December 25 In crossing the International date line we missed Christmas Eve. We also ran into real hot weather. Today the ship has been like a furnace. It has not cooled since it gathered heat at the Pango wharf. In the dinind room last night temperature was 98½ degrees. Today it has been around 95. In changing course westerly for Fiji, such wind as there is strikes the opposite side of the ship and our cabin is hardly habitable. Poor Woodhall, our sick man, is still sweating it out in bed, getting about half a dozen shots of penicillin in the 24 hours and showing no definite improvement. He has been told he has pleurisy, but maybe it is pneumonia. Santa Claus came aboard just before we left Pango yesterday, bringing presents for the children. This evening at dinner the ladies all received a gift from the ship - a package of California dried fruits. There was not even a greeting for the men. Turkey dinner, or for those that preferred it, filet mignon. Quite a feed. Failure of the captain to appear at Christmas Dinner drew caustic comment from several ladies at our table. Most likely he is taking every chance to avoid the silly questions they always ply him with when he is at table. Islands and reefs in these seas kept him on the bridge this evening, according to report. Parties all over the ship last night. Sun deck littered with broken beer bottles. Trash all over the ship in public places. No hose or broom has been put to decks today. This ship is a disgrace. Passed fairly close to "Tin-can Island" (Nieufua) in the morning. Following a very severe volcanic eruption about a year ago, the population was evacuated by the New Zealand controlling authorities. Am told that a ship called there quite recently and found some natives who had stayed behind. Friday Dec. 26 Tied up to Suva Wharf at about 8 AM and left at eleven. Before me second sitting breakfast gong sounded, my name was called over the ship's barker system and I found that Dr. A. C. Smith of the Arnold Arboretum had come on board to meet me. He had with him Marshall, Conservator of Forests. Marshall had his Chev station wagon at the wharf and they had planned a morning's outing for me. Went first to the Grand Pacific Hotel to call on Mrs. Smith, then drove out some miles along Prince's Road to a forest reserve where Marshall has a small establishment of thatched houses and is making small scale experimental plantings of exotic (mainly exotic) timber trees. Development of a larger program is about to begin. Marshall is primarily a forest engineer, with experience in Malaya. Has been here only 4½ months. Prior to his appointment, no real interest in forestry matters was taken by the Fijian government. Now they are faced with an immediate demand for box timber for packing bananas for export to New Zealand. There is an urgent demand for this. Fijian exporters of bananas must have case wood or lose their export quota for New Zealand. I gather from Marshall that no adequate supply of native box or case woods is in sight. He will plant quick-growing Albizzia falcata. A small experimental plot of this has grown to 60 feet high and about 7 to 9 inches in diameter in 4½ years. Marshall plans to plant this tree on a 10-year rotation. Experimental plantings of mahogany (Swietenia) have done very well. All plantings are being made on forest regrowth land. The forest regrowths, on rather shallow reddish clayey soil derived from soapstone, are very luxuriant. Rainfall is high on this side of the island of Viti Levu. A giant Alpinia, fully 40 feet tall and looking like a tall, slender banana, is conspicuous. Treeferns (Cyathea) are common, and so is Commergonia bartrania, now covered with white flowers. Kauri pines prominent in relics of the former forest. Marshall is starting to label conspicuous trees on the roadside for the benefit of tourists.