Christmas Was Late This

Year In Bsi

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Honiara, Jan. 7.

BSIP residents were disappointed when the Qantas aircraft, which arrived just before Christmas, brought no Christmas mail or freight, and no pasengers, owing to some oversight at the Australian end.

A special Qantas plane arrived in Honiara on December 27, bringing freight and Christmas mail.

Honiara’s Christmas and New Year festivities (in addition to numerous private parties) were held at the Hotel Woodford, run by Mr. K. H. D. Hay and Mrs. E. K. Manning.

The hotel has one small residential wing, occupied by permanents; another resi dential wing is at present being built.

The bar, lounge and dance floor are housed in a temporary leaf building, which was made attractive by brilliant decorations of hibiscus, frangipani and the red, wild ginger flower.

A special Dinner and dance were held on Christmas Day, and another on New Year’s Eve; both were attended by as many people as the hotel could cater for.

Honiara is still small enough for every body to be able to know everybody, and both at private and hotel parties, resi dents must have had one of the friendliest Christmases in the world.

During December earthquakes were felt In the island of Lifou (Loyalty group), situated between the New Caledonian mainland and the New Hebrides.

R. S. Scharberth, a former German Luftwaffe anti-aircraft gunner recently arrived in Rabaul to open an agency for a German firm. The Occupation authorities in Germany recently passed him as having had no Nazi sympathies.