Notes From SE New Guinea Districts

From Our Own Correspondent

SOHANO, August 10. 1/fR. H. L. ANTHONY (Minister t! for Air and PMG) visited So hano on July 31 and inspected suka air strip.

Mr. R. McKay of Aropa, Kieta, nd Mr. Fred Archer, of Yame, Buka •assage, went to Rabaul to attend mnual Meeting of the Planters’

Lssociation on July 26 and 27. Later Ir. Archer was one of the Planters’ eputations to both Ministers from Janberra.

Mr. Archer strongly stressed to oth Mr. Hasluck and Mr. Anthony he fact that Bougainville was a luch neglected district—it was, in act, the Cinderella district of the ’erritory and, whilst the mainland ot so much, Bougainville got very ttle. He said we had the worst ir service, wireless service and mail ervice because Bougainville was in be extreme south east corner. A peedier air service, more shipping nd better mail and wireless services rould do much to improve business, ncourage development and be a reat morale builder among all resi ents, colours and creeds. The

Ministers asked for details and promised to give the various matters due consideration.

A Useful Plane

The Walrus plane—based on Rabaul —has been a frequent visitor of very recent times and has been most useful in bringing out people who had missed the regular plane, police boys to assist in enforcing quarantine against polio infected areas, and in taking sick natives to hospital. On last trip it was di verted to the isolated Nissan Group to pick up the Catholic nuns from the Mission there and bring them to Sohano. The plane lands on strip or water and, in latter case, lets down a pair of wheels and runs up on any properly sloping beach.

Copra Accumulations

The “Muliama,” former well known BP ship, has been lifting copra from the Burns Philp in terests in Bougainville and New Ire land. She will lift, in all, some 28,000 bags and then return to Syd ney. Her activities will assist in lessening, but will not finish, the

very considerable accumulations of copra throughout the district. After the Directorate ships and methods it was nice to see a properly equipped ship loading in a work manlike manner—like a page from the past.

Numa Numa, which had copra stacked in every shed, “go down” and even an old dwelling-house— to the total of 6,500 bags, and an all-time record—will have a clear ance by time “Muliama” goes back to Sydney. This would represent approximately £27,000 worth of copra taken off, which seems a lot, but with the long wait for a ship there is much loss of weight and. meantime, the exceptional expense of running a big estate in these times has to be met.

Watch On Volcanoes

Great interest is being taken, by the Territory, in Bougainville vol canoes and many visits have been paid to the new baby one—north of Buin —by vulcanologists, to feel its pulse and inquire after its wel fare.

Mr. Frank Jones, District Officer at Kieta, has been out there at times, “riding herd” on it, and re porting on its vagaries. It’s not wise to mention fumaroles and crater temperatures and fissures to Mr.

Jonesr—he has “had” them. It’s a job that no one this scribe has met him.

Search For A Port

Works and Housing officials have been out from Moresby and Rabaul, including Capt. Copeland, who is Rabaul’s Harbour Master, inspect ing the various locations, reef and

harbour possibilities of Kieta, Teop and Ramun Bay.

It is planned to eventually put a Copra Concentration Depot at one or the other of these places, and to concentrate most of the dis trict copra at the point for overseas shipment.

Local residents have no doubt

whatever that Kieta is easily th most suitable spot, as it has a" gooc harbour, is healthy and has splen did building sites. Both Ramu Bay and Teop—whilst good han hours—have a great reputation fo mosquitoes and the natives a Ramun have suffered much froi fever always.

In former times big ships used t come into Kieta—day or night with no difficulty and there are fe-; reefs in the harbour and deep wate in close to shore. Kieta is a beau tiful spot, with its clear wate:; sheltered harbour, surrounding hil!J and the shaded road that run round the foreshore. It smacks ven much of the old romantic Sout) Seas port.

New Road Welcomed

A start is to be made on th coastal road south from Kieta ti Iwi Plantation, via RC mission Toberoi plantation, Aropa plants tion —18 miles down, and the horrr of Jim Joyes. This road will saw the plantations a great deal of worn and inconvenience. Pre-war, then was a good road and very littl; will have to be done to put it bact into good order. There are, how ever, several bridges to be built ov© Reboine and other rivers. Of ter both people and rations have hazardous canoe trip along th coast and not infrequently get ven wet when landing in the surf. Wo

;n on the plantations have been •ced to stay on them with their ildren, or else face considerable icomfort and some danger in gse canoe trips. The road will ow trucks and jeeps to go to eta. Without a great deal of ort a track over “Wireless Hill” w existing, could be improved to :e jeep or truck and so bring Jack iis’ Arawa Plantation into the ture, as well.

Polio

rhe polio epidemic at Buin is eading and cases have occurred the neighbouring area of Siwai i Nagavisi. Quarantine restric ts have been imposed but it is acult to stop the natives going m place to place by the lesser- Dwn jungle paths and, anyway, ;y do not look upon these restric ts as other than more of the lite Man’s foolishness. “Tumas nmon belong all the Dokitor” r they. Some forty-odd cases ve occurred, among them two ropeans who have made good re tries. So far, two or three Ives have died.

Tie radioes that flash back and th from Moresby and Buin must re burned up an awful amount air. One shudders to think of all extra returns—Forms of many ds, in very truth!—that the un tunate Medical people will have fill in now, to satisfy the United tons Council in connection with outbreak!