Month In Papua-N. Guinea

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, May 28.

ANOTHER volcanic area came into the news during May. This is an old crater and lava dome forming one of the peaks of Mount Taroka in Southern Bougainville.

The vulcanologist’s aerial survey dis closed no signs of any recent eruption, but there are three small patches of hot ground lying like small open sores against the green of the forest-covered slopes.

These show the usual sulphur tint and one was giving off slight wisps of steam.

The vulcanologist, Mr. Taylor, based his observations on the aerial survey and warned that further ground inspection vas needed. He considered, however, that ;here had been no eruption at Mt. Taroka 'or at least a hundred years. He said that )n present evidence, there was no need for ilarm or for evacuation of villages in the id joining areas. But it was necessary to ceep the mountain under observation by i ground patrol, as any renewal of ac tivity could be dangerous.

So there is now a third volcanic area in Bougainville to be watched. The other ;wo, of course, are Mt. Bagana and Mt.

Balbi, both of which are active volcanoes.

Mount Taroka rises to just over 7,000 "eet with four or five peaks, and the hot 'round occurs just below a peak of about >,OOO feet. The whole mountain mass is sxceedingly rugged and juts above rough ;ountry. It is all forest-covered and is ibout three days’ walk north of Buin. An irmy jeep road extends about half the listance, and the remainder would keep - patrol moving steadily to cover the

the ground in U days. There are per haps five or six villages within a five mile radius of the volcanic peak. This peak is actually the old lava dome rising out of a crater, and between the base of the dome and the crater rim lies a narrow horse shoe-shaped lake known as Lake Loloru, in which areas of hot water are known to occur. European and native reports all indicate that it has been known for some time as a thermal region.

The first ground patrol report also in dicated that Lake Loloru was the centre of thermal activity, but more detailed in formation is expected later when closer investigation has been made. This is a tough assignment and a detailed survey will be a very difficult job.

NOTHING very much has occurred at the Lamington crater where the normal variations of volcanic activity have occurred throughout the past month. However, it is understood that it may be building up for another “blow” shortly. This surmise is based on the record of Mt. Pelee. One report going the rounds is that it may erupt on quite a big scale within the next week or so, and it should then subside into steadily dwind ling activity. The alternative is no re newal of eruptions and a steady decline until it becomes just another old crater pock-marking the landscape.

But volcanoes, particularly the Pelean type, rarely run to text-book rules, and a close watch is still being maintained at the Sangara Station.

IN the middle of May a quarantine was placed on the movement of all natives in and out of the Sepik District due to an outbreak of measles. The disease started at Angoram and then spread to Wewak, and at the time that the quarantine was imposed 500 cases had occurred.

This has temporarily halted recruiting in the area, and special arrangements have been made for time-expired contract natives to remain at their places of em ployment as casual workers until the quarantine ends. (Continued Next Page)

THE naval sloop, HMAS Shoalhaven, made a goodwill cruise in Territory waters during May. She arrived at Port Moresby on May 12 and sailed on the 15th for Dreger Harbour where the Administrator, Colonel Murray, boarded the ship for part of its Island cruise. Port Moresby folks turned on a full programme of hospitality and entertainment for the ship’s personnel, and both guests and hosts thoroughly enjoyed the short visit.

The Konedobu and Murray Heights Clubs did a great job entertaining the Shoalhaven lads, also the RSL and the Red Cross. The Administration chipped in with bus transport for a Sunday pic nic in the hills, and the various sporting clubs did their full share in arranging special football, cricket, tennis, golf, and other fixtures for the visitors.

From Dreger Harbour the sloop went to Aitape, then Wewak and Manus. Calls

were made at Lou and Baluan Islands south of Manus, and then at Bogia, Saidor and Madang. with the cruise terminating at the last-named port on May 29. The sloop then sailed for Australia.

A WORKS and Housing employee, Francis Henry Mohr, 27, disappeared overboard from a small ship at Milne Bay on May 10 and is now presumed drowned.

He was a passenger on the Kwato Mis sion ship, Osiri, which was on its way to Milne Bay, and towards dusk other pas sengers felt a bump against the side of the ship, and then saw a person’s head come to the surface of the sea just be hind the ship. It was then noticed that Mr. Mohr was no longer on board. A diver from the lugger, Crystal Star, went to his rescue immediately, with members of the crew, but it was then almost dark and their attempts were unsuccessful. Mr.

Mohr was a single man and his family reside in Victoria.

ON April 23, Mr. John Nolan, owner of the luggers Crystal Star and Lochiel died at the Nimoa Catholic Mission Station from the effects of continuous diving at deep levels. (See May PIM).

Both luggers were working the trochus shell beds of south-eastern Papua, as the first step towards developing a trochus shell industry from a fleet of luggers.

Medical reports indicated that Nolan collapsed on April 22 after he had dived at least eight times to a depth of 20 fathoms. He had remained on the surface only a few minutes between each dive, and had come straight up from the shell beds instead of by slow stages. Informa tion given by his European crew told how he had shown signs of exhaustion before his collapse, and two days before his last

dive had been cautioned by a medical officer in the area not to dive for at least two days.

