The Month In Moresby

Prom Our Own Correspondent

1 Port Moresby, May 8.

THE cause of the death on Anzac Day of attractive 26-year-old Mrs. Mavis Conron, of Port Moresby, seems likely to remain a mystery. After an inquest lasting 'a week, the Coroner (Mr. B.

Faithorn) found that she died from an unknown cause.

A native police constable discovered Mrs. Conron lying unconscious in the grass 75 yards away from her home at 5 a.m. on April 25. She died in hospital three hours later.

When found she had a coat on over her dress. Medical examinations revealed neither natural nor unnatural causes of death. The Government Analyst at Bris bane found only traces of quinine in the stomach contents. The Coroner com mended two natives, Lui and Ure, for their care of the dying woman before help arrived.

During the inquest witnesses said Mrs.

Conron was a sleepwalker and had been known to dress herself while asleep. Police said she had apparently stumbled over a small stone wall near her house and rolled down the slope to the spot where she was found. However, she suffered only cuts and bruises in the fall and, according to doctors, this had no bearing on her death.

Mrs. Conron was the jmother of two boys, one aged 4 and the other 15 months.

Her husband, a storeman in the Post and Telegraphs Branch, Port Moresby, was holidaying in Victoria with the elder boy at the time of her death.

THE Territory’s Public Service will get more pay and other benefits under the latest re-classification which is said to be in its final stages. Public Ser vice Commissioner, Mr. E. A. Head, told

the annual meeting of the Public Service Association that he had “every hope” that the re-classification would date from July 1, 1949. He said that changes in the Public Service Regulations, also in the final stages, would increase child and travelling allowances and raise the salary level at which overtime can be earned.

Present system of assisted passages on recreation leave would be replaced by the more liberal Commonwealth provisions.

Mr. Head added that all except a small portion of the fares of families of newly appointed officers would be paid, as well as most of the freight on furniture. Sick leave will be allowed to accumulate. De scribing the proposed promotion procedure, Mr. Head said provisional promotions would be gazetted and would be subject to appeal.

WORK has started on a new general store to be built in Douglas Street, Moresby, by E. E. Kriewaldt & Co., Ltd. The store will be across the road from the District Office and next to the Administration women’s hostel. It will specialise in clothing and Eastern goods and will have a self-service grocery sec tion. All sales will be cash. Mr. Krie waldt, who was formerly with Customs, says that the cash and self-service sys tems would reduce operating costs and enable the store to sell groceries at lower prices than those prevailing at present in Moresby.

Natives will not be allowed in the main store, he added. There will be a separate section for them at the rear. It’s hoped to open the store in July. The building will be at street level with a bulk store underneath. It will be 40 feet by 40 feet, with two feet of glass louvres around the

sides and display windows in front. Later, a chemist's shop may be built next door.

E. E. Kriewaldt & Co., Ltd., has a nominal capital of £20,000. At a meeting of shareholders this month, Messrs. Krie waldt, R. K. Caldwell and G. P. Pederson will seek election as directors. Mr. F. B.

Godson will offer himself as an alternative director. Mr. Caldwell was formerly ac countant with the New Guinea Company, Rabaul.

THE money-raising campaign for Moresby’s future Olympic swimming pool has got under way with a series

of sweepstakes on Sydney’s “race of the day.” Prizes are: Ist £25, 2nd £lO and 3rd £5.

It’s expected that a horse race meeting at Ward’s Strip will be the first big func tion held in aid of the Swimming Pool Ap peal. Plans for the races are in the early stages but it seems certain that enough horses will be provided by local owners to make the meeting successful. A straight

four-furlongs course has been suggested and there will probably be four or five races, including one for ladies.

The Swimming Pool Committee intends to follow the race meeting with a carnival night, an art union, boxing, sports and a ball, etc. At the recent public meeting at which the Committee was formed, Mr.

Jack Lyons said at least £6,000 or £7,000 would be needed to build an Olympic Pool.

If all residents gave their support it would not be too difficult to raise the money.

Mr. Lyons suggested that the pool be built into the sea near the main swimming area on Ela Beach. The pool would fill at high tide iand the water could be pumped out when necessary. Some of those at the meeting favoured a pool on the land and finally it was decided to put the matter in the hands of a sub committee and Invite residents and firms to submit designs and suggestions. Local firms and organisations are being invited to send representatives to the next general meeting. These representatives will be added to the Committee, which now con sists of Mr. J. Lyons (president); Mr. D.

Sullivan (vice-president); Mr. R. Prior (secretary); Mr. M. Creed (treasurer); Mr. J. Jeffrey (publicity officer); Mr. C.

Mayoh, Mr. J. Ritchie, Mr. J. Cox and Miss J. Lane. A subscription list has been opened. Donations, made out to the Port Moresby Swimming Pool Committee, should be sent to the treasurer (My.

Creed), Auditor’s Office, Konedobu.

FIFTY-FOUR Kerema and Kikori natives were fined 5/- each at Moresby recently for riotous be haviour. They were among hundreds of natives involved in a brawl at Koki on the morning of Easter Sunday.

