Moresby

The Month In

Port Moresby, Feb. 3.

DURING the unloading of supply ships from Australia, the Customs Shed presents a heart-rending sight to thirsty locals. Cases of beer he smashed around the floor with broken glass and dark stains on the concrete —all pointing to the wastage of gallons of the precious fluid. Pilfering is also causing losses at this end, as well as on Australian wharves.

Moresby’s wharf facilities served well enough when a three-weekly ship brought the few hundred tons of cargo which suf ficed for the town’s pre-war needs, but they are hopelessly inadequate to cope with the thousands of tons now being dis charged. * * * riIHE Administration was fortunate in A clearing its accumulated cargo from Sydney by the “Nellore,” which arrived here on February 1. Her agents demanded a guarantee that she would be unloaded at the rate of 500 tons per day.

The Administration, however, knowing the facilities available, beat them down to 300 tons and the “Nellore” was diverted to call at Moresby on her regular Eastern run. At the moment, we are waiting to see whether the unloading will be com pleted according to schedule —it will cer tainly not be an easy task. * * * WORD has been received that, after completing the normal three months’ short course, students of the first “long” course (of two years’ duration) at the Australian School of Pacific Admin istration are at present “doing research projects,” which apparently means writ ing essays in the library. No one seems yet to know what they will do for the other eighteen months of the course. It has been announced that formal tuition will be resumed in March. * * * MORESBY Sub-branch of the RSL is engaging in an active programme.

On January 31, members attended an interesting general meeting at which the subject of war memorials was ex haustively discussed (see elsewhere this issue). The Annual General Meeting, at which office-bearers for the coming year will be elected, is scheduled for next month. President of the Branch is popular Mr. Syd Reilly, veteran of World War I.

Mr. Peter Bosgard, a Moresby-ite of pre war vintage, who enlisted early in the AIF and was captured during the Greece and Crete campaign, is the efficient and popular secretary. These two have done yeoman service and are almost certain to be re-elected this year. * * * PRIOR to leaving for the Lambeth Conference—and, incidentally, his first furlough since his arrival in the Territory eleven years ago—the Bishop of New Guinea, the Right Reverend P. N. W.

Strong, opened the new Martyrs’ Memorial School for natives at Sangara, in the Northern Division of Papua, scene of the martyrdom of three mission sisters in 1942, and later the centre of heavy fight ing during the Jap retreat. * * * MORESBY’S new European , school, at the town end of Ela Beach, has been completed. Cool, airy, well furnished and tastefully decorated, the buildings give no indication of their army hut ancestry. The Public Works Depart ment is to be congratulated on a very satisfactory job. , Mr G. Stanton Crouch, who was in charge of the European School last year,

has gone to Sogeri this year, and the local kiddies are to have Mr. Woods, a Westralian, who has more recently been teaching at Camberwell Grammar School, Melbourne, as their new headmaster. Mr.

Woods served as a fighter pilot in “Johnny’' Jackson’s Kittyhawk Squadron, the “75”, in the earliest air scraps over Moresby, and later flew widely in New Guinea as a Squadron Leader. * * * THE local Fire Brigade, equipped with a brand-new, bright-red engine, has recently put out three dangerous fires in the Moresby area. Two of them broke out near the RAAF Camp at Kone dobu. The other, at Elavata, endangered one of the large oil tanks on the fore shore, but was extinguished in time. It could well have done considerable dam age. * * * THE Yanks are still with us—only a dozen or so at a time, it is true, but a dozen suffice to remind us now and again of the days when these Allied troops in thousands brightened our towns and cities. These small groups of American soldiers are sent down from Manus for short periods of leave 'mid the “bright lights” of Moresby. Occasionally we come upon one of them lounging on the corner, clearly asking himself the forlorn ques tion we all ask at times: “Where are the ‘bright lights?’ ”

A group of higher officers, who appear to be in town on business of some kind, recently gave up the search for these non-existent “bright lights,” and decided instead to amuse themselves by paying calls in their special four-engined Sky master. They intended to visit Garoka, but finding the weather against them at that station, went on to Madang. The Madang strip is not nearly the length ie

quired by a plane of that size, but our trans-Pacific friends brought their Sky master down without causing any damage worse that a flat tyre.

In taking off for the return trip, how ever, the tyre in question was dislodged.

Our friends took this news with com plete equanimity, merely requesting that an ambulance and fire-cart stand by at Moresby while they attempted to iaxid on two of their three wheels. Fire-cart, ambulance and doctor speeded to the drome.

After making a perfect landing, the skipper asked what all the fuss was about. * * * IT is understood that a conference of all District Officers of the Territory is to be arranged in the near future. Prob able location of the parley is Moresby.

A SEEDED singles tournament has been arranged by the Moresby Tennis Club.

Some first-class struggles are ex pected, and it is hoped that the tourna ment will effect a rejuvenation of local tennis, which has been in the doldrums.

Most interest lies in the probable duel between Trimm and Crouch.