The Month In Moresby

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, March 8.

PAPUA’S slow mining progress may be judged by the fact that the largest gold mine, Cuthbert’s (Misima), will only be breaking even on expenditure by April. The company will then be pro ducing 70 tons of ore a day, half the plant’s capacity. According to the di rectors, production should improve as developmental work is extended and the full labour force is taken on.

Mandated Alluvials is making a thorough survey of the mineral possi bilities in the Port Moresby area before taking any definite steps towards resum ing production.

THE Administration is having trouble filling the position of official secre tary in the Administrator’s office.

Mr. Tom Lowney resigned from the po sition recently, after 25 years’ service in the Administration. Applications for the vacancy were to have closed on January 21, but due to the poor response the clos ing date was extended, to March 16.

Salary range is £825 to £897, with an extra £25 a year for a married person.

Duties include attending to the Admini strator’s correspondence, arranging con ferences and interviews and supervising social functions and Government House transport.

THIRTEEN migrant doctors arrived in Port Moresby from Sydney on March 2 to take up appointments with the local Department of Health. Another 21 are due here in May. Before coming to the Territory, the doctors undergo a short course at the Australian school of

Pacific Administration, in Sydney. Most, if not all, of them will work among the natives. They will greatly enlarge the Territory’s medical service, which pre viously had only 16 doctors.

THE Australasian Petroleum Company will soon be operating two new Sea Otter amphibian aircraft to help its oil search in Papua. The company has been using a Grumman Widgeon am phibian but this was found to be inade quate and the Sea Otters were ordered from England. One is due to arrive this month and the other some weeks later, HIS Honor the Administrator, Colonel J. K. Murray, and Mrs. Murray are visiting Australia. They are due back in a week or two. At Brisbane the Administrator saw officers of the Works and Housing Department and the De partment of Agriculture and Stock. In Svdnev he attended a meeting of the Australian School of Pacific Administra tion, then he went to Canberra for inter views with the new Minister for External Territories and officers of this Depart ment.

TERRITORY residents are looking for ward to the visit of the new Mini ster for External Territories, Mr.

Snender, who is expected next month.

Among the organisations preparing mat ters for submission to Mr. Spender is the Planters’ Association of Papua. The As sociation will seek the extension of the native labour contract period from one year to two, and will inquire about the proposed stabilisation of the rubber in dustry.

Housewives from the Three and Four Mile, Port Moresby, are drawing up a list of complaints to be presented to the Minister. Their main complaint is against the high cost of living, particu larly for married Administration officers.

They claim—and it seems a just claim — that married officers are being badly treated in regard to rents and rates, com pared with single officers, who pay no more than 35/- a week for accommoda tion, food, water and power.

The housewives intend to organise to fight for better conditions and* would like to form a branch of the Queensland Housewives’ Association.

THE body of a native cook off the coastal ship, Elsie B, was found floating under the main wharf at Port Moresby on February 24. There were no signs of violence and, after re ceiving a police report, the Coroner (Mr.

B. Faithorn) decided not to hold an in quest. The native disappeared from the Elsie B on the night of February 23.

Other natives saw him go to bed and the next morning he was gone. Police think he may have fallen into the sea while sick and was too weak to save him self or call for help.

PORT MORESBY’S hunger for any thing approaching “culture” was demonstrated on Wednesday, March 1, when a capacity crowd attended a special Arts Council function at the Library. The programme consisted of a one-act play, an illustrated lecture on art by Mr. A. J. Halls, and choral and solo items. Those who took part in the play-reading were Leila Steege, Mickey Fitzgerald Dawn Parsloe, Alan Spencer and Warren Steelie. The play was “The Dear Departed.” (Continued next page)

The choir presented three songs; “Greensleeves,” “Barcarolle” and “Humoresque,”

Miss Ina Gibney gave a violin solo, MJrs. Prudence Frank a piano solo and songs were presented by Miss Jean Quin lan, Mrs. Rita Smith, Mr. Harry Haines and Mr. Ernest Dale.

POSTURE of many Moresby children was bad, Dr. J. J. Refshauge told the annual meeting of the European School Parents and Citizens’ Association.

Dr. Refshauge was addressing the meet ing after the recent medical examination of local children. She emphasised the necessity for regular dental treatment for children and a balanced diet. Mr. J.

Lyons was elected President of the As sociation, Mr. R. Sinclair secretary, and Mrs. Johnson treasurer. The Committee comprises Mr. C. Maher, Mrs. Yates, Mrs.

Warren and Mrs. Woods.

IT was the Administration’s responsi bility to provide Port Moresby with a swimming pool, members of the Advisory Council said at their last meet ing. The Council, which includes five Administration representatives, unanicarried a motion by Mr. E. J.

Frame recommending that the Admini stration provide a pool.

Mr. J. Lyons said that the Government Secretary had stated that the Adminis tration was not prepared to pay any thing towards the cost of a pool. “I take exception to the Government secre tary’s attitude,” said Mr. Frame. “He says the Rabaul pool was built by public subscription but I don’t think we should be dominated by what happened in Rabaul. Before the war the pool in Moresby was built and maintained by the Government. The Council should ask the Government to assume its responsi bilities and provide the community with a swimming pool for its protection.”

The Chairman, Mr, James, said the duty of providing a pool was normally undertaken by municipal authorities. “In this Territory and town, however,” he said, “it must be undertaken by the Ad ministration, which derives the revenue normally derived by the Municipal Coun cil.” Mr. Lyons estimated that a pool built by the Government might cost £lO,OOO to £12,000. Mr. N. F. Maloney said this was not much at the Admini stration’s present spending rate. It was suggested that the Administration could recover the money spent on building a pool by charging admission.

