New Administrator

Busy

General McNicoll on Tour In New Guinea

THE new Administrator of New Guinea, A Brigadier-General W. Ramsay Mc- Nicoll, certainly has lost no time in mak ing the acquaintance of his extensive Territory and its numerous problems.

Soon after his arrival, after a period of intensive office work, he visited the goldfields area and made official calls at Salamaua, Wau, Bulolo, Edie Creek, Otibanda, Bulwa, Ramu, Mount Hagen, Lae, and thus back to Rabaul. The Ad ministrator did not spare himself. He walked most of the distance from Wau to Edie Creek and back —the track being blocked by fallen trees —and he travelled on horseback over the rough bush road from Wau to Bulolo. He used the aero planes of all four companies while he was in the district. Mr. “Bob” Gurney, in a single-engined Junkers, took the Adminis trator from the Morobe goldfield right across the Ramu-Purari region to Mount Hagen. The aeroplane, when returning, became bogged on the Mt. Hagen landing ground, but the following day, after a run-way of bamboo was laid down, the party got safely away. The Administra tor had interviews with scores of gold fields people, on a wide variety of sub jects.

The Administrator left by the Adminis tration schooner Thetis, early in Novem ber, on a visit to the Sepik area. He landed at Wewak, and visited Aitape, Vanimo, and the hinterland. Then he pro ceeded up the Sepik River to Marienberg, Angoram, Ambunti, and beyond. His itinerary thereafter included the Manus district, Kavieng, and back to Rabaul.