment that the Bible and Prayer Book were translated into, and published in several Polynesian, Melanesian and Micronesian languages. Portions also of the Holy Writ were published into that lingua franca of the South Seas, "Pidgeon English."

One member of the Literary Committee was a well-known sketch artist and caricaturist, and great disappointment was felt when it was found there was no process engraving plant of any kind in the island. Much thought was given to the matter, and the problem was eventually solved in a most ingenious manner by one of the Committee. The artist (Pat. Hanna) handed over his original sketches which were copied on to some smooth-faced linoleum. The actual picture was engraved by cutting away the blank part of the linoleum, so leaving the raised lines of the sketch as a printing surface. These blocks were by no means perfect, but served sufficiently well to show the title of the paper projected on the rays of the setting sun, with Apia harbour in the foreground carrying a battleship riding at anchor in the middle distance. A private of the Forces sat beneath the traditional palm in the foreground, reading a copy of the paper, while a businesslike centipede is seen delivering a frontal attack upon the reader and a halo of flies sets off his head to advantage. To add some martial effect the figure in the foreground is carrying in his arms his rifle with bayonet fixed. The copy of the paper obscures the middle portion of the rifle, and the craftsman, in copying it on to the linoleum, failed to make the lines of the page 110 A black and white series of sketched cartoons about the New Zealand Expeditionary Force based in Samoa and their first Christmas there.page 111rifle continuous and gave the impression of the bayonet end having been refracted as it passed behind the paper.

Another full page sketch is shown in the third number, in which a dejected-looking member of the Force is seen holding Samoa in his arms. He is being attacked on all sides by many species of vermin, and the picture bears the brief but pathetic legend, "We'll hold it; but we wish something would happen." This cartoon was a very fair indication of the feeling of the ranks at this early stage of the occupation. Numbers 1 and 2 contained many faked advertisements, which were possibly the most amusing portion of the paper. One, particularly, touched the regimental sense of humour, and ran as follows:

Wanted, Urgently, by Regimental
Cooks—Lessons in Cookery.

In all there were six numbers of the "Pull Thro'" published by the Advance Party. At first the news and banter were mostly regarding the troops themselves. It is interesting to note, however, that all that changed in the few months of the occupation, and in latter numbers the subject of themselves was shunned. This alteration reflected, after true journalistic fashion, the inclination of the readers. The troops were, it must be admitted, quickly tired of their inactive and seemingly futile life in the Island, and their impatience to be away rendered distasteful to them any extensive reference to their lot. The advertisements, too, ceased their jocular note and became the sober, money-making contributions of the tradesmen. The literary merit of the production was, however, steadily progressive, even if its issue were somewhat intermittent. It is believed, however, that there has been no publication in the history of the war, edited and published solely by the rank and file, that surpasses in continuity of effort and literary achievement the product of the New Zealanders' enforced idleness in the South Seas.