The Month In Moresby

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, April 7.

SWINGING a sixteen inch bush knife, a native on March 27, went berserk in a hospital on Fergusson Island, Papua, killing three native medical orderlies and injuring three others before he was shot dead. It is believed that the officer in charge of the hospital, Medical Assistant Beatson, shot the native, but to date there are few details of the tragedy.

A doctor and the ADO Samarai went to Fergusson immediately the news was received on the mainland.

C CRAYFISH are not likely to be popular J with Moresby residents for a long time. Sixty people recently had food poisoning as a result of eating this “delicacy.” Only a few had to go to hospital but the effects suffered by the others were far from pleasant.

The Director of Health, Dr. Gunther, warned people not to eat crayfish unless they were alive just before being cooked.

Some residents obeyed these instructions but still they got sick. So Dr. Gunther has come to the conclusion that local crayfish are poisonous at this time of the year. “It is well known among natives that some fish which are edible during one season become inedible during an other,” he said.

TERRITORY residents will have a shorter wait for air passages to Aus tralia now that there are two Sky masters on the run each week. The Sky-' masters cany 50 passengers compared with a DC3’s 19. Skymasters now arrive at

Moresby on Wednesdays and Sundays, re turning south on Thursdays and Mondays Already the number of people waiting for passages to and from the Territory has been considerably reduced.

Qantas is now running twice-weekly Dragon services to Popendetta and Kokoda.

MORESBY’S office shortage has eased considerably since a building erected in Hunter Street by Mr. W Wyatt, is in use. Top part of the build ing has been divided into five offices and business premises. More offices are to be built underneath. Occupants of the ex isting offices are Mr. R. E. Eginton, who has opened a barber shop staffed by an experienced native; Hornibrook Construc tion Company; Mr. Jack Wilson, builder- Mrs. Roy Barwick (Lenwick Clothing Factory) and Masters’ Radio Service.

WHEN the truck they occupied crashed into 3i feet of water at Moresby recently, Mr. E. Palmer and Mr. S.

Clark found themselves upside down, under water. Luckily the windows were open and they were able to crawl out.

Driven by Palmer, the truck was going from Moresby to Konedobu “when it skidded on the wet road. Palmer over corrected the skid and the utility went into the sea. Both men were taken to hospital but only Palmer was admitted.

He was in hospital a week.

A PARTY of geo-physicists led by Mr.

Ken Tait arrived in Moresby recently to make a survey of areas leased by Mandated Alluvials. This company mined copper and gold near Moresby before the war.

THE Advisory Council’s attempt to get the Administration to build a swim ming pool in Moresby has failed.

“At the present stage the Administration is unable to appropriate funds for the provision of a swimming pool,” said the Government Secretary in a letter read at the last Advisory Council meeting. "The

Administration will give the fullest poss ible support in a material way to a com munity effort to provide swimming baths.”

Mr. J. Lyons told the Council that a public meeting would be held soon to organise a campaign for funds to build a ‘ pool.

This marks the Council’s first big set back since its formation. On all other matters the Administration has either taken action or supplied the Council with

satisfactory information. For instance, in reply to an inquiry by the Council, the Government Secretary advised that plans were in hand for an automatic telephone exchange in Moresby. The Director of Health, Dr. Gunther, in response to a re quest from the Council, extended hospital visiting hours. Replying to the Council’s complaints about Moresby’s roads, the Government Secretary reported that separate organisations were being set up to handle road maintenance, street clean

ing, etc. As yet, there are few visible results of the Council’s efforts to improve the town but it has obtained much valu able information about the Administra tion’s plans.

A CONFERENCE at Lae last week-end at which Mr. Bunting, of Samarai, represented Papua, agreed to com bine Territory RSL bodies into a single State Branch. In the past there has been a Port Moresby branch as well as a New Guinea State Branch.

Under the new set-up Port Moresby will become a sub-branch and will send delegates to annual meetings of the State Executive. At the annual meeting of Moresby RSL recently, Mr. P. Edwards was elected president, Mr. L. Lyons, vice president; Mr. J. Buckridge, secretary, and Mr. J. Aynsley, treasurer. Retiring president (Mr. S. E. Reilly) and secretary (Mr. P, Bosgard), were made life mem bers. The councillors are: C. L. Anthony, P Bosgard, L Elliott, J. Grimshaw, C.

Marr, J. A. Miller (snr.), W. Watkins and N. White.

FORMER Rabaul barrister and solicitor, Mr. Andrew Kelly, was sworn in as a judge of the Papua-New Guinea Supreme Court at Moresby on March 27.

He -arrived from Australia with Mrs. Kelly a few days earlier. Judge Gore presided at the swearing-in ceremony and made a welcoming speech, which was supported by Messrs. Watkins, Cromie, White and McCubbery.

TWO new engines for the local power house should by this date have reached Australia from England but even when they do arrive in Moresby they will be useless. Someone forgot to send the alternators without which the engines cannot operate. We have now to wait for the alternators to come from England before we can expect much im provement in the power supply.

MR. T. OLSSON’S milk bar in Port Road, Moresby, has closed down but residents won’t be without milk shakes for long. The milk bar at the foot of Lawes Road, which served the town previously, will be re-opened in a week or two under the management of Mrs. M. Thomas, who at present is em ployed at the European Hospital.

RUGBY League football, which was in troduced to Moresby last year, pro mises to become the town’s favourite sport. Already it draws more spectators than any other local sport and the num ber of players is increasing. At present there are only two teams, Paga Hill and the Maganis, but DCA is trying to organ ise a team. In the first match of the season an improved Paga Hill team de feated the Maganis by 5 to 3. Players are particularly keen this season because of the prospect of a trip to Wau. Two representative teams from Moresby are going to Wau for the King’s Birthday week-end in June.

MR. and MRS. W. R. FRAME won the first competition of the new season —a mixed Canadian against par— at the Moresby golf course on April 1.

In second place were Mr. and Mrs. Mason with G. McLeod and Miss E. Henderson third, and Miss L. Steege and R. Knight fourth. A mixed Canadian flag compe tition on April 2 was won by J. Gillman and Mrs. G. Evans, with N. Gorringe and Mrs. Mason second.

SUNDAY, April 16, has been fixed as the starting date for the Moresby Aquatic Club's 1950 season. Ten or twelve boats are expected to contest the first event and several new boats will be built during the season. Some skippers will try out spinnakers this season.

Miss Lyn Nicholson And Mr. Reg

Thomson, both of the Education Department Port Moresby, were married at the Moresby Registry Office on April 4. Miss Joy Hill was bridesmaid and Mr. B. Westmore bestman. Fifty people attended the reception at Pandora Cresent Women’s Hostel.

Port Moresby’s District Officer, Mr. M.

J. Healy, is transferring to Higaturu. Mrs.

Healy recently returned from Brisbane after taking their daughter, Jennifer, to college.

Mr. Geoff Hill, NSW co-operative in spector who has been on loan to the Ad ministration for the past year, has re turned South.

Two shillings was retrieved from the stomach of 2-year-old Phillip Haughan, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Haughan, at the Moresby Hospital last week, Phillip swallowed the coin when no one was look ing.

District Scouter for Papua, Mr, C. C.

Baines, recently returned from a 400-mile walkabout in central Papua. Photos and curios which he collected on the trip will form the basis of a lecture he will give to Queensland University students this month.