Pacific Territories

Association

SINCE the last general meeting of the Pacific Territories Association on March 10, the executive has been working steadily on the many, appar ently, fixed and permanent problems of evacuees from the Territories.

Return Of Planters

The Association has been besieged by anxious planters who have heard nothing since they applied to the Department of External Territories for permission to return to their plantations in Papua—but the Association has no more information on the subject cf who will be permitted to return—and when —than the anxious planters themselves. It is thought that no more definite information will be available until the Secretary of the Department of External Territories re turns from the north at the end of April.

Looting, War-Damage, Etc.

No further clarification of the defini tions of looting or war-damage has been received; although, following the resolu tion passed at the general meeting (that the' Commonwealth Treasurer should be asked to define the actual difference between war damage as applied to the mainland of Australia and war-damage as applied to the evacuated Territories of Papua and New Guinea) the Association has written the Commonwealth authori ties concerned.

Future Mortgages

The Association asked, through the Department of External Territories, that the Territories of Papua and New Guinea

be included under the amendment of the Commonwealth Bank Act, relating to the establishment of a mortgage department to assist primary industry, which came into effect on March 20, 1943. They have received a reply from the Federal Trea surer to the effect that the “matter is under consideration.”

Annual General Meeting

Members are reminded that the annual general meeting will be held about the second week in June. The exact date will be published in the May issue of the

“Pim.”

When war broke out in 1939, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Harris, of Djaul, New Guinea, left their plantation at Biua in the care of Mr. Miller, of Kavieng, and went to England. He is now a lieuten ant in the Navy, and has seen service at “Hell Corner” (Dover) and at the Admiralty; his wife is Third Officer Ursula Harris, of WRNS, and now is stationed at Largs, near Portsmouth.

Mr. Dick Arrowsmith, formerly of Djaul, is now serving with the forces in New Guinea. Nothing has been heard of Mr.

Miller since the Jap invasion.

Regret has been expressed at the retirement of the Rev. H. R. Green, after 22 years of work with the Methodist Mis sion in Fiji. Mr. Green has been in Sydney for the annual meeting of the Methodist Mission Board, and gave some interesting details of mission work among the Fijians during the present abnormal period. He had intended to return to his mission work there but circumstances have prevented it.