Corrections

WE have been taken to task for two statements we made in the “PIM” in past months. One relates to a statement last August. When reporting the investiture of Mr. Paul Mason with the British DSC in Sydney we inferred that Mr. Mason had been in Port Moresby before taking up his Coastwatcher’s post m Bougainville. Mr. Mason, in fact, was never in Port Moresby at this time and was still on his plantation at Inus when he commenced his coast-watching duties.

More recently (January “PIM”) we stated that Mr. F. J. MacKenzie of the Commonwealth Bank, who was recently transferred to a Sydney Branch, had narrowly escaped capture by the Japs in Rabaul in 1942 and that when he escaped, he had brought the Bank’s records with him.

A correspondent asserts that Mr. Mac- Kenzie did not bring the Bank’s records with him when he escaped—that, in fact they were all lost.

We have referred this matter to the Commonwealth Bank. They reply: “Whilst practically the whole of the Bank s Current Account records were preserved, it is regretted that owing to the difficult circumstances which devel oped it was not possible for the manager to save complete records of all sections —indeed he was fortunate in escaping with his life.”