Radio For The

People

New Installations for Port Moresby From a Special Correspondent

Port Moresby, Aug 16

MULTI-PURPOSE receiving and transmitting stations near Port Moresby (when installed), will in crease the efficiency of New Guinea radio telephones, overseas beam-wireless ser vice and local ABC broadcasting.

These improvements to present services were planned at a conference held re cently in Australia between representa tives of the ABC, Australian PMG, Tele communications Commission and the New Guinea Administration.

Mr. E. C. Brown, Divisional Engineer in New Guinea for the Australian PMG’s Department, and Mr. E. B. Bignold, Act ing Crown Law Officer, attended the con ference on behalf of the Provisional Ter ritory.

It is anticipated that by the new in stallations the range of the ABC broad casts in the combined Territory will be increased considerably. One result is that more time will probably be devoted to sessions for the natives.

Mr. Brown was pessimistic about any increase in native listeners at present, however. This is not because of apathy on the part of the natives but because a suitable receiver cannot be produced in Australia for some time.

Native Helpers Useless Unless

Disciplined

From a Special Correspondent THE New Guinea Administration has ambitious plans for establishing an Inter-Islands radio communication system, in which trained natives will

be freely used. The recent experience of Rabaul will show how useless such plans can be, under the present regime.

There is a radio telephone centre at Rabaul; and three natives have been trained there to handle radiophone traffic, under the care of a qualified radio-tele graph operator. High Authority decided that there was no need to “sign on” these selected natives —they would be happy to have the chance of becoming trained op erators. They were not even apprenticed.

On a recent week-end, one trained boy decided he had had enough, and he cleared away to his village, and was not seen again. Next week-end, another similarly cleared out. The third and re maining native seemed prepared to stay; but, after the manner of all natives, he is likely to decide any time he is sick of work, and simply disappear.

Rabaul’s radiophone station, conse quently, is working badly—as it has done before, and for the same reason. Delays in traffic of a week, and even a month, have been known. People throughout the Territory are exasperated—but noth ing can be done about it. The Fuzzy wuzzy policy of the present regime insists that natives shall be trusted and trained and placed under no restraint; and the European population will just have to suffer these inconveniences while the planners are in command.

The growing of watercress in the Noumea-New Caledonia area is now pro hibited, and those who neglect to clear their property of cress are threatened with five days’ imprisonment and a small fine.

Mr. Robert Ernest Griffiths was found dead on Manam Island, off the New Guinea coast, on July 25. He was en gaged in recruiting labour for one of the firms at the time of his death. Some of the circumstances were suspicious, but official opinion is that death was acci dental. He leaves a widow, two daughters and a son to mourn his death.