[?]t Moresby

[?]ostly Emergency [?]irstrip [?]t Moresby

From Our Own Correspondent

Mioresby, Feb. 6.

REGARDED as one of the terri t tory’s biggest white elephants, Fisherman’s Island airstrip has last been declared open as an ternate landing-strip to Jacksons miles east of Moresby).

The strip cost £73,000 to build, but ill be used only in emergencies. So r, only light planes have put down ere; but DC A experts have no ars about sending a Skymaster in, ould Jacksons go into smoke.

As far as the man-in-the-street concerned, the new strip means tie, except that he may be saved e inconvenience of being taken Lae when he is bound for oresby. But it will mean much to mpanies such as Qantas, who are iw compelled to carry sufficient fuel be able to get to Lae. This added el cuts down the payload con lerably.

As yet, DCA is not willing to low the extra fuel precaution to pse, because it has not been mly established that Fishermans 11 always be in the clear when rather has blotted out Jacksons, le indications, however, are that shermans will not often be )uded over.

Leasurer Imposes Water

Rates

In his efforts to find new ways painlessly extracting funds from sidents, the Treasurer (Mr. H. H. ?eve> has decided to charge for iter supplies.

He laid down a scale of standard iarges for such as boarding ►uses, hostels, missions, clubs, ctories, etc., and gave instruction Works and Housing to instal eters at private residences and her buildings.

For water supplied through a eter the charge will be 1/- per ousand gallons for the first 100,000 lions in a year, and l/6d, for each Iditional 1,000 gallons.

South Pacific Post pointed out at a meter was installed on a pipe itside its office, from which no ore than a bucketful of water is awn each day, five days a week, le revenue for this meter is likely be 1/- per year, against installa m costs of about £7 (£5 for the eter, wages for one European and fe natives, and use of a huge uck).

Mr. and Mrs. Len Usher returned Suva (where he is Fiji PRO) in uuary, after long leave spent in irope.