Territories ' Personal Notes

Port Moresby, March 8.

THE Administrator and Mrs. Murray left for Australia on March 3. Mr.

Justice Gore took over at Govern ment House.

On the same plane were Mr. Roger, Commonwealth Forestry Chief, who had been making a survey of the Territory’s timber stands, arid the Claude Cham pions, departing on leave. Mr. M. C.

Rich, who has been DO, Moresby, since the war, relieved Mr. Champion as As sistant in the Government Secretary’s Department.

Others who have left for leave include Mr. A. A. Timperley, who has been Act ing DO, Moresby; Mr. C. Davidson, of the Lands Department, with Mrs. David son and kiddies: and Mr. w. Sansom, recently Magistrate at Rabaul District Court, who spent a day or two in Moresby on the first lap of a trip to England.

Many locals have also returned from leave. They include Mr. and Mrs. S.

Willis and family; Mr. W. Cottrell- Dormer; Mr. Len Odgers, who has been appointed chief clerk and cost accountant with the Agricultural Department, and Mrs. Odgers; Mr. H. Niall, DO, Wewak, who broke off from the boat to attend the DO’s conference on his way through; and Dr. Sinclair, who put in an appear ance on his way back to Rabaul.

Colin Sefton has left for Australia. It is believed that his business is matri monial.

Mr. J, R. Black, Assistant Director of District Services and Native Affairs, has tendered his resignation. It is under stood that he is going into business in the Lae area. Mr. Black is an experi enced field officer, and gained further valuable experience in Borneo during the war, in which he reached the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Mr. Olsen, who was successful in or ganising army gardens along the Laloki during the war, has returned to the milk bar business. His new premises are at the far end of Ela Beach. Pre-war he ran a similar venture in Wau. We wish him well: all amenities are welcome in Moresby at the moment.

There recently have been quite a few missionaries about town. Rev, Harold Thompson, of New Britain, and Mrs. J.

Smeaton, of Kwato, nassed through on the “Malaita.” Rev. fi. E. Short, of the LMS, snent some weeks at headquarters before going on leave. Mr. C. Fisher, also of the LMS, made a quick trip to Aus tralia recently, and Mrs. Fisher also came in from Veiru to see the family off to school. The Rev. and Mrs. W. Reilly, from the Daru LMS Station, were also in town, awaiting the arrival of a new addition to the family.

Dr. J. Gunther, Director of Public Health, and Mr. P. Vidgin, Controller of Works and Housing in the Territory, flew to Rabaul last month to select the site for a base hospital to serve natives of the Kokopo area. It is understood that the site of the old wireless station at Bitapaka was selected.

On his return from leave the Director of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries, Mr.

W. Cottrell-Dormer, inspected agricul tural stations throughout the Territory.

For the first part of the journey he ac companied the Administrator, Colonel Murray, himself a keen agriculturalist, to Higaturu, Lae and Madang. They in snected the Iran Experimental Station, in the Markham Valley, where considerable work is beine- done in the field of animal husbandry. Mr. Dormer left the party at Madang and went on to Wewak.

With his wife and small son, Mr. J. L. d’Espeissis returned to Fiji from leave in the United Kingdom and Australia, at the end of January. He is a forestry official in Fiji and at one time held a similar position in New Guinea.