New Guinea Notes

From Our Own Correapondent.

Rabaul, Sept. 14.

THE Kokopo Cup race meeting was held on Commemoration Day (Tues day, September 12th) at the Kini gunan racecourse. There was a fair attendance, and some good racing. The Cup race was won by Mr. Vic. Penne father’s Viola, ridden by Mr. Robin son. Viola won from Enchant by a length and a half, with the newly imported Guiding Light four lengths behind. The time was 1.32 1/5.

19 Years Afterwards.

An impressive ceremony was held in the cemetery at the Botanical Gardens on Tuesday morning last in com

memoration of the landing of the Australian troops at Kabakaul.

A pilgrimage, organised by the R.S. & S.I.L.A. branch here, of whom Mr. R. L. Clark, M.L.C., is president, was made through the Botanical Gardens; the members carrying wreaths which were later placed upon the graves of the soldiers and sailors who fell at the landing and also those who succumbed to the tropical life here.

The Administrator and his staff were present, representing government de partments, while other local public bodies and commercial houses were represented.

A touching address was rendered by Rev. T. J. Gibson, after the singing of Kipling’s “Recessional.” The ceremony was brought to a close by the singing of the National Anthem.

Pilot Duncan At Lae.

The Genairco seaplane which left Sydney about a month ago with Pilot Duncan and Mechanic Gettenby is now at Lae, having been forced down some twenty miles south of the Papuan bor der, and from there was towed by the Administration schooner “Wanderer” to Salamaua and eventually to Lae, where repairs will be effected. We understand that no serious damage was done to the ’plane, and that the engine functioned admirably and is undamaged.

Costly Litigation.

The Booth v. Booth litigation case is still only part heard in the Central Court here. Mr. Chas. Booth, the plaintiff, has finished his evidence and Mrs. Booth (the defendant) is now giv ing her evidence. This case will be one of, the most costly affairs in the legal world here.

Influenza.

The influenza epidemic which for a while attained serious proportions in the Kavieng district, has now been controlled through the energies of the Medical Department. Forty deaths were reported from Musau Island.

Most of them, it is alleged, were the result of influenza.

After 20 Years In Samoa.

Some twenty-odd natives arrived in Rabaul last week by the “Nairnbank” from Samoa, where many of them have been working for the past twenty years. Their repatriation —in many ways—presents a problem as to how they will settle down in their villages after having lived all these , years amongst the Samoans.

Tennis Champions.

From Our Own Corretpondent

Rabaul, Sept. 25.

FOR the third year the Rabaul Tennis Club won the associated clubs’ com petition with a score of thirty points; Treasury came next with twenty-eight points: followed by Bank of N.S.W., Ma tupi, Roberts, B.P. Club, N.G. Club, Ad ministration and W.R.C. Club. The Pre miership Pennant was presented to the captain of the team, Mr. G. Walker, by the Administrator, on Saturday, Septem ber 16. A match played on the same afternoon between the Rabaul Tennis Club and The Rest resulted in a win for the latter team.

Baseball is becoming a favourite sport again this season; and there have been some good games. “Hitter” Hawnt has been the first batsman to hit a home run this season. Present positions of teams are: Administration 8, Commerce 6, Metropolitan 4.

Car Thieves Sentenced.

The Malay, Hassan Lehmann, and the half-caste Andrew Jacob, have both been sentenced to terms aggregating four years’ imprisonment with hard labour.

These two offenders were remanded from the District Court on fourteen separate charges of stealing. The thefts in the majority of cases were pilfering from standing motor cars.

Central Court Sessions.

The Criminal Sessions of the Central Court were held from September 11 to 15 when some 31 cases were dealt with; the majority of them being native cases and all pleading guilty assisted in speeding up the work. Several murder cases came before His Honour the Chief Judge, some of a most atrocious character. Death sentences were passed in all cases of murder.

Petrol Prices Reduced.

Local petrol prices dropped another penny per gallon on September 20, thus making the price from the oil companies to the retailers 1/7½d. Some of the garages immediately passed on this drop, with the result that consumers were charged 1/11 per gallon; other garages, making the excuse that the odd penny would be a distressful item in the mat ter of making change, still cling to the old selling price of 2/- per gallon.

Cadet Black Wounded.

A report has been received, from un official circles, that Cadet Black, who was accompanying prospectors in the Tauri River country (Morobe district), sustained a slight flesh wound as the result of a native firing an arrow at him.

It would appear, from the information

available, that one of the prospector’s carriers left the main body of the party and was murdered and it was when ar resting the murderer that Mr. Black re ceived the wound. This was one of many prospecting parties that have gone in recently to new country under the pro tection of Administration patrols.

N.G.-Dutch Boundary Surveyed.

Mr. A. C. Chauncey has returned from the Dutch border where, together with the Dutch authorities, he has made a survey of the international boundary be

tween the Dutch territory and our own.

It is understood that Mr. Chauncey has collected some very valuable data which he will publish at a later date.

Rabaul Airways ’Plane.

The Genairco seaplane, piloted by Mr.

W. Duncan, has still not yet arrived here. The latest word we have received is that the machine is undergoing repairs at Lae. The engine, we hear, has done excellent work throughout the trip; the delay has been caused only by smaller repairs to the floats, etc.