Nobody Cares !

New Rabaul Aerodrome Is Over 12 Miles From Town

TH E New Guinea Administration is * going right ahead with its task of pieparing an aerodrome at Rabaul for the new aeroplane service with Australia.

Officialdom has had its way, and the aerodrome is being constructed 12 miles from Rabaul—which discloses bureau cracy’s usual regard for the convenience of the public. Rabaul will have impor tant air communications with countries both north and south, in the decades to come, and the drome should have been as close to the town as practicable.

The placing of the drome away out in the country is on all fours with the Ad ministration’s action in having the whar ves built in their present position in Rabaul Harbour. The original German built wharf was very close to the com mercial centre of the town. It was, more over, in a snug, sheltered position—cap tains could berth their ships there com fortably and easily. But, when the wharf was destroyed by fire, the'Government would not allow a new wharf to be built there the ugly ships and the horrid sailors offended the aesthetic sense of some major official, presumably. So the wharf was rebuilt out beyond Malaguna, which is about two miles from the town and which, more often than not (it de pends on the wind) is a much more diffi cult place at which to berth a ship.' Aeroplane passengers presently will join with steamer passengers in cursing the fatheadedness of New Guinea official dom. But nobody cares.