Bougainville Notes

From Our Own Correspondent SOHANO, March 30.

A LETTER from Mr. R. E. P. Dwyer, Acting Director of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries, Port Moresby, has been received by Mr. F. P. Archer, presi dent of the Bougainville Association, containing an invitation to nominate a member of the Association to attend meetings of the Rural Production Ad visory Council at Port Moresby. In view of the vital matters which are to be dealt with by the Council this suggestion is much appreciated and a representative will shortly be nominated by the Bou gainville Association, The Mangola is expected to come to Bougainville ports at the end of April to lift copra. This will be of great assis tance in dealing with the accumulation of copra at the various plantations which owners and managers had almost de spaired of ever getting away. The Ad ministration have been asked to supply 80 labourers to do the stevedoring work.

SOME of the coroner’s inquests into the causes of the recent destructive fires in Buka and Bougainville copra dryers have been completed and two yet remain to be done. The verdict in the matter of the attempt to burn down the Teopasino, Bougainville, drier was one of attempted arson by a person, or persons unknown; and in the case of driers at Jame, in Buka and Numa Numa in Bougainville, the causes were found to be “neglect of proper care by the native attendants.” The papers in connect'on with the inquests have gone to the Crown Law Officer, at Moresby, for perusal and an opinion.

The matter of routeing the Douglas plane (which proceeds from Rabaul to Honiara, British Solomon Islands, every second Monday) via Buka Passage, instead of via Torokina, is one that is engaging the attention of the Bougainville Asso ciation. It would be needful, first of all, to recondition the Buka airstrip but this should present no difficulties if a bull dozer and grader were put on the job.

The routeing of the plane to Buka would mean that the District headquarters would, in combination with present Cata lina service, get a weekly service instead of a fortnightly one, and, additionally, it would be a convenience to the travelling public, and citizens who have business to do in both Bougainville and British Solomons. Torokina is merely an old army dump which will, in the not distant future, have very few residents. The matter will be taken up with Hon. P.

Spender during his visit, to Sohano.

ARRIVED this week in Bougainville, after a twelve months tour of Eng land, Scotland. Ireland, Europe and United States, the Seventh Day Adventist teacher, Salau. He had accompanied veteran Pastor Stewart, well known, through the South Seas, as a missionary.

Salau was enthusiastic about his trip from Sydney to Liverpool in the Georgia and from Le Havre, France, to New York in the Mauretania.

London and New York, he said, took his breath away. The fast, stream-lined trains of the USA were another marvel, and finally, the long trip across the Paci fic by plane—from San Francisco, via Hawaii, and Fiji, he said, was beyond his powers to describe. Salau is doing the rounds of the Seventh Day Adventist Mis sions in New Guinea, relating his ex periences and impressions to others of tiis faith. He remarked that his wrist vatch —presented to him in Switzerland —was “quite a good one, you know.” But,

despite this trip, he is still the quiet mannered, retiring native of former years.

We hear, with regret, that our popular Medico, Dr. Ken Pike, is shortly going to another assignment. The district will be the poorer for his departure. It is safe to say that his cheerful and willing attention to all people, European, Chinese and natives, combined with his skill, has

gained for him the respect and confidence of the entire community. No more popu lar Medical Officer has ever been stationed in Bougainville District.

The wireless installation at Sohano was recently out of order for two weeks; meantime outgoing, and incoming radios piled up. This state of affairs caused a good deal of inconvenience to Adminis

trative officials and residents. The matter is being taken up with the authorities to see if something can be done to avoid these recurring black outs which are considered to be too serious to be humorous.

On leave in New South Wales in March and April was Mr. Phillip Brosgarth, of the Papua-New Guinea Department of Agriculture. He was taking something of a busman’s holiday and visiting country agricultural shows as well as the Sydney Royal Show.