Bougainville

News and Notes From Buka and Bougainville

By a Special Correspondent

Buka Passage, Nov. 4.

MRS ELMA Good, who was out on a two months’ visit to her plantation, Kessa. in North Buka, has returned to Rabaul. Mr. Good has taken over the plantation from the PCB and Mr. Percy Cream has been appointed as manager.

Kessa has been in production for some months. * * * Mr. Cyril Doyle, who opened up Kessa for the PCB in November, 1947, has gone to the Kokopo district where he will manage Tokua Pltn, for Mr. Vic. Penne father. Before the war, Cyril had man aged Aropa Pltn, near Kieta. * * * Mr. Max Babbage now has his Karoola Plantation cleaned through and is in pro duction with an increasing output. The place looks well and Babbage has faith in the future. He proposes to plant cocoa in the back areas, which he considers very suitable for the purpose. * * ♦ Mr, Charley Quintal, who went south some months ago for a well earned holi day, and some medical attention, is ex pected back in Buka in November. He will rejoin Max Babbage at Karoola and take over the copra producing end of the business. His friends will be glad to see him back and once more restored to health. He has been many years in the BSI and Bougainville areas and is very well known.

The Rev. Clarrie Luxton, of the Metho dist Mission in Buka, is on his way back from New Zealand after an absence of

nearly a year. It is understood that he will make only a short stay at his station, Skotolan, and will then proceed to Rovi ana, BSI where he will' take up the duties of Asst. Chairman of the Metho dist Mission Society of New Zealand, under that veteran missionary, The Rev. John F.

Goldie. While pleased at his promotion, many people in the district will regret the departure of this pleasant and helpful personality. Few people, with time to spare, passed Skotolan and all were made most welcome by Mr. and Mrs. Luxton.

The district will miss them both. * * * Sister Winifred Poole, who came from New Zealand to Skotolan Mission some 18 months ago, has been in charge of the medical side of the work there and has put up a good show. Sister Winifred is a highly qualified nursing sister who en joys the work and is keenly interested in the Territory.

Mr. Alf Long and his wife are now well settled at Bonis Plantation in Buka Pas sage. Mrs. Long accompanied her hus band when he returned from southern leave last June, and likes the life. Bonis, of course, is very nicely situated on the edge of the Passage with a grandstand view of all that happens in the vicinity.

Long is turning out a nice sample of Ceylon dried copra these days. ♦ * * Mr. Gordon Wilson is in charge of the Komarou Agricultural Station on Buka.

He hails from North Queensland and is a graduate of Gatton College, and so

climatic conditions- hereabouts suit him well. He recently opened up another agri cultural station in Buin, Southern Bougainville, for the Department. * * * Mr. Don Colley, recently returned from furlough, is in charge of the Burns, Philp interests in Bougainville, with head quarters at Soraken Plantation. These comprise a fine group of heavily producing properties and the popular Don is kept busy travelling by boat on inspection duties. He is assisted by Mr. “Nugget”

Nugent, who joined up with the firm some time ago, and handles the plantation ac counts. “Nugget” comes from Victoria but was in New Guinea during the war period and fits in nicely. * ♦ ♦ Old Timers in the District were grieved to hear of the recent death in Sydney of Mr. R. A. Robinson, who was connected for so long with the Burns, Philp planta tion section. Before becoming the firm’s Chief Plantation Inspector for New Guinea, “Robbie” had been Group

Manager at Soraken for a while and was a very popular resident. * * ♦ Mr. Sid Paisley is in charge at Banui Plantation. He and Mrs. Paisley have been resident there for some months.

Whilst no stranger to Bougainville dis trict Sid is probably better known in Madang and Wewak areas, where he managed plantations before the war. sK * * Word that Mr. Rolf Cambridge, had been appointed to the position of Chief

Inspector of Plantations for Burns, Philp, as a successor to Mr. R. A. Robinson, gave a lot of satisfaction to the same Old Timers as he, also, had been Group Manager at Soraken before the War and was logical successor to “Robbie.” Like “Robbie,” he had many years experience in the BSI before coming to this Territory, both having served with the late Allan Campbell there. * * * MR. CLAUDE CAMPBELL has his Raua Plantation in very good shape these days. He has a comfortable bun galow, good station buildings and a sub stantially built Ceylon Dryer and copra shed. The coconut palms are in good condition and carrying excellent crops.

The plantation has more of the pre-war look about it than any other your corres pondent has seen in the district. A force of “redskin” labour, from New Guinea mainland, has assisted in this desirable result. The Ceylon Dryer is turning out an excellent sample of copra. * ♦ * Mr. Charlie Smith of Tinputz Plantation has been suffering from a dearth of labour for some time, but has now received a batch of “redskins” from Madang way, so hopes to make good progress. The introduction of labour from another dis trict has a healthy effect upon the locals, who then find that they are not indis pensable. * * * Tearouki Plantation, on Teop Harbour, has recently been acquired from Mrs. Eva Falkner by Bishop T. J. Wade for the Marist Mission’s Headquarters when a move is made from Torokina. Tearouki is a fine plantation with a good frontage to one of the best harbours in Bougain ville and should be ideally suited for the purpose, The Rev. Fr. Lebel is in charge at present and is energetically proceeding with the building programme which in cludes Mission house, church, native school and hospital. No one knows how to ex tract “sixty seconds worth of distance rmi” from every unforgiving minute, better than the Padre! * * * Mr. and Mrs. A. M. Stewart, who have been at Teopasino Plantation for some time are shortly proceeding to Australia on leave. Mr. Stewart opened up the plantation after the war and brought it into production. He is an old resident of the Territory, having come up for the Ex propriation Board back in 1920 and was Plantation Inspector and Branch Manager for the Board in several districts. Like so many of our elder residents he served in both World Wars. * * * Mr. Paul Mason and his wife have made themselves comfortable at Inus Plantation.

