Administration

Piece-Meal Transfer Of N.G

Lands Department Goes to Lae, District Services to Salamaua :: Protest by Rabaul Businessmen Dust Conditions Improve

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, Oct. 3.

FIRST of the projected transfer of Government departments from Rabaul to the new capital, Lae, will be the Lands Department sometime this month. The Department of District Ser vices will be shifted across to Salamaua, into temporary quarters for the time being.

Other sections of the Administration will be transferred —as the Government spokesman put it —“as accommodation becomes available”.

It is understood that £60,000 has been made available for the removal of Ad ministration headquarters during the present financial year.

In the Legislative Council last week, the Administrator made the following announcement: “As it will be necessary to have prepared a lay-out of the new town on a contour survey and on modern town-planning lines, some time must elapse before permanent buildings are erected. In the meantime, every effort is being made to effect the earliest possible and most economical transfer. Designs have been prepared for the erection of temporary office and living accommo dation on lines which will permit the re use of most of the material.

“Parallel with these projects, attention is being given to the problem of housing people who are required to remain in Rabaul district. The native hospital patients have been removed from Rapindik to Bitalobo. The native police depot is in progress of being transferred to a location on the North Coast.

“Inquiry is being made regarding the possibility of acquiring land in suitable location outside the caldera and safe from Matupi dust, so that sites may be made available for the housing of Rabaul resi dents both official and non-official.”

“Will Benefit Only 1 in 10”

ON September 18, a meeting of Rabaul businessmen confirmed a radio message that was despatched to the Australian Prime Minister (Mr. Fadden) several days earlier, in which protests were lodged to the effect that the decision to remove administrative headquarters only benefited 1 in 10 of Rabaul’s popu lation. The radio read. — ‘‘Strong- opposition here against transfer of administrative centre, which benefits less than 1 in 10 of Rabaul’s population. No request has been made for this transfer from any section of the community outside the Public Service, nor has any section been consulted or in any way invited to give an expression of opinion. The Administrator’s recommendations speaks for a small minority of Rabaul’s 2,000 permanent European and Asiatic population. We feel the Minister has not been made aware of these facts. ‘‘No major eruption is either predicted or anticipated; therefore, we consider the expendi ture of a quarter of a million or more pounds to avoid discomfort to a minority group of 100 Administration officials and their families as definitely not warranted. Money should be de voted to the Empire’s war effort, unless we are having a walk-over and do not require it. ‘‘Six months’ complete immunity from present conditions, even if Matupi continues blowing, can be expected within a few weeks with com ing north-west winds. Suggest, as no actual danger threatening, definite action be suspended for three months to gauge wind-change effects on present conditions and Matupi given that time to settle down. Position could then be re viewed and, if necessary, less expensive and quite

safe temporary move be made outside caldera to Kokopo or Bitapaka. Permanent shift to Lae to be made post-war problem.”

The meeting authorised Mr. D. S.

Davies, the local chemist, who was pro ceeding to Australia on furlough, to wait on the proper authorities in Canberra and take such measures as are necessary to safeguard the interests of Rabaul business people.

Public comment on the situation amounts to this: If the danger exists sufficiently for administrative head quarters to be removed in war-time, then it should be a matter for the evacuation

of the whole community, including all Europeans, Chinese and natives. On the face of it, it appears that huge sums of money are about to be expended for a few favoured Public Servants.

North-West Season Close at Hand CONDITIONS in the town in recent weeks have not been so bad as in the past. Several showers of rain have done wonders to the dust menace, though it is still uncomfortable.

The wind now is beginning to blow from the North-west. When the N.W. season sets in properly, within a couple of weeks with any luck, Matupi's dust will be falling out to sea where only a few native canoes will catch it.

The official vulcanological report for the week ended September 30 stated: “The decline in local volcanic seismic activity, as recorded on the Matupi Ob servation Post instruments, continued throughout this week. The decline has been progressive both in the amplitude and the frequency of the tremors and at present the seismic activity is very slight. Eruptive activity continued to be very mild. No cauliflowering clouds were seen”.

Close-up of the smoke and dust-clouds Matupi (Tavurvur) has been pouring over Rabaul. —Photo: W. L. MacGowan.