Rabaul To Rapopo

Europeans Grim But Reconciled :: Chinese Are Not Happy

rHE Europeans of Rabaul seem to be grimly resigned to the official de cision that, at the earliest possible loment, the administrative establishment hall be transferred from Rabaul, among he volcanoes, to Rapopo (near Kokopo), ome 20 miles south of the line of earth aults.

So far, there is no direct official com >ulsion upon the non-official people— pparently, they can remain in Rabaul : they wish. But, presumably, the Ad linistration is not going to make public ervices available at Rabaul—and a luropean trading community cannot do inch without port, post office, police and üblic works facilities.

Just to help matters along, the Ad linistration, on a Sunday in May, made big plane available, and took a large arty of Rabaul residents across to the lainland, where they were flown aoroughly over the region devastated by ae Mt. Lamington eruption. There was 10 doubt about the impression made ipon the Rabaul-ites; and there has een no active and little passive resist nce by Europeans to the plan for aban oning Rabaul.

But the Chinese community, which has one a lot of building in Rabaul in the ist three or four years, is taking a very im view of the situation and, with true ►riental fatalism, it is likely that many hinese will refuse to move out of Rabaul, o matter how the ground shakes and the olcanoes mutter.

There is certain to be talk of com ensation: and there is some moral obli ation upon the Administration, because oe Administration for so long dithered r ith the problem of Rabaul. It could have iven a lead in 1946 just as easily as in 951, and thus avoided a great amount f inconvenience and expense.