May Tour New Guinea.

Prime Minister of Australia.

TT is reported that the Prime Minister A of Australia (Mr. J. A. Lyons) may make a tour of the Australian territories in the coming winter, going to the Northern Territory, Papua, and the Mandated Territory of New Guinea in that order. It is understood that Mr.

Lyons definitely will go to Darwin, and the extension of his tour to Papua and N.G. is being urged. It even has been suggested that while in New Guinea he might inaugurate the construction of the new capital. (It does not seem to occur to any one that the new capital has not been selected yet; and in fact the committee to select the new capital has not been appointed.—Ed., “P.1.M.”) Mr. N. Hagen, of Noumea, New Cale donia, who was in Sydney in January, stated that his company’s new motor vessel “Le Phoque” was functioning quite satisfactorily in the service be tween New Caledonia and the Loyalties.

The “Le Phoque” is the vessel of 200 tons which was brought to Sydney re cently from Holland as deck cargo on a large steamer.