Events In Papua-New Guinea

From Our Own Correspondent

Growing Our Own Rice

THE Tenders and Disposals Board of Papua-N. Guinea has sold by tender 331 bags of rice from the Mekeo area to Burns Philp (New Guinea) Ltd., Port Moresby, at £72/10/- a ton.

Quite a bit of Territory-grown rice is being sold on the New Guinea side also, although in comparatively small lots.

These sales may be the acorns from which mighty oaks will grow —perhaps oaks large enough eventu ally to knock the expensive im portation of Australian rice right DUt of Territory economy.

Aerial Mapping Of Dutch

Border Region

Two RAAF Mosquito aircraft from an Air Force Photographic Reconnaissance unit are taking aerial photographs of the Territory side Df the Dutch border, from which naps will be compiled. Before they return to Australia the Mosquitoes vill also do an aerial photographic survey of the area around the Popondetta-Tufi region, in the Northern District. This is con nected with the CSIRO natural re sources survey, to be carried out in that area next July, August and September.

Creighton Re-Trial

At the re-trial of William Mervyn Creighton by a jury at Madang, New Guinea, in early February, a verdict of “not guilty” was returned, and Creighton was discharged by Mr. Justice Bignold. Creighton was charged with a capital assault on a native woman, and successfully appealed to the High Court in Sydney for re-trial after he had been convicted by a jury at his first trial.

Unused Surplus Native

Land

The Central District Advisory Council brought up the question of mused surplus native land when it net in February in Port Moresby.

Members referred to individual areas of native land which were not used by the owners even for hunt ing, but on which all offers of sale Dr lease have been declined.

The Rev. D. Ure said he thought the native owners were not aware Df just what leasehold meant, and probably they would be willing to iease surplus land if they realised that they would retain ownership and derive rental from it.

The view was expressed by other nembers that it would be difficult if not impossible to develop the Ferritory properly unless some of ihese lands could be brought into Droduction. They said that so long is it was idle there was no justi fication for building roads into such

areas; but if some sections could be leased and made productive then road work would be justified. Once roads were built and access given to markets and ports, the natives themselves could develop adjoining areas.

The problem will be considered again at the Council’s next meet ing.

Samarai Has Telephones

Running round the island with messages can now cease in Samarai; for the town has a telephone system which opened early in February with 43 subscribers. The exchange can handle 60 lines at present; but,

if necessary, it can be equipped to service 80 subscribers.

. Traffic Booklet

No stretch of imagination is needed to believe that many of the native drivers in Papua-New Guinea have never heard of traffic rules.

And those who, by some odd chance, have heard about them, rarely heed them. Now the police can put a neat little traffic booklet in their unskilled hands and give them a choice of reading all about the rules of the road in English, Police Motu and Pidgin. Of course, the snag in this is that many of them cannot read in any language.

But it is a move in the right direction. And a little study of these booklets would do some Euro pean drivers a lot of good, too.

Actually, it is one of the riddles Df the Territory that more lives are lot lost in traffic accidents, in view jf the “here-I-come-get-out-of-my way” attitude of many drivers.

Probably the real reason is that the lerritory has not many roads.

Air Transport

Papuan Air Transport, a busy little airways outfit formed by Messrs. Jackson and Goosens a few months ago, has increased its two alane fleet to a trio, with the addi tion of an Anson. Now, when travel ling by PTA, there is a choice of i Wacko, a Fox Moth or an Anson.

Ihe company operates out of Port Moresby.

Gibbes Sepik Airways, which struck a tough run of luck in dif ficulties in getting Norseman re- Dlacement parts, now has two Norsemans back in service, and a ;hird should be ready soon. The Norseman shifts a lot of cargo for i light plane. