Dislocation of Public

Paralysis In Rabaul

Dislocation of Public Works

Rabaul, Oct. 4.

mHE way in which the “Merkur” was X delayed recently—the local natives would not work on Saturday or Sun day—is typical of the paralysis that has fallen upon everything in recent weeks.

Administration activities on roads, hous ing, electric-light, telephone line con struction and road maintenance, all seem to have come to a dead end.

The construction of the telephone line to Kokopo, which at first made remark able speed, has petered out at various points. Jungle growth is prolific in New Guinea —like time and tide it waits for no man—and it looks as if someone will, when the present paralysis passes, have to institute a search party to find the bits and pieces of the telephone line.

Telephone posts, complete with count less insulators were, some time ago, laid along the Kokopo-Rabaul roadway, in preparation for erection. Now, most of the insulators have disappeared, either through the careless driving of irre sponsible motorists, who have run over them, or the natives have added their quota of destruction.

The Commonwealth Works and Hous ing Commission appear to have recently superseded the Territory’s Public Works Department. The Commission staff have been sitting down at Kokopo for the past 12 months, in anticipation of great Ad ministrative activity around Kokopo. Re cently, however, there seems to have been some alteration in the scheme, because the Public Works Department—which was recently doing a fine job of work —has become entangled with the Works and Housing Commission; and, between the two of them, all progress seems to have ceased.