Volcanoes Quiet

424 Natives Missing

THE town of Rabaul is being cleaned, slowly. Public services are function ing again. But it is a dull, dead town.

Most of the women and cEildren, and many men, have gone “South.”

Masses of pumice lie everywhere—in gardens, along streets, on waste lands.

Masses of floating pumice make har bour navigation very difficult. Steamers come into the port regularly, but they cannot be manoeuvred easily, and at times they cannot get alongside the wharves. Much trouble has been caused to the Neptuna, Tanda, Montoro, and other ships through the fine pumice being pumped with sea-water into their cool ing systems, and most of the ships that go into Rabaul report that their circula tory apparatus has become choked.

The pumice is being kept in the har bour by the prevailing southeast wind. It may be washed out when the “northwest comes.

Vulcan and Matupi volcanoes now are quite “dead.” Many people have climbed to the top of Vulcan, 600 feet high. Here about, the pumice and ashes have buried even the telegraph poles, along Kokopo road.

Soon after the eruption, Catholic mis sionaries said that over 300 natives had been killed. The Administrator flatly contradicted the report: he estimated the dead at 18. But on July 15, the Ad ministrator admitted in an official report that 424 natives were missing, and it was feared that the majority were dead. The natives missing were from the villages of Valaur 186, Tavoa 104, Letlet 25, and Rapolla 22, which were the four nearest villages to the Vulcan eruption, and from 20 other villages northwest of Vulcan.

The Legislative Council sat for 30 minutes on June 28 and passed a special ordinance to protect the Administration against legal actions arising out of the emergency measures taken during the eruptions. The Administration may not be sued in respect of any act done in good faith for the public safety during the period of emergency, and empowers the Administrator to issue certificates for any act so done. Claims must be lodged within 60 days of the passing of the Bill. Disputes are to be determined by arbitration.

On July 3, at a private hospital in Sydney, a daughter was bom to Mr. and Mrs. T. Yeomans, of Morobe, New Guinea.

The Pacific Islands Club has invited Major-General Sir Charles Rosenthal, Administrator-elect of Norfolk Island, and Lady Rosenthal, to be present at their monthly social gathering at the Hotel Carlton on July 27. The speaker will be Rev. Dr. Collocott, of Strathfield, who will lecture on Tonga. An invitation has also been issued to Crown Prince Taufa’ahau Tubouto’a to be pre sent.