Growing Rice In New Guinea
p. 55 · Read in the full issue
Mrs. J. H. Margetts, now of Sydney, has written to say that the Japs were not the first to grow rice in New Guinea. (PIM, September, page 49.) Rice was grown in 1930 by her husband, the Rev.
J. H. Margetts. of the Methodist Mission, at Vunairima, 17 miles from Rabaul. It was hill-rice (as opposed to swamp rice) and was used unpolished for the rations of native students at the station.
Later, Mr. Margetts grew it at Kabakada. 7 miles from Rabaul. In the photographs the mission boys are shown harvesting, threshing and drying the rice. Most of the work was done by hand, but a small rice mill was later imported from Scotland. Mr. Margetts died in 1935.