The Month In Papua-N. Guinea

From our own Correspondent

P. Moresby, Jan. 6

Pacific Islands Regiment

The C.O. of the unit, Lt.-Col. H. j. Sabin, is now directing the re sulting of a third Rifle Company dr this full-time native Regular \rmy regiment. The aim at this itage is to increase the strength torn 220 to 500 all ranks, which will sing the battalion headquarters up 0 strength.

The original problem of accom nodation and permanent camp mildings at the P.I.R. Taurama leadquarters is well on its way to solution and excellent progress is jeing made on the construction programme. 1 The native servicemen, in their jungle-green shirts and shorts, are low a familiar sight around Port Moresby. Permanent service with he Army has so far attracted about in equal number of recruits from Papua and New Guinea. The lads nake a very good showing in their general bearing when off duty iround the area.

Lucky To Be Alive

Civil Aviation Regional Director John Arthur, and District Com nissioner S. Elliott-Smith were ucky to be alive after the depart mental Auster, in which they were travelling, crashed at Fisherman’s strip on December 5. With Mr.

Arthur at the controls they were ;aking off from the runway when he engine failed and the machine jrashed beyond the runway among sharp coral outcrops. Neither man vas seriously injured, and they were lot thrown out from the plane. Mr.

Arthur had a couple of front teeth oattered and Mr. Elliott-Smith suffered an ankle injury which kept lim in hospital for some time.

Natives To The Rescue

On December 13, three people lost their lives when a Qantas Dragon crashed. They were the pilot, S.

Peebles, of Madang; K. Kear, Civil Aviation Airport Inspection, also if Madang; and the A.D.O. from Wabag, Robert Kennedy Earle.

The machine crashed in a steep gorge on the Menyamba River, 20 miles northwest of Mt. Hagen. The accident was witnessed by two local natives, who were standing about 20 feet in front of the plane when it hit the cliff. The natives im mediately attempted to rescue the occupants, but were driven back by flames.

Natives then relayed news of the crash by hilltop calls across 12 miles of country to the Wapinnamunda patrol post; and Patrol Officer E. J.

Emanuel checked the report and got the news of the fatality through to Wabag and Port Moresby. He did a great job by walking long distances to ascertain if help could be

given. Later, he directed the trans fer of the bodies to Wapinnamunda, whence they were flown to Madang for burial.

Captain Peebles and Mr. Kear each left a widow and child.

Mr. Earle was a single man, aged 31, This was the fourth fatal plane smash in the Territory since last

July when a Qantas Drover wei into the sea off Lae with the loss ( seven lives. In August, the pilot < a Lutheran Mission Auster die when his plane crashed in tl Goroka area; and in September Qantas Dragon piled up on a hil side at Karanka, in the Highland . and the pilot was killed.

Secondary Education

Allowances for secondary educe tion in Australia are to be continue as in 1951, but only if these can I made out of existing educatic funds. If the cash runs out, son paring down of allowances mg have to be done.

For the first term the allowam will be on the basis of £125 a yea plus one return air fare.

Last year, the average cost to tl Administration of each student we £l6O, and by the end of the schoi year the number claiming allov ances had increased from 130 to 22 A little matter of £36,480 a year which will undoubtedly increaj with the increasing population c the Territory—would soon buil secondary schools in our mai centres.

New Bridges

Another wartime bridge £ Twenty-Mile, on the Rouna Roai between Moresby and Sogeri, h£ been replaced by a permanent re inforced concrete structure at a co£ of £2,500. Work is proceeding on steel suspension bridge across th Laloki River, near Sogeri Polic Depot, to replace another old Arm bridge. Some very good work ha been done on the difficult-to-main tain Rouna Road by the W. and I road gang.

Moresby Grows

Moresby continues to grow, an much-needed shops have bee opened recently. One is a chemist shop, opened by Mr. T. W. Johnstor on Ela Beach. Another is a highly appreciated vegetable stall, starte by Mr. R. H. Gibbes, of Gibbe Sepik Airways, and located near th Post Office. A third is a shoe-repai business opened on Lower Por Road by Mr. E. Loder. Other addi tions to the business town have bee] a newsagency by Mrs. K. Eginton a ladies’ wear shop by Marion Frost and the Twilight Cafe, in Dougla Street. There are new garages, i woodwork and joinery shop, am other small but very necessary ser vices.

When Steamships Trading Cc and Bums Philip (New Guinea Ltd., get their new buildings up, th town will be getting near the nor mal standards of an importan centre.

Administration

A Territory Regional Group of th( Institute of Public Administratior

ias been established here to keep officers in touch with iverseas developments in their pro ession. The first officers elected: Resident The Administrator Colonel J. K. Murray); Vice-Presi [ent—Mr. D. M. Cleland (Asst.

Ldministrator); Chairman—Mr. H.

I. Reeve (Admin. Treasurer) Com nittee members —Messrs. L. K.

Lllan (Mgr. Commonwealth Bank);

J. L. Anthony (Lands Dept.); J. S.

Irthur (Reg. Direct. Civil Aviat.); C. Marr (Agric. Dept.); W. W.

Vatkins (Crown Low Officer); Secretary - Treasurer L. Odgers Gov. Sec. Dept.).

Last Of “Uncontrolled”

Area

When the financial revision came jefore the Administration a few veeks ago, one of the matters to be lecided was whether the District Services’ aim of opening up all “un jontrolled” areas by 1954 was to >e retained or shelved.

