General's

Turf For the General's Rabaul Garden

r JTHE following despatch from Rahaul , dated April 11, was published in the “Courier Mail” Brisbane: RAAF officers were amazed a few days ago to see an Australian soldier digging up sods of turf on Lakunai air-strip and placing them in a jeep trailer and im mediately interviewed him. The soldier, a corporal, said he had been instructed by the GOC, Bth Military District (Major- General Basil Morris), to dig sods from the air-strip for a garden which he was making near his headquarters.

Couch grass turf had been planted by RAAF men at the west-north-west ap proach to the runway to lengthen the air strip.

The RAAF OC, Flight-Lieut. Cornish, ordered the corporal off the air-strip, and telephoned the Bth Military District Head quarters and spoke to the Camp Com mandant. He said to-day: “The Camp Commandant said he had a vague recollection of General Morris saying he wanted some of the good grass from the air-strip for his garden. He promised to inquire who authorised the soldier to cut pieces out of the air-strip, but I have heard nothing since.

“If they want turf I can show them half a dozen places in Rabaul where they can get it, but only a lunatic would dream of damaging an air-strip. A dangerous hole would soon be worn by aircraft if the earth were left bare. With the rains here an earthy quagmire could cause a fatal crash,” he added.

He also said that Qantas had been granted permission to fly an air-mail to Rabaul, but had refused to do so until Lakunai air-strip was lengthened and widened.

Nineteen members of Nauru’s native police, who survived Japanese intern ment during the occupation of the is land, were round-tripping to Australia on the “Trienza” in April. The party spent several days in Newcastle before going on with the ship to Melbourne.