An argument between two natives started the fight. Keremas and Kikoris took sides and, yelling and screaming, they attacked each other with sticks and clubs. A few native police tried to break it up but the fight continued until Euro pean officers arrived. Ten natives were taken to hospital and two admitted.

NEXT large areas of land to be opened up in Port Moresby will be above Upper Port Road and along Lawes Road. Altogether, a hundred or more blocks will be made available. This in

formation was given to the Advisory Council’s last meeting in a letter from the Government Secretary. The letter added: “The matter of the development of the Pour to Five Mile area is involved in the provision of water and electricity. It is proposed to develop the water resources of the Laloki River as soon as possible.”

In its efforts to open up building land the Administration is handicapped by a serious shortage of surveyors, said the Government Secretary. Advisory Council members said land was needed urgently in Moresby. Mr. E. J. Frame told the meeting that Mr. Spender had assured him that the town plan would be speeded up and would be submitted to the Council before being finally approved. Council de cided that on receipt of the plan it would invite the public to inspect it and make comments.

Council carried a motion by Mr. J. H.

Ahearn expressing concern at the delay in improving port facilities and recom mending that overseas ships be unloaded into lighters in midstream “until adequate wharf and warehouse facilities are pro vided.” It was suggested that until there are enough lighters, a tug should be pro vided to help overseas ships berth safely.

Works and Housing will be asked to supply the Council with a plan of the new wharf before tenders are called.

Council will ask the Administration to set aside an area on Ela Beach for Euro pean swimmers and to build new dressing sheds, with showers. The Government Secretary advised that the Administration would carry out the anti-litter campaign suggested by the Council. He asked the Council, however, to organise the com petitions to be held as part of the cam paign.

N. F. MALONEY & CO. expects to open a general store at the Three-Mile within six weeks. The store will have separate sections for Europeans and natives and will have a European in charge. It is hoped to open it from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., with slightly shorter hours at week-ends.

A FATAL accident occurred at Rouna on Anzac Day when William Blunt 23, of DCA, fell 100 feet while des cending to the bottom of the Falls.

Blunt, a clerk, had been with DCA at Moresby since February, 1949. On Anzac Day he attended the Bomana Dawn Ser vice, then, with Mr. John Sheedy (Met. section) and Mr. Ralph Ernst (DCA), he set out to walk to Rouna. At Rouna they took photos, then decided to descend to the foot of the Palls. Blunt took a dif ferent route to the other two. On their way down Sheedy and Ernst found Blunt lying badly hurt among the rocks on to which he had fallen. He died within the next ten minutes while Sheedy was on his way to the guest-house to phone for the ambulance. The funeral took place the same afternoon.

MR. VINCENT KEOGH, aged 55, who was the Directorate of Shipping’s Assistant Engineer Superintendent at Moresby, died in the Moresby Hospital on April 26. He had been ill for a little more than a week. Mr. Keogh was the father of four sons and a daughter, all living in Australia. His wife and one son, John, arrived here to see him a few days before he died. He had been with the Directorate of Shipping at Moresby and Rabaul since October, 1948.

THE neck-and-neck Rugby League com petition between the Maganis and Paga Hill is creating great interest.

Attendance at the games gets bigger every Sunday. Up to date Paga and the Maganis have each won two matches.

Players are anxious to get into one of the

two teams to visit Wau during the King’s Birthday week-end in June. They are also competing for a number of trophies.

President of the local Rugby League As sociation, Mr. Reg. Grout, has given a trophy for the most improved player. Mr.

Hal Searle has donated one for the best and fairest player and Mr. Bob O’Neile one for the highest point scorer. Mr. Andy Larkin has given a Shield, conditions for which have not been finalised.

Australian Rules football will soon be under way in Moresby. APC is construct ing a ground at Badili and should have it ready in a few weeks. Several Aussie Rules men are at present playing with the Maganis League team —and doing very well.

SAILING is well established as one of Moresby’s leading sports. At least seven boats contest the races each Sunday morning and more are being built. AyJay (A. Murray) won the first

heat of the Kingsley Cup recently from Mistral (W. Connolly) and Lindy Lou (E. Johnstone;.

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LOOKING well after 10 weeks in Auck land (New Zealand), Mrs. Joan Brierley is back again at the Govern ment Secretary’s Department.

A daughter was born to Mr. and Mrs.

Pierre Donaldson at the Moresby Hospital recently. Mr. and Mrs. Donaldson are not long back from a holiday in England. He has now begun duty as a patrol officer at Samarai.

Field superintendent of APC’s Vailala drilling area, Mr. A. D. Houston, has re turned to Australia. His successor is Mr.

J. G. Saunders.

Well-known Moresby resident, Mrs. G.

McDonald has gone to Toowoomba to live.

Mr. and Mrs. Ron Jennings and son David have left for Sydney. Mr. Jennings, who is with Qantas, is being transferred from Moresby.

Visiting Moresby is Mr. Noel Ford, of MGM, who is organising 16 mm film dis tribution in the Territory.

Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Cowley, who returned from leave recently, are now at Higaturu where Mr. Cowley is DO. They were formerly at Misima.