Moresby

The Month In Moresby

From a Special Correspondent MORESBY is a melancholy town. The daily round comprises an endless exchange of grouches, of which August managed to conjure up all the old regulars: No water, no beer, no cigar ettes, little fresh food, no transport, no houses, temperamental houseboys, whim sical electricity supply, and so on.

This writer tried to seek solace in com munion with the waves; but the baths were invariably covered in oil and the tide was always out at Ela Beach.

Even the elements turned nasty. The Doldrums prematurely smothered the cool south-easters, and two ships were so fed up that they went aground rather than continue the struggle. “Ob that this too sullied flesh would melt! .

IIffIHILE melancholy Jaques sat on the MM beach and thus bemoaned the cost of living, a faint sound of hope echoed along the dismal shore from the direction of the Customs House. Jaques was incredulous. Could it be true? The local Deputy Prices Commissioner had reduced the price of petrol by 4Jd.! f* * * IYHE usual quota of visitors braved the local ague in the month just past.

Mr. E. P. Eltham, Director of Indus trial Training for the Department of Post-war Reconstruction, came to inspect the reconstruction training facilities. Rev.

A. Gardiner, General Secretary of the Methodist Overseas Mission in Australia, dropped off en route to Rabaul. He was Chief Chaplain in the RAAF during the war, and recently inspected the Fijian Mission field. Dr. Capell, the gifted lin guist and expert on New Guinea langu ages, passed through en route to the Highlands to study the local language structure. • • • THE Rev. Percy Chatterton is another linguist in the spotlight. Mr. Chat terton, a well-known member of the LMS, returned ofter 12 months’ leave in England to resume his work at Delena.

He is the accepted authority on the Motu language.

LOCALS were amused to hear that Mr.

Lemmon, the Commonwealth Minis ter for Works and Housing, plans to visit the Territory soon to inspect “major works projects” and to “investigate the possibility of finding timber for Austra

lian building work.” Reminds one of the needle in the haystack. • • • THE Anglican Ladies Guild is doing good work for the Church on the Hill. The ladies have conducted several highly successful street stalls at which the natives swoop on most lines before the stall has been opened many minutes. The Guild also conducted a successful fancy-dress ball, the first of its kind in post-war Moresby. The star of the evening though ignored by the diplomatic judges was a gentleman wearing nought but a stiff, white shirt front, a pair of trousers, a bell-topper, a monstrous gold watch chain, and the flamboyant badge of office of a “Hanua bada Village Councillor, 1950.”

Three generations of the John Lyons family shared the honours as a Jewish immigrant family, complete with parrot and cage.

POPULAR Mr. Bill Wyatt, manager of Gerald Smith’s store, is showing en terprise of a high order: on picture nights he provides a theatre bar, with drinks and sweets, which is very much patronised. He has also opened a new