New Guinea's Salvation

And Curse

says a recent writer on New VI Guinea, “is at once New Guinea’s salvation and its curse . It has trebled the white population m a few years, brought prosperity to the Man dated Territory—and blinded its people to everything but gold.

Java, with a population of 200,000 Eu ropeans, has a rich export trade in tropi cal products, rubber, tobacco, sugar, tea, coffee, cocoa, rice, quinine, and spices.

With a sound policy of agricultural deve lopment, New Guinea might become the East Indies of Australia.

Mr. R. S. Willis, Government Medical Assistant in charge of the Port Moresby Native Hospitals, returned to Papua by air early in February from three months’ vacation leave spent in

Queensland.

Mr. William Eady, of Tanna, New Hebrides, died recently. He was one of the best-known of the old-time British planters, and established him self originally on a plantation in the Bay of St, John.

Mr. R. H. Stracham has relieved Mr.

V. G. Tisdall at the Suva branch of the Bank of N.S.W. The latter returned to Australia from the Colony at the end of February.

Mr. R. McLaughlin arrived in Sydney in February by the “Macdhui” on three months’ furlough. He is employed in the shipping department of B.P.’s branch at Rabaul, New Guinea.

Mr. and Mrs. Alport Barker, well known residents of Suva, celebrated the 30th anniversary of their wedding on February 8, and to mark the occasion Mr. and Mrs. F. I’A. Ryan entertained a large number of guests, including His Excellency the Governor, Sir Harry Luke, at their residence in St. Fort Street’, Suva. Many tributes were paid to Mr. and Mrs. Barker. Mrs. Barker was born in Fiji, and Mr. Barker has lived in the Colony since he was a boy.