Ng's Poor Display At

Sydney Show

Letter to the Editor IN your issue of April, under the title of “Fiji Shows How”, you make reference to the unimpressive dis play of articles exhibited by New Guinea at the Royal Empire Show, held in Syd ney during that month, while comment ing favourably on the one of Fiji.

Several months prior to the Show I understood, from my husband, that New Guinea intended sending exhibits, and, at his request, I prepared numerous tropical fruits and preserves for display and intended sending various sprays of orchid blooms by plane, to be displayed with the other agricultural and botanical exhibits.

Mr. Murray had gone to considerable trouble and a large number, possibly 200, exhibits had been arranged for collec tion. Several varieties of coconuts, from the dwarf, to the huge Markham nuts, were ready for shipment, and were to be displayed in conjunction with the husked coconut and its many by-pro ducts, such as copra, coir, soap, desic

cated coconut, etc. Rubber in its various stages, and the many uses, even to the finished articles—motor tyres, for instance—were to have been displayed.

Apart from these there were many economic plants and others of decorative value, specimens of all ready to be sent for display.

Naturally, we were all very disappointed when informed that the Administratibn could not forward the exhibits, owing to expense, and the need for economy in wartime. This may explain the poor display of New Guinea in comparison with that of Fiji.

I am, etc.,

Helene Murray.

Rabaul, 21/5/1941.

EDITORIAL NOTE: Everyone con cerned will be glad to know, from Mrs.

Murray’s letter, that the New Guinea Public Service is alive to the importance of “publicising” the resources of the

Territory; and the Administration cer tainly has a good alibi. Economy in wartime is necessary. But that does not alter the fact that Fiji, which is non- Australian, made most effective use of Sydney’s Royal Show, while Australian New Guinea did not. £5O spent by the Administration, in the way planned by Mr. and Mrs. Murray, would have been returned to New Guinea many times over —and, moreover, would have shown Australians that Australia seriously regards her obligation to “boost” and develop New Guinea. Many times £5O have been frittered away by the NG Administration in recent years, as even a casual examination of the published accounts will show.

Mr. N. McGregor is at present spend ing leave in New Zealand. He is a worker for the SSE Mission on Malaita, British Solomon Islands.