Three Years After the Blitz

A Glimpse of Honiara by a Recent Visitor.

AFTER nearly three years’ existence as a capital, Honiara, ESI, still is a leaf-roofed camp in a setting of decayed war-time litter. Sum total of permanent buildings erected to date are —one post office, one radio station, one native market, eight permanent houses and several Euronesian houses.

It is natural to wonder why so little has been accomplished in a period of time adequate for at least the foundations of the new capital to be taking solid shape. But it is also necessary to re member that the BSI Government started its post-war career by going to the mixed bargain sale run by the American War Disposals Committee on Guadalcanal, and since then much valuable time has been spent trying to check up on just what was acquired and where it is and just how to put it to the best use. As well, it is necessary to keep secondhand machinery and vehicles from collapsing into an early old age.

Then, too, overseas markets could not supply building materials, so practically every bit of material used to date has been salvaged from old Army buildings.

The area round the present Honiara workshop (the former Stateside area) is a nightmare junkheap of everything from sagging petrol lorries to rusted mobile sterilising units, with a vast pile of weary tyres. It is not clear to the spectator just which, if any, of this junk is supposed still to be serviceable; or what was acquired in the bargain basement deal; or what is still waiting to be dumped in the sea. But the

general air of decay strikes alarm to the spirits of the tidy-minded, as does the fact that a mile-long barbed wire fence erected 12 months ago to protect the workshop and its concentration of petrol has collapsed.

A year ago a colossal concentration of petrol was explained as Honiara’s supply for the next three years. Latest reports are that after barely a year, the Govern ment finds itself practically down to the dregs again, due to average monthly consumption of 2,300 gallons.

The 20-odd Government-owned jeeps driven by Government officials (some for pleasure, in which case they pay for their own petrol) and the 20 trucks and lorries, plus a few oddments like the big red fire cart (main function of which is to offset the deficiencies of the water supply by rushing water to the needy) chew up a fabulous amount of petrol and also a terrific slice of time and maintenance.

Early in November, Government issued a decree that vehicles with unserviceable brakes (and quite a proportion of Honiara’s drivers were managing with none at all) were to come off the road.

Immediately 17 Public Works Department trucks were laid up and, to quote the statement in BSI Government’s current weekly broadcast, “work on the new capital was brought virtually to a stand still.” At the New Year, vehicle registra tion, driving tests for non-holders of outside licences and more stringent road rules will come into force.

ryou approach Honiara from the old American wharf at Kukum, the most depressing sight is the hospital area, an abandoned-looking straggle of Army huts with frayed, leaf roofs, and rotting timber. Actually, it houses heroic en deavour under difficult conditions, and its most striking feature is its flourishing

vegetable garden,

The arid temporary “suburb” of Kola’a Ridge, nearly always in a flap over fail ing power and water supply, looks down on the hospital. It comprises seven mend-and-make-do houses, which were hastily and expensively run up some two years ago for Government officials.

Three of these houses are now empty (an embarrassing number of resignations have kept Government moving employees round in a sort of Mad Hatter’s tea party) and the others will be wiped off when the new Honiara is built.

Between the hospital and the Matanikau River lies the temporary Chinese settle ment—more army huts, very desiccated, some turned into primitive stores and tailoring establishments. There are about 100 Chinese living there, about 20 work ing for the Government as carpenters and handymen.

Then you cross the sagging, constantly reinforced American-built bridge over the Matanikau, and on the other side of this, dumped out in the weather, with grass growing high through the girders, stand the five Baily bridges which will be erected over the three principal rivers, Matanikau, Lunga and Tenaru. These bridges have been sitting there for the last 12 months, apparently awaiting the day when an expert to erect them strays into the Protectorate. Beyond them lies the Government experimental farm, necessitating the upkeep of some 20 miles of road.

The main road improves (faintly) as you near Point Cruz, a slender finger of swamp, scrub and coral, which was the site of an expensive hydrographic survey round about December, 1947. when the present small-boat anchorages on both sides of the Point were examined as the basis for a huge future harbour and wharfing scheme. Reports were ap parently encouraging, but old hands are nasty about the whole idea, saying that the construction and maintenance of wharves that will do the job for any thing larger than a 600 tonner will be a constant headache to everybody.

At the moment, the sheltered eastern side of Point Cruz (site for this wharf scheme) has an 80-foot pontoon dock, capable of berthing the Government motor vessel “Kurimarau”.

A PLAN of New Honiara on view in the Lands Department seems to have very little bearing on the current

proposals of the Honiara Town Board (comprised of six members) which have changed so constantly during the past two years that the general public has given up trying to follow what is going on. An excellent building area for a number of economically-centred dwelling places has been abandoned, ’ apparently for the projected purpose of laying down a golf course (unofficial, estimated cost up to £1,000). The result of this is that the residential area is scattered hither and yon, with complicated water and lighting systems as a result.

Some houses are going on to a lofty ridge overlooking Point Cruz, with the new radio station as their nucleus. The new houses are almost completed there, and on the flat below them is the just completed native market, two already inhabited permanent houses, a high, grim building known as The Transit Quarters (refuge for homeless visitors to Honiara) and, on 'the seashore, the temporary quarters of the Government Trade Scheme. This, failing the reopening of outside commercial interests, caters for European housekeeper and moneyed Solomon Islander alike and, to the casual onlooker, appears to be doing a good job at prices which could certainly be worse.

Government Trade Scheme handles the fresh meats and small-goods offered three (Continued Next Page)

times a week at the Government “reefer” —fresh butter 4/6 a pound, fresh meat averaging about 3/- a pound.

OVER a new concrete bridge spanning a harmless-looking creek (but native critics say the storm drain is too small to take what they’ve seen come down in floodtime) and we’re in Honiara camp itself —practically the same as it was three) years ago, except for the addition of a few more leaf-roofed huts for bachelor employees, a few more leaf roofed annexes to the Government build

ing and the removal of the post office from its old fowl-house accommodation to a magnificent plywood affair (perma nent) across the road.

The Chief Magistrate still holds court in another leaf-roofed fowl house (temporary) in the camp area; the Residency still stands on the foreshore, converted out of what was a war-time, New Zealand casualty clearing station.

There are five leaf-roofed residences behind the new post office, set round what seasonally lives up to its name of Mud Alley, but you don’t take much notice of these—allegedly they’re not permanent.

Further on, clambering up the side of a ridge overlooking the golf course (proposed) are three permanent houses, completed within the last six months— quite pleasing but for the fact that all are dominated at the back by what appear to be gigantic lavatories; these are boy houses, which will presumably soften with age and a little horticulture.

Somehow the designs for these new houses, although commendable consider ing their salvage material origin, have a strange clumsiness and miss the dignity of pre-war Tulagi homes. Best house is certainly that of the manager for the Trade Scheme who was his own designer in collaboration with his builder. But each Government house seems a little Jess tangled-up with walls and, doors and cubby-holes, than the last, so the yet-to-be-built Residency stands a chance of being a success.

But it seems that transport will con tinue to be a problem in the new Honiara and roads, lighting and water systems a continual expense. It remains to be seen whether the economic future of the Group justifies the outlay made for the capital from the pockets of the gallant British taxpayer.