Mr. Nolan’s record as a diver showed that he had very unusual powers of endurance, and although diving to about 20 fathoms wore only a helmet.

After seven or eight dives on Sunday, April 22, he came to the surface and ordered the crew to a new location, then collapsed. He was taken to the Nimoa Catholic Mission Station where, despite the care of a Mission nurse, he died in the early hours next day. He was about 30.

He arrived in the Territory with the two luggers during March, with the in tention of checking trochus shell pos sibilities. If these were favourable, he intended to transfer the three other ships of his fleet from the Thursday Island pearling grounds.

The tragic death of this enterprising newcomer to the Territory was a shock to all who had known him during his short stay in the Islands.

Shortly after Mr. Nolan’s death, his business manager arrived in the Territory from Thursday Island and announced that the two luggers would continue operating in the Papua and New Guinea area. In addition, the other three trawlers of the Nolan fleet—the Josey, the Elian and the Gwen May would move from Thursday Island to the Territory during June to engage in trochus fishing.

It is understood that the shell will be sold in USA at a guaranteed price.

THERE is no money problem about building the new base hospitals at Lae and Port Moresby, as funds totalling £816,500 have been allocated for the Lae project, and £906,500 for the Port Moresby Hospital.

Territory people are awaiting news about the letting of tenders and the estimated dates for completion of these jobs.

THE Territory’s Jubilee Celebrations officially opened at Port Moresby on May 9 with an exclusively native programme. This was a great success and got the Jubilee programme away to a good start. The all-day programme opened with a parade of decorated floats entered by various native groups. It is be lieved this was the first time floats had ever been featured as part of a public celebration in the Territory. The first prize went to the Catholic mission which entered a special hospital float demon strating the work of the Catholic Hospi tal. It was a really fine turn-out with cots, native trainee nurses and even a pair of small but thriving twins who would have had little chance of survival but for the skilled modern care provided by the Mission Hospital.

The second prize went to a float carry ing a well-made model of a new Hanua bada timber house, and by contrast, at the rear, a replica of the old style grass hut. The banner carried the title “Hanuabada Project.”

While the judges looked over this entry a lot of small European girls also had their eye on it, as the timber model was just about ideal for a really super doll’s house. All the work on this entry, like the others, was the work of the natives themselves.

Third prize went to the Indubada Tech nical centre which exhibited a very clever model of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and also small structural spans made from bamboo. The prize winners put up a fine demonstration of the progress being made by the more advanced natives.

There was plenty of chance to measure the progress since several floats went back to pre-European times for their motif such as the old gag about a European in

the cooking pot, and also decorated canoes with crews wearing the equivalent of a Papuan fig leaf.

The Scouts showed good appreciation of the Jubilee theme by a “then and now” contrast—at the front of the truck were tribal warriors with primitive weapons, painted bodies, and weird' and seldomseen hairstyles, while at the back were smartly turned out scouts in their khaki uniforms and neat pale blue neckerchiefs.

After the float parade, which attracted very big crowds, including Europeans as well as natives, an all-day sports programme started, interspersed with

speeches, and the day wound up with an open-air movie programme at Ela Beach.

All in all, it was a very successful programme, and a credit to its organisers!

STEAMSHIPS Trading Company at Port Moresby is making good pro gress with the building of its new premises. When it is completed, resi dents will be able to go window shopping as the new store is to have plate glass display windows.

The new building will occupy double

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the ground space of the present structure, comprising the present site and two ad joining allotments formerly held by the Bank of New South Wales. In the re tail store there. will be twice the present flour space, with offices on the second storey over the central part of the build ing, and a bulk store at the back of the premises.

The main section will be constructed with a concrete facing, and a circular iriveway will enable trucks to be loaded md unloaded in the bulk store. This will oe a much appreciated improvement as it will end the pressure on parking space n front of the store, and the lines of lative employees carrying stocks into the buildings across the footpath.

If things go according to plan, the job will be finished by August next year.

THE Territory Island and Inter- Island shipping service has suffered a heavy loss through the stranding )f the 300-ton wooden vessel Kelanoa. She vent aground on a rock ledge near Kimi ian in New Ireland on May 7, and, de spite salvage attempts by the naval tug, Reserve, and other ships, had to be aban doned. With a heavy list and her engine *oom flooded and all attempts to pump ler out unavailing, the Reserve could not nove the stricken ship, and snapped its leaviest towline in trying to do so.

On the advice of Reserve’s Commander md that of the Production Control Board’s Marine Superintendent, it was de cided to abandon all salvage efforts.

Everything moveable was taken off, and t is believed the hull will be offered for public tender.

Nobody has yet put an official figure on he loss but it is unlikely to be much less ;han £25,000. Almost as serious is the ad

ditional strain placed on the already in adequate government fleet.

