The Month In Moresby

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, July 31.

RESIDENTS got an idea of what Port Moresby of the future will look like, when a preliminary town plan was displayed to the public in mid-July.

In the words of the Administration, the plan “has been aimed at disturbing exist ing business sites as little as possible,” nevertheless it provides for some impor tant changes.

One of these is the transfer of Govern ment offices from their present location at Konedobu (about two miles out of town) to the present Police Station block, in the centre of the town. According to the plan, this block will contain three three-storey Government offices, the post office, town hall, fire station, police station, law courts and men’s and women’s quarters.

In the block where Steamships Trading Co. is situated now, there is to be a market-hall and an area for small shops.

A swimming-pool will be built on Ela Beach, near the RSL Club.

Residents were invited to inspect the plan and send suggestions to the Gov ernment Secretary but up to July 25 no suggestions had been received. It is hard to believe that the plan is considered per fect; no doubt there will be complaints later.

When the final plan is adopted, the Administration will acquire certain areas by negotiation or resumption and some of these will be made available to the public.

Says the Administration: “Development of the town as planned will take some time but adoption of the plan will re move the uncertainty that has existed, and business and other interests will be able to commence construction of new buildings and develop existing ones.” * LITTLE has been heard lately of Mr.

Ward’s scheme for a model village at Hanuabada but it is still on the list of “things to be done—eventually.”

Mr. Ward promised the Hanuabada natives a new village after the old one was destroyed by fire in 1943, but the £118,000 granted for the purpose is still untouched. After many discussions be tween the Administration and the village council, things have reached the stage where the Administration will supply materials for two houses, which the natives will build under European super vision. This will give some idea of the cost of each house. Costs have risen considerably since the scheme was first announced and in an effort, apparently, to keep expenditure down to £118,000, the Administration has decided not to build the houses of fibro-cement, as originally planned. They will now have thatched roofs and sides and timber floors and frames. * THE Papuan Apinaipi Petroleum Com pany has finished a geological sur vey of a new section of its permit area and drilling sites have been selected.

The survey was made by an American geologist, Mr. E. K. Craig, whose report is now being studied. There is no indica tion as to when the company will start

field operations.

♦ THE “Kahira,” a 56-foot motor scow, owned by the Australasian Petro leum Company, hit a snag in the Baroi River on the afternoon of July 22 and sank in 14 feet of water. The snag, thought to be a log, pierced the hull and stuck there. Aboard the ship was the engineer, Mr. T. West, a passenger, Mr.

J. Bell, and a crew of half a dozen natives. They were in no danger. The “Kahira” was carrying freezing-cargo and radio equipment, among other things.

Efforts are being made to salvage the vessel but meanwhile the drilling camps are left without a freezer supply ship. * MR. E. A. F. HEAD, of the Commonwealth Public Service Board, will begin duty as Public Service Com missioner for the Territory on September 1. He joined the Commonwealth Public Service in 1913, served in the first world war and was Assistant Public Service Inspector at Adelaide when appointed Public Service Commissioner, He has been a member of the staff of the Common wealth Public Service Board since 1924.

ANEW 56-foot scow, the “Kina,” ar rived in Moresby on July 17 to join the Directorate of Shipping’s fleet of ships, which now totals 24. The “Kina” will be based at Moresby. We still do not know when the Directorate will take over the operation of its own ships instead of using agents; recently it advertised for the additional staff that will be necessary. ♦ A NATIVE cafe has opened at Koki and for 3/6, natives of the area can now have a civilised meal in fairly civi lised surroundings, with a background of gramophone music—mostly cowboy songs.

If they haven’t enough money for a meal, they can have a sixpenny cup of tea or coffee and other light refreshments.

It may be a native cafe but the prices are distinctly European. * THE Moresby-Koki waterfront road is crumbling away on the sea-edge but, apparently, judging by the complete lack of repair, the Works Department has

not noticed it yet. In some spots a vehicle has only to be forced a little wide and it will hit the crumbling sur face, with possibly tragic results. One truck went into the sea recently but no one was hurt. * ACTING Assistant District Officer at Abau, Mr. R. M. Geelan, and Mrs.

