Trade Biscuits Made

In Wau

A BAKERY which was established at Wau, in New Guinea, in 1936. for the production of bread, for the Eu ropean population, and of trade biscuits, for the native labourers, reports a suc cessful year s operations.

The biscuit business, especially, has flourished—which is not to be wondered at, considering that there are about 8,000 indentured native labourers on the gold fields, and that rice and trade biscuits are their staple foods.

The baking Co., however, are urgently appealing for the construction of a road from the goldfield towns to the coast.

They point out that they pay no less than £lO,OOO per annum in freight on flour brought in the aeroplanes from the coast to the goldfield—and that this rep

resents 40 per cent, of their turnover.

Their air freight bill in December was £960.

The manager of the bakery was in Sydney in January, purchasing machin ery and equipment with a view to open ing another bakery at Salamaua, for the production of bread and trade biscuits.

Paul Ah Lok, one of the oldest and highly-respected Chinese residents of New Guinea, died on January 25 after a short illness. Prominent in every move ment for the welfare of Chinese in the Mandated Territory, Paul Ah Lok went to New Guinea in April. 1890, as an em ployee of the late Ah Tam. Some time later he took up land in New Ireland, where he was one of the first Chinese planters. He was a trusted friend of Dr.

Hahl, during the German regime.