Tropicalitifs

ALL concerns which serve the more in timate needs of the public—bakeries, butcheries, gasworks, for example come in for a certain amount of criticism; and, in that respect, the Port Moresby Freezing Co., is not peculiar. As the source of nearly all fresh food, it is in dispensable; but the residents like to throw bricks at it, all the same.

The Co. owns the local cinema. In a re cent issue of the “Papuan Courier”, the usual advertisement of films to be shown during the week ended as follows: Preston Foster and Lila Lee in

The People’S Enemy

Port Moresby Freezing Co., Ltd.

Whereupon there was cruel and horrid laughter around the Port. *- * * THE “P.1.M.”, in past years, has des cribed the administration of Western Samoa as “the essence of Old Granny Government”. In other words, nothing can be done in the Territory without per mission from a coterie of bureaucratic officials in Wellington, N.Z.—which, of course, means paralysis of all initiative and development.

Recently, Mr. G. F. K. Hufnagel-Bet ham retired from the post of Lands Com missioner in Samoa, after 17 years’ ser vice; and this is what he said to a re porter when he arrived in Auckland;— ‘“Nowadays, almost every phase of official business is directed or guided from Wellington, and New Zealanders should have no fear therefore of any departure from peace or harmony arising in Samoa as a result of local inexperience. The acting-Administrator. Mr. C. A. Turnbull, is most careful to refer all Samoan pro blems to New Zealand for a decision before action is taken.” » * * THE farewell dinner in Port Moresby recently to Rev. and Mrs. R. L. Tur ner, unhappily resulted in ptomaine poisoning for all those present, except the Governor and Mr. and Mrs. H. W.

Champion. The hurried career of the popular and capable Dr. May, from house to house, with a large bottle of castor oil, earned him the name of “Mussolini”. * * * EVERY kind of Pacific trading interest in Sydney was represented on the new motorship “Bulolo” on the after noon of December 22, when Captain A.

Campbell (the commander) and the dir ectors of Bums, Philp & Co., Ltd., enter tained some hundreds of guests. The function was arranged to mark the intro duction of this fine, modern liner to the regular run between Australia and New Guinea.

The “Bulolo” went off in such a hurry in November to take her place in the regu lar services between Sydney, Papua and New Guinea, that there was not time to give her formal greeting so it took place on the return of the vessel from her first successful round trip in northern waters. The majority of the numerous guests made an interested inspection of the ship and were much attracted by what they saw. Every conceivable pro vision has been made for the comfprt of passengers under tropical conditions.

Stewards and deck hands, who already had made the round trip, were able to assure anxious enquirers that she was an

excellent seaboat and that there was al most a total lack of vibration.

With these beautiful ships—the “Bul olo”, “Macdhui” and the “Malaita” —running in the regular services between Aus tralia and New Guinea, and between Aus tralia and the Solomons, there is an al most unbelievable difference between the travelling conditions of to-day, compared with what they were only 10 years ago. * * * WE have word, in recent mails, of two Pacific-wandering yachtsmen.

Dwight Long has been able to salvage his ketch, “Idle Hour”, which was wreck ed near New York, some months ago.

The cost of repairs is about 2,000 dol lars. The ketch, probably, will be seen again in the Pacific.

Alan Villiers, who cruised around the Pacific in the “Joseph Conrad”, recently purchased an old Arab dhow in Aden and, in her, with two boys off the “Joseph Conrad”, he is sailing to Eu rope, and thence across the Atlantic to the World’s Fair at New York. * * * IN the “Papuan Courier” it is stated that a letter was recently received from America addressed: “Port Moresby, New Guinea, East Indies, Asia”.

This is a fit companion to a commu nication lately received by another Port Moresby resident. It was from the In come Tax Department of the Inland Re venue Office in London, and was ad dressed: “Port Moresby, Papua, Fiji Is lands, U.S.A.”.

Mr. R. A. Rutherford, general man ager of Gold Mines of Papua, Misima Island, Papua, who came south by the “Bulolo” recently, has gone on to New Zealand, where he will spend leave.

Mr. G. C. O’Donnell, an Administra tion cadet from Salamaua, New Guinea, arrived in Sydney by the last “Bulolo”.

After short leave, he will take a six months' course in anthropology at Syd ney University.