Another government ship, the Kulu, went aground at Kulili on Kar Kar Island near Madang early in May. It was re floated and taken to port for repairs.

THINGS are beginning to move at Madang. During May two special leases for slip sites were put up for public tender, also a hotel site.

The slip site leases specify erection of slips within twelve months from the granting of the lease, and these faci lities must accommodate ships of at least 200 tons.

The hotel site lease is certainly going to keep the successful tenderer jumping around for its conditions call for erec

tion of a building valued at a minimum of £12,500.

At present Madang has no licensed hotel, but a grand job is being done by Mrs. M. Pitt in catering for the travell ing public at her boarding house. With buildings which were overdue for demoli tion years ago she has turned army hut ments into a cheerful, homely hostelry with first class meals and smiling service.

Nobody—not even the shrewdest bargainer —would give tuppence for the buildings, but travellers have to go far, indeed, to find a more comfortable home from home. (COMBINED Commonwealth Jubilee and J Empire Day celebrations were held throughout the Territory on May 24.

The Port Moresby programme started with a parade of the Papua and New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, the Pacific Islands Regiment and the Royal Papuan Constabulary and New Guinea Police Force. It was really an excellent show

catching much of the true Empire Day spirit. The PNGVR and PIR which have been formed less than three months marched like veterans, and, of course, the police force maintained its usual high standard.

THE Bulolo airstrip, one of the oldest in the Territory, has been closed to Douglas aircraft until an official check is made of the approaches.

Evidently this strip has been a head ache to several pilots, as the Airline Pilots’

Association of Australia has protested that it is dangerous, and its members are not at all happy about operating from it in DC3’s. When old-timers stressed that the strip has been particularly free of landing and take-off accidents over 20 years, the Civil Aviation boys put that down to a combination of mighty good flying and mighty good luck. They claim that the rising ground at the end of the

strip is too close for safety, and if engine! trouble occurred just at take-off a pilot, has little chance of clearing the hill.

The CA officials say they have been, stressing the hazards of the strip for morei than a year and urging construction of a new one. Since this has not eventuated, they have taken action and banned thei use of Douglas planes. This must bei quite a blow to Bulolo Gold Dredging which makes extensive use of air freighting.

The action on the Bulolo strip had Wau residents worried in case their strip might fall out of line on civil aviation standards. However, the Department says the Wau airfield is quite OK for all types of planes flipping around the Territory.

AFTER a lot of discussion and a not able lack of response from the general public in the way of ideas, the Port Moresby Advisory Council and the Port Moresby RSL Sub-Branch have finally setttled the problem of a World War II Memorial.

It has all boiled down to a simple bronze plaque to be placed near the World War I Memorial Gates at Ela Beach, plus a sun-dial. The names of those who served in the Second World War will not be engraved on the plaque—apparently no body considers that it is possible to get a correct list. So there will be an appropriate inscription and nothing more.

An appeal for funds to finance the cost of the new memorial will be launched as soon as its approximate outlay is known.

The Parks and Gardens Section of the Agricultural Department has done a splendid job improving and beautifying the Memorial Corner. The credit is due to a young Dutchman who was originally engaged as a clerk, but by some miracle

of departmental juggling was finally moved to the Parks and Gardens job.

It shows that, on the law of averages, even in the civil service they get this business of round pegs and square holes sorted out some time.

AN adequate electricity supply is still dangling like an enticing carrot ahead of Port Moresby residents, but it looks as though the townsfolk are going to get a bite out of it soon, for now the deadline for full power supply Is September.

This time, there is some solid backing for improved power hopes—three fine new streamlined generators at the Konedobu powerhouse. The alternators that will make two of them complete are on their w T ay from Britain. The bits and pieces of the third generator are all at Port Moresby and the mechanical experts are now putting it together. When they all get going this trio should provide us with power without blackouts.

THE RSL plan for establishing soldier settlers in the Territory has veered away from the first choice, Sangara, near Mt. Lamington, in Papua, and is now centring around the Warangoi Valley area south of Rabaul.

Warangoi was recently inspected by a party of RSL representatives and Administration officials, and the reports are encouraging. Apparently there are around 45,000 acres suitable for cocoa growing, and road access to the district would not be difficult as the main Rabaul road already runs to the edge of the area.

The agricultural experts calculate that it would take £14,000 to establish each soldier-settler on a 250 acre block and see him through until the cash crops started rolling in. This amount covers the cost of clearing and planting, erection of a home and other buildings, running costs while in the development stage, and provision of a reasonable living standard until the property was self-sufficient. On present cocoa prospects, the agricultural experts estimate that the settlers would be able to pay off all the loan within 15 years.

Now the RSL has been told that there is another large area of good cocoa land lying in a semi-circle behind Cape Hoskins near Talasea. The Agricultural Depart ment computes this at 100,000 acres, not including rough land or areas occupied by native communities.

A report on the inspection at Warangoi and suggestions regarding the Cape Hoskins area are being placed before the Administrator by the RSL.