Geelan, have gone to Sydney on leave. When his leave expires, Mr. Geelan will attend a two years’ course at the School of Pacific Administration. * MR. PHIL HARDY, formerly of the co operative section of District Ser vices, has taken up duty as ADO at Losuia in the Trobriands. Mrs. Hardy is with him. Mr. Hardy replaced Mr. R.

C. Turner who was due for leave. * LATEST births in Moresby; A daughter Barbara, to Mr. and Mrs. Peter Brett; a daughter to Mr. and Mrs.

R. Ruttledge, of Hohoro; and a daughter, Suzanne Esther, to Mr. and Mrs. Neville Chester, of Sohana.

MISS IVY GRAHAMSLAW, youngest daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs.

J. G. Grahamslaw, of Moresby, has announced her engagement to Mr. Frank Middleton, of APC, Moresby. * AFTER two years as Acting Supervising Telephone Technician at Moresby, Mr. Tom Weston has returned to Melbourne, accompanied by Mrs. Weston, who was here for the past few months.

Mr. Sid Kensett, from Rabaul, has filled Mr. Weston’s position at Moresby. * MR. JAMES MARLEY, animal hus bandry officer and a veterinary science graduate, arrived in Moresby recently to take up an appointment with the Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries. Later he will be in charge of the animal breeding and distribution in Papua. * EIGHT-year-old Robert Gorringe, of Moresby, suffered a broken collar bone and other injuries when

knocked down by a jeep on Ela Beach Road recently. He ran out from in front of a bus and apparently did not see the jeep coming. Driver of the jeep, Mr.

Clarence Brady, was fined £1 by Mr. B.

Falthorn in the Moresby Court of Petty Sessions, for negligent driving. * MORESBY residents heard some really startling news the other day—the price of bread has dropped. The Deputy Prices Commissioner for the Ter ritory announced that a 2 lb loaf would cost 1/0½ in future instead of 1/4.

For householders, this is the most im portant local price reduction for some time. Rumour says that price control is going to be stricter but no one is too hopeful just yet. They want to see re sults. * IT is reported that the Port Moresby Freezing Company will extend its business hours soon. At the same time we hear that A. W. Anderson’s Island In dustries will open a butcher’s shop on a freezer barge at Moresby after the call of the next “Bulolo,” This shop will be open most of the day.

Mr. Anderson tells us that his barge freezer is only a temporary measure, and that he will build a freezer in the town as soon as possible. * TWO enterprising women, Mrs. L.

Hannan-Stanley and Mrs. Wilcock son, intend to give Moresby residents an easy-to-reach holiday resort. They have enlarged and renovated the guest house at Rouna Falls, formerly owned by Mrs. Hartwell.

The building has not been used as a guest-house for a long time. The two

ladies, who have had guest-house ex perience in India, will combine the guest house with tea rooms. * Mr. H. L. HUNTER, general fields manager of APC, and Mr. R. L.

Greenham, fields resident geologist, have left Moresby on a business trip to America. They will be away about a month. The General Manager of the Australasian Petroleum Company, Mr. L.

A. Pym, is visiting the company’s head quarters and drilling areas in Papua at

present.

AMONG those who arrived in Moresby on the “Bulolo” were Mr. and Mrs.

Noel Maloney and their baby son, Peter: Mr. and Mrs. Alf. Haynes, Mrs.

W. C. Rich, Mr. and Mrs. Newman; Mr. and Mrs. George Haughan and Mrs. E.

Frame. * A SURPRISE arrival here recently was Mr. Charlie Donaldson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson, of Moresby, who had not been in Moresby since 1941 and had not seen his parents for three years. He is a crew member of the Blue Funnel ship “Lycaon,” which stopped here en route from Australia to England.

The “Lycaon” could not get coal in Aus tralia because of the strike and had to wait at Moresby while another ship, the Idomenus, brought her some coal from Singapore.

Some months ago, Mr. and Mrs. W.

Wallace-Brown, of Torokina, Bougain ville, well-known Territorians of long residence, walked across Bougainville from Torokina, on the west coast, to Inus Plantation, on the east coast. After three weeks’ visit with Mr. and Mrs. Paul

Mason, of Inus, they recrossed the island to Torokina. by the Numa Numa trail. It is believed that this is the first time a European woman has made this double

journey. Bougainville terrain is moun tainous and difficult. The journey of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace-Brown was not made easier by flooded rivers.