The Advisory Council has made recom mendations to the Administration on a variety of subjects, ranging from roads to a children’s roller skating rink. The Administration’s reaction to these re commendations will decide whether the Council is to be a success or failure. Al ready some Council membes are dissatis fied with being only “advisory” and if most of their advice is ignored they are to give up in disgust.

HORNIBROOK Construction Company, which has just established itself in the Territory, expects to start work on an alternative all-weather airstrip on Fisherman’s Island, Port Moresby, in about a month for the Civil Aviation Department.

RECENT heavy rains in Moresby once again exposed the town’s bad drain age. At the 4-Mile a river of water blocked the main road and two new roads were washed away in parts.

Residents are hoping that the change now taking place in the Works and Housing set-up may result, among other things, in better roads and drainage. A Directorate of Works is being created in the Territory on the same basis as the State works organisations in Australia.

This means that the local Works and Housing Department will become an in dependent body, instead of being a branch of the Queensland Dept.

Mr. D. J. Rooney, of Works and Hous ing, Brisbane, has been appointed Di rector of Works under the new set-up.

He replaces Mr. F. Vidgen, who was known as the Commonwealth Controller of Works and Housing. Mr. Vidgen has been transferred to Queensland. Both Mr. Rooney and Mr. Vidgen are due to arrive in Moresby in a few days to make the changeover.

IF all goes well, the Territory should have a twice-weekly newspaper with in four or five months. Mr. Leslie Brodie, who is establishing the paper, expected to have it operating by Febru ary of this year, but he found that start ing a business in the Territory is not such an easy matter. The position at present, he says, is that most of his machinery is ready for shipment from Australia and work has started on the necessary buildings and houses at Kone dobu, Port Moresby The paner will be called the South Pacific Post. It will be run in conjunction with a printing business. Most people agree that the printing business will do well, but it’s doubtfull whether the Territory is ready yet for a twice-weekly paper on the am bitious scale visualised by Mr. Brodie.

A weekly would probably be a better proposition. A roneod fortnightly news paper, The Territorian produced by Mr. J. Jeffrey, has been published in Port Moresbv with considerable success since December 11 last. The Territorian’s aim is to provide a news and information ser vice until the South Pacific Post starts up.

MANDATED AIRLINES Pilot, Richard Cecil Burt, whose licence was sus pended recently for six months, had the period reduced to four months by the Appeal Board at Port Moresby last week. Members of the Board were the Deputy Crown Solicitor at Townsville (Mr. Roberts), Captain Mant, of Qantas, and Captain Humphries, of ANA. Burt’s licence had been suspended for “serious breaches of regulations.” The Board found the suspension was justified but considered it too severe. 9PA’s native session has had a lot of criticism lately. Residents say the ses sion should be broadcast at some other time, instead of from 4.30 to 6 p.m., when people want to listen to the radio after their day’s work. It’s been suggested that the session be broadcast from 2 p.m. to 3.30 but neither 9PA, nor the Education Departmemnt, which runs the session, have taken any notice of the complaints.

SIXTY members have enrolled in the Port Moresby Bowling Club and al ready there is a waiting list. The club has sent to New Zealand for infor mation about sawdust “greens.” It in tends to construct a green of this type.

PORT MORESBY Rugby League As sociation has informed the Wau Football Club that it would like to send a representative team to Wau on the King’s Birthday holiday in June.

At the annual meeting of the Paga Hill Rugby League Football Club, the following officers were elected: President.

Mr. R. Hilton; secretary, Mr. J. Buchan; treasurer, Mr. J. Haas; Delegates to As sociation. Messrs. J. Smith, C. Stewart and V. Mattingley.

]%y|lSS_ NAOMI LUCAS, of Burns Philp, iTI Ltd., and Mr. Mick Scott, of the Port Moresby Freezing Company, were married at the Ela Protestant Church, Moresby on February 21. Miss Hilda Munday was bridesmaid and Mr.

Dennis O’Connor best man. The couple spent their honeymoon at Rouna Falls.

Mr. E. L. Mqline, of the Registrar General’s Office, Port Moresby, has gone to England in the “Otranto” on nine months’ longe leave.

A son was born recently to M|r. and Mrs. Dave Foley, formerly of Moresby, and now of Sydney.

Supreme Court Registrar, Mr. J.

Gibney, has gone on leave. Mrs. Gibney has been in Australia for some months for health reasons.

Two former Moresby residents, Miss Thea Watson and Flight Lieutenant Ron Cockroft were married early February at St. Michael’s, Vaucluse. Miss Watson was formerly employed at the Director ate of Shipping Office and Flight-Lieut.

Cockroft was the RAAF officer stationed here.

After six weeks in Australia, Mr. Bill Pennv former Port Moresby RSL Club manager, returned to Moresby with Mrs.

Penny recently, Mr. and Mrs. W. Brewster, of Rubber lands Estate, are leaving the Territory.

Mr. Brewster went south by air a few weeks ago and Mrs. Brewster is going

on the current Bulolo. Others going oh the Bulolo are Mr. and Mrs. Max Roth, Mr. and Mrs. E. P. Holmes, Mr. and Mrs.

L. Large, Mr. and Mrs. T. P. Byrne, Mr. and Mrs. A. Ridge and Mr. T. Lowney.

Mr. Percy Hinds arrived from Aus tralia last weekend and returned to Kikori by Catalina last Monday.

Mr. George Bucklev. of Moresby, re turned from Australia recently with his bride.

A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs.

John Lukin, of Eilogo Plantation, at the Moresby European Hospital recently.