It has been decided to continue vith the plan, so some interesting ■eports should be coming through, Tom time to time.

So far the Department has main tained its normal intake of cadet Datrol officers, and this means there should be enough staff to release officers for work in new country.

Attempt To Control Prices

Following representations by business interests, the commence ment date of the new Prices Regu lations was deferred from Novem ber 22 to January 7, to allow traders to present a case for their claim

that the margin of 15 per cent, on some items was too low. The traders claim that in Queensland the margin on groceries and perish able foods ranges from 22 to 27 per cent. Any variation in the original 15 per cent, ruling will depend on

convincing the Prices Controller, Mr. H. H. Reeve, that there is in fact no profit with a fixed margin of 15 per cent.

Hydro-Electric Plans Are

Hush-Hush ..

Another visit of top-line hydro electric experts from Australia and Britain took place in December,

when Mr. Boex (Director of the New Guinea Resources Prospecting Company); Mr. Richards (member of a leading British firm of con sulting engineers) and Mr. Sutton (who will make field surveys later), arrived in Moresby. The visitors were definitely publicity-shy, and no statement was made by the party.

It will be recalled that last Jam ary officials of the New Guinea R sources Prospecting Company, ai other interests, did an aerial survi of potential hydro-electric source and it seems that this second tr is stage two of the survey. ]M Sutton, it is believed, will be ba< shortly to get on with the fie surveys.

Plane V. Coconut Pest

To test the efficacy of eari spraying of coconut palms, as means of controlling the leaf hoppi pest “sexava ” the Agricultural D< partment will charter a Gibb< Norseman for experimental spra> ing of plantations along the we coast of New Ireland.

If the tests prove satisfactory is anticipated that plantation ir terests will charter aircraft fc general spraying of affected arec The leaf hopper is particularly ba along the west coast of New In land, and damage to coconuts is es tensive.

It’s expected that the Departmer tal experiments will be mac shortly, and Gibbes Sepik Airwaj are attaching special gear to Norseman for this work.

Bronze Plaque Sought

Authorities are seeking a brons plaque which was removed durin the war by the Japanese from tb grave of Kurt von Hagen, at Bogac

im; but was known to be still in he Territory in 1945.

The somewhat massive memorial o von Hagen comprises a column, urmounted by a large bronze eagle, 'he grave is well known to Govern lent officials and others who, in re-war days, travelled up the oastal track from Madang to togadjim and beyond. It is located icar the trail, not far from the last rumbling sign of the old German louse-fortress. Kurt von Hagen ras the manager of a German ettlement company at Bogadjim, irhere these first German settlers Iterally made their home their astle, as protection against any lative attack.

It is hoped that this early link yith the history of the European ira of New Guinea will be found, o that the memorial will again bear ts original inscription.

Any information about the plaque ihould be sent to the District Com nissioner at Madang.

Unusual Type Of Native

Murder

A native, Falai, was sentenced to ieath by Mr. Justice Gore in De cember at Kairuku. Falai com mitted murder for monetary gain —an unusual crime here.

Six Kerema natives, to raise money to buy a boat, took shell ornaments to the Mekeo district, to sell for cash. When they reached St. Josephs River, they had £6l.

Falai asked them to play cards for it. They refused. When the Kere mas were departing in a canoe, Falai attacked them with a shot gun. As a result of several shots, one Kerema was lost in the river, and others were wounded.

The case is being watched with interest. If sentimental arguments relating to natives are allowed to interfere with the death sentence imposed on premeditated and de liberate murder for gain, there will be some strong protests.

P Ng Lads At Suva Medical

School

The first Territory native to graduate at the Suva Central Medical School in Fiji as an Assis tant Medical Practitioner is Wilfred Moi, from the Wedau district of Eastern Papua. He has just com pleted the five-years course, and will return to the Territory soon to start work with the Public Health Department. Five other Papua and New Guinea natives are still doing the course at Suva, and another three will be starting their studies at the School as soon as transport can be arranged from Port Moresby.

General

Sepik District people not only provided Wewak youngsters with their usual loaded Christmas tree— they also subscribed £2OO for the International Children’s Fund. The

previous Christmas the Wewak Red Cross Branch raised £5O for the same Fund.

It is expected that the appoint ment of an Assistant Government Secretary will be made soon; and another announcement awaited with some interest is that of Director of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries. The latter is the only departmental head position not yet filled on the permanent list.

Mr. and Mrs. J. I. Cromie, of Moresby, have endowed an annual scholarship worth £5O a year, to be awarded to a schoolchild complet ing primary education in the Terri tory. It is designed to assist in the expenses of secondary school study in Australia. The award will be

made by the Education Department.

Rae Ferries, 13, of Wau, has been awarded the 1951 scholarship, and will study at the Presbyterian Girls School, Warwick, Queensland. It is hoped that other private residents, and also commercial firms, will follow this fine example.

The Papua Central District Advisory Council comprises: Chairman District Commissioner; Messrs. T. Henderson (Sangara Rubber Estates), C. E. Searle

(Awala Plantation, Popondetta), H T. Kienzle (Kokoda), E A Cridland (Kofili, Tufi), J. Scurrah (Popon detta) and Dr. P. N. W. Strong Bishop of New Guinea.