Notes

Australian Territories Notes

Port Moresby, Oct. 3.

A NOTABLE ceremony was held in the Supreme Court to farewell Mr. G.

Maunsell-Turner before he left for retirement on the September “Malaita.”

Before the war Mr. Maunsell-Turner was in turn a stipendiary magistrate and a Crown Prosecutor in Rabaul, and he has been Deputy Crown Law Officer in the Provisional Administration. In Court Messrs. E. Bignold, J. Cromie, N. White, C. P. McCubbery, W. W. Watkins, H.

Hardy and G. Wells paid tribute to Mr.

Turner, to which Mr. Justice Phillips added his words of praise. ■ ■ ■

Out Of Balance!

SOME private research recently brought forth the following interesting figures. In mid-July a store in Rabaul sold a line of glass dishes at 2/9 each and a line of teapots at 9/6 each.

A Moresby store opened up the very same lines at the very same time—at 5/- and 14/9 respectively. About that time the Samara! branch of a large firm was selling a line of helmets at £l/1/0; they were £l/4/6 in the Moresby branch. ■ ■ ■

Decease Of Bop

MR. HALSTROM, of Taronga Park Zoo, was displeased with the citizens of Moresby when he passed through on September “Malaita” with a consign ment of rare Birds of Paradise. An in quisitive local had so subjected one un fortunate specimen to close study, by prodding it with sticks and shining

torches on it, that it died. This was Mr.

Halstrom’s first casualty. ■ ■ ■

Their Tipple

AT the Court of Petty Sessions in Port Moresby on September 24, seven natives were fined £lO each for im

bibing alcoholic liquor. Their choice of beverage was a mixture of ginger beer, horehound, and methylated spirits. ■ a ■

Floating The "Reynella”

fIYHE MV “Reynella” finally got off the A reef m Eastern Papua late in Sep tember, and was taken to the near

by Deboyne Lagoon, to be prepared for the voyage south.

Radio Technicians of the Moresby Post and Telegraph Branch played an important part in the refloating of the “Reynella.” When Diver Johnstone originally arrived in the Territory, some months ago, to join the ill-fated “Gippsland,” the technicians successfully installed two-way radio telephone equipment for the first time in a diving suit. It was invaluable, Johnstone said when he set about blowmg 700 tons of coral reef clear of the Reynella, so as to release her. ■ a ■ r>TT

Oil Search

rE Australian Petroleum Company has sent a patrol of 5 Europeans and 120 natives to the head-waters of the Fly and Strickland Rivers. APC at the moment have four patrols out on the search for oil; they are outdoing the Administration in their patrolling nowadays, Members of the party to the Fly headwaters have taken enough food to last for

two of the four months they plan to be away later, supplies will be dropped by plane. ■ ■ ■

Cheerful Weekend

MORESBY Station, 9PA, brought the folowing catalogue of cheer to its listeners in one batch of announce ments at mid-day on Friday, September 26: (1) One of the pumps at the Bomama Pumping Station had broken down and residents would have to be careful with water for some weeks (there was no water in the pipes, anyway!), (2) G, G. Smith & Co., would be un able to supply any bread until further notice. (3) The electricity supply would be cut off between Ela Beach and, the Five Mile for two days.

A tour of the stores that day showed that there were no potatoes, butter or soap in the town. Alas, where is the pro verbial glamour of the tropics?