Pacific Islands Miscellany

Among the discussions with which rritories Minister Hasluck became solved in Port Moresby in No mber was a spirited protest made Burns Philp’s General Manager in JG, Mr. E. J. Frame, against the le by the Australian Government certain Government ships to ►’s chief trade rivals, Steamships ading Co.

Mr. Frame said that this sale had en made by private treaty, without mpetition. Favouritism like this is an improper thing in public 'airs. The public and his company re entitled to know the details.

The Minister retorted that Burns dip had had the same oppor fities of bidding as the other Co. — ;re was no favouritism.

Mr. Frame said that the Govern ;nt had invited the Companies to I for the whole fleet. He had Light information about the earn l power of the various units. This d been denied him. But the Gov iment finally sold to ST Co. only at portion of the fleet working in pua, which everyone knew was ofitable.

The vessels being taken over by 'C are Moturina, Muniara, Manu ka, Kura, Kina, Kano, Doma (300 ns).

Last year, the Emperor mine in ji made a profit of £89,820 —which as nearly £70,000 less than last year ■but Loloma, making £189,092, had very substantial gain. Emperior as the first mine developed. Loloma, uch richer, came into production ter. The real “bonanza” of this avua field, the Dolphin, came into eduction later still —but it does not iter the picture presented by the iblic companies.

The Burns Philp motor vessel r alaita, 3,300 tons, grounded on a ichartered reef three miles east of ieta (Bougainville) on December 3, hen making her usual run from the demons to Rabaul, Samarai and ydney; but eight hours later aptain Brett Milder advised she had ime off under her own power and iparently undamaged. She con nued her schedule. When word of ie mishap reached Rabaul, the irbourmaster sent Pollurian and ■am to help, but the liner was off ie reef soon after, and they were called.

Every man and most women in the drt Moresby area tasted the new

locally-brewed beer on November 26, and the majority declared it first-class.

Some of the experts said it was a good lager, something like the Brook vale Brewery product, produced by new Brookvale brewery, in Sydney.

A few said it lacked body— was “too watery.” There is no doubt about its alcoholic content. The enterprise cost £150,000 to establish, and is ex pected to become a permanent in stitution.

Much unexpected publicity came

in November to Australian Lieut.

R. J. Sebastian and his six Army corporals when Australian War Min ister Francis, touring the Territories, discovered they had been disposing of abandoned bombs, in the area be tween the Dutch border and the Solomon Islands, ever since the war ended. The Minister said that in October alone the squad found and disposed of 12,600 bombs, of which 4,000 were high explosive. Like the work of the war historians, it seems to be a forgotten kind of job that goes on from one war to the next.

It was widely reported in No

liber that the NZ Minister at asteeship Council (Mr. Munro) 1 said that the West Samoan aulation, in ten years, had in ased from 62,000 to 85,000 and t 30 per cent, of them were Euro ms. This was a grotesque error reporting. The Samoans are cer aly increasing rapidly, as stated, ; there are not 250 Europeans re ining there now. Perhaps the nister said there were now 3 per it. of part-Samoans, but even that uld be an under-statement. Part noans, who have European status I control most of the business, now nber between 3,000 and 4,000. \ planter from Lihir Island, near vieng, New Guinea, Mr. J. ortino, passed through Sydney on vember 29 like a whirlwind. He i gathered a consignment of pepper tings and seedlings in Malaya; and had been told that, unless they re planted within a week, they uld not survive. He arrived by air the morning, and left that even ; for Rabaul and Kavieng. He told sorters that, if his plants grew, it •uld be two years before he got a rvest; but that, under present con ions, there was a fortune in pepper.

A party of divers under Captain :rd, by November 21, recovered j whole of the £40,000 worth of Id from the sea-bottom off Lae, ;w Guinea, where it was lost when Drover plane crashed in July, 51. Captain Herd—who recovered ,000,000 worth of bullion from the 'agrra (sunk by enemy mine near jckland in 1941) —described the te job as “just routine”.

Another UN Trusteeship Mission headed for Nauru, New Guinea id Western Samoa. Representatives Britain, France, Syria, and ominica will leave New York for e South Pacific on February 9. hese Missions are sent out periodic ly. They provide the gentlemen ith a glorified picnic, at UN ex ;nse but are regarded by everyone se concerned—especially the busy dministrators—as a perambulating aisance.

Charles Weight, 62, former NSW olice officer and recently in charge f Aplin Convalescent Hostel, in hursday Island, was murdered on ie night of November 29 by a runken hoodlum—a halfcaste sea lan named Morseu—with whom he ad remonstrated because the row rtorseu was making disturbed the

patients. Morseu followed Weight to his quarters and deliberately shot him twice with a rifle. He has been charged with wilful murder.

A full gale on the night of December 1, with torrential rain, did much damage to buildings and shipping at Thursday Island. One lugger was sunk and several badly damaged. Three of the four licensed hotels were unroofed, the picturesque old Imperial Hotel was wrecked, shops and residences were unroofed and the Anglican Cathedral lost part of its roof. As the power plant was out of action, residents generally spent a miserable night.

Children's Christmas Party

To November 30, donations to the Sydney NG Women’s Club children’s Xmas

party fund were as follows:— £ s. d.

NG Ex-Servicemen’s Club .. 5 5 0 Mrs.

Northam 1 5 0 Sister Harris . . 1 1 0 Mrs.

Goss 1 0 0 Mrs.

Washington . 1 0 0 Miss Wall . . 1 12 0 Mrs.

Wauchope o 9 0 Mrs.

Adams 3 3 0 Mrs.

Taylour 1 0 0 Mr. V. B. Pennefather . . 3 3 0 Mrs.

Pfeiffer 8 0 Mrs.

Perriman 9 2 0 Mrs.

Downing 1 1 0 Mrs.

Bignell 10 0 Dr. Brennan 1 1 0 Mrs.

Page 1 1 0 Robt.

Gillespie Pty.. Ltd. 5 5 0 Burns Philp Co.. Ltd. . . 3 3 0 W. R

. Carpenter Co., Ltd. . .

. . 3 3 0 £83 5 0