There is a good bungalow, built of local material and the cool breeze from the mountains makes it a pleasant place at night. Mrs. Mason was formerly a jour nalist and finds much of interest, and to write about, in her new surroundings. * 4r

Pastor Cyril Pascoe, Who Is In

charge of the Seventh Day Adven tist Mission in Bougainville, has established himself at anew station just north of Inus, and, with the assistance of his brother Ernie, has made a good show. He has recently taken delivery of anew 45 foot boat which will be used for the Mission work in Bougainville. It is a well built and fitted craft with a 50 horsepower Gardiner Diesel engine, and should be most suitable. There will be general satisfaction at the return of the Pascoes to the district. * * * Mr. “Sandy” Sandford is in charge at Numa Numa, whilst Mr. Drummond Thomson is a wav on a southern holiday.

“Sandy” leads a busy life with an increas ing copra production and a big labour line to maintain, but he gets away with it.

His house is much admired by visitors as it shows a deal of ingenuity and im provisation, and just what can be done with the unconsidered trifles of military camps. Mrs. Sandford is a keen gardener and has achieved fine results. * * * Mr. Bob Stuart and his wife are settled in at Tenekau and are turning out copra in a satisfactory way. Stuart is one of the older Bougainville residents and in pre-war days put much hard work into the development of his plantation, which is now a valuable property. ♦ ♦ * Mr. Jim Joyes, wife and family of three, are living on Iwi, below Kieta. Joyes also owns Kekere, which is close to Iwi. He is getting copra out of both places, but, like all others at the soutnern end of Bougainville has had a continuous battle for supplies and shipping. ♦ * ♦ Mr. Robin McKay, who bought Aropa last year has had a busy time since taking over the plantation. Opening up a pro perty and having to scratch for labour and supplies is no sinecure. However, he has plenty of enthusiasm and energy and has managed both cleaning-up and produc tion. Mrs. McKay is at present in Aus tralia. ♦ * * Mr. W. A. L. Clarke, “Clarkie” to all, is running Toimanapu for Burns, Philp. It is an old stamping ground of his and the firm are old employers, so filling in the complicated monthly returns is no trouble.

Mrs. Clarke is also at the plantation, and likes the life. * * * Messrs. Bob and Bernie Parer are still conducting their salvaging operations at Torokina, with the assistance of several helpers. The brothers are a busy and popular pair and do a deal of travelling in pursuit of their business. People like their genial ways and easy way of making a deal.

Shipping is Now Bougainville’s

Greatest Problem

11HE plantations in the district are now producing more copra, and the natives are bringing in a consider able amount of trade copra, from the Buka area, to the various traders, so that the district output has substantially grown.

The need for extra shipping to move it all is now felt.

Most of the plantations are producing Ceylon Dried copra—cooked in the half shell —but most of the native stuff is smoke dried, and the general quality of it leaves much to be desired. Brown brother realises that, in the absence of in spection, copra not fully dried is heavier and brings in more cash!

Bougainville is, of course, a heavy pro ducing area and before the war the “Malaita,” at 6 weekly intervals, picked up aH copra from the bigger Burns, Philp plantations and Numa Numa, while 500ton inter-island steamers came out from Rabaul at three-weekly intervals to deal with copra of the smaller plantations.

Further, there were various 50-ton schooners that frequently brought loading out and returned to Rabaul full of copra.

Of late there seems to be a lack of re liable information, as to ships movements, both from the Directorate of Shipping and from the agents—even visits to the offices of both, in Rabaul, leaves the intending shipper and/or passenger rather be wildered. To the Outports man, anxious about his incoming cargo and copra ship ments, the delay in leaving Rabaul, alter ation of route and places of pick up, are an additional worry, and they consider that they are entitled to more considera tion than they are at present receiving.

After all, they do supply the freights and

the reason for the ship coming! But the shipping point of view, seemingly, is that the outports are lucky to have any service at a ii i

A bone of contention, and a serious one, is that on a number of occasions ships have passed Sohano—the HQ of the Bougainville District—without stopping to

pick up the inward (to Rabaul) mail. This lack of courtesy may well mean consider able delay to urgent and important letters which may thus miss one or two air mails from Rabaul. Surely His Majesty’s mails are entitled to every consideration, as was accorded them at outports in pre-war days. Will someone please take note!

Passengers, too, might well be accorded a little more consideration. The inward bound ships are nearly always carrying more passengers than there is accommo dation for; and while passengers do not enjoy sleeping on a settee, or on any dry place on deck, they put up with it, if they must travel to Rabaul to do business.

To be informed, however, that he is “very lucky” and to be reminded, even jocularly, that extra passengers make the ship uncomfortable and imperil the food supply, is something no passenger enjoys.

When he pays £l/10/- for the first day and £1 for every other day, or part there of he feels that he is entitled to everything he gets—which is not much at all!

The Chinese stores at Buka Passage, conducted by Wong You and Laurie Chan, are hives of industry these days and the owners do a flourishing and increasing business. Both stores keep a good range of European goods, besides native trade goods. Prices compare favourably with those of the Rabaul stores, and most resi dents prefer to buy locally, and see what they get, rather than order from Rabaul and have their goods subjected to the “round the world tours” and eccentric de liveries, which seems to be an inseparable part of our present shipping set up. The local Chinese stores concede that the customer is often right and is entitled to every attention —which is a nice change!

Sister Shirley Grey and the Rev. Wesley Lutton sailed on the December “Bulolo” from Sydney to take up work with the Methodist Mission in New Britain.