Timber For Tng Mission

From Our Own Correspondent TIMBER to reconstruct buildings at the Catholic Mission at Alexishafen, which was damaged in Japanese air raids during the war, is now being loaded on the mission’s 300-tons motor vessel, “Stella Maris.” The ship will take about 250 tons of timber and 50 tons of steel rails. .

The original “Stella Maris” was sunk by bombs while anchored in Alexishafen in 1942. The ship now used by the mis sion was purchased from the Disposals Commission.

A large amount of timber, also bought from the Army, belonging to the mission, is stored at the Cairns wharves. Most of it will be taken to Alexishafen in a number of voyages by the “Stella Maris.”

The master of the ship is Captain P.

Byrne, an irishman. The first mate is a Russian, and the chief engineer, a Canadian. The rest of the ship’s com pliment is made up of 20 New Guinea seamen.

The Rev. Brother Malachy, a 74-year old, New Zealand-born Marist Brother who h§s spent 50 years in Samoa and Fiji, has now retired and has returned to New Zealand. Recently he has been teaching at Rewa Rewa, Fiji.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Beveridge, recently re turned from a visit to England. Mr.

Beveridge is attached to the Department of Agriculture in the British Solomon Islands. During the war he served with the rank of Captain in the local force of native scouts which was attached to the US Army. ♦

It has been notified in the “Gazette” that, in addition to Christmas Day, Box ing Day and New Year’s Day, the follow ing days are to be observed as public holidays in Papua and New Guinea: Saturday, December 27; Friday, January 2; Saturday, January 3. January 2 is be ing observed as a public holiday in New Guinea in lieu of January 26 (which is Anniversary Day down south).