Colony

Solomons and G. and E.

Colony Offices Opened in Sydney

OFFICES for the despatch of business relating to the British Solomon Is lands Protectorate and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony—both of which are under the jurisdiction of the High Commissioner for the Western Pacific (Sir Harry Luke), Suva—have been opened in Sydney.

Mr. F. E. Johnson (Treasurer of the Solomons Administration) has opened an office at Ocean House, 34 Martin Place, Sydney (Telephone B 1710), for the trans action of BSI business.

Mr. S. G. Clarke, Treasurer of the Gilbert and Ellice Colony, who recently has arrived in Sydney from Ocean Island, has opened an office, for the transaction of G and E Colony business, in Bank of New Zealand building, George Street, Sydney.

Both offices, of course, maintain com munications with Suva.

In consequence of the evacuation of the two territories, the tremendous dis turbance of administrative and commer cial machinery, and the presence in Australia of so many evacuated officials and civilians, there is plenty of work for the two Administration officials.

New Guinea and Papua

OFFICES for the transaction of business connected with the evacuated Ad ministrations of New Guinea and Papua have been established in Sydney.

Papuan officials have an office on the Bth floor of the Grace Building, York Street, Sydney—no telephone.

New Guinea officials are using the offices of New Guinea Trade Agency, Grace Building, York Street, Sydney— telephone MA 1280.

The NG Trade Agency, now attending to the inquiries of thousands of evacuees, has been obliged to use so large a staff that it could not be accommodated in the Commonwealth Bank, and it was moved, in February, to Grace Building.

Commercial Firms

work”, in connection with Vy their organisations in New Guinea, Papua and Solomons, is being done by Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd. and W. R.

Carpenter and Co. Ltd. at their head offices in Sydney, where key men from their various Islands branches are located, at present. .

Steamships Trading Co. Ltd., who operated a chain of stores, trading sta tions and plantations throughout Papua, and controlled much transport, are opera ting, for the present, at the offices of their Sydney agents, Nelson and Robert son Ltd., Spring Street, Sydney. Both Captain A. S. Fitch, managing director, and Mr. E. V. Crisp, director, are there Mr. E. J. Frame, manager of the British New Guinea Development Co.

Ltd., of Port Moresby, has been accom modated in an office by Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd., Sydney, where he is attending to his Co.’s affairs.

Rev. R. J. Maddox, Methodist mission ary of Faleula, Western Samoa, intends to retire from active work in the Pacific Islands mission field next year.

Mr. David Norman Trenery. manager in Australia and New Zealand for the Atlas Assurance Ltd., of London, died m Victoria last month. This company has a controlling interest in the Pacific In surance Co., of Fiji, and Mr. Trenery was a frequent visitor to Suva and other Central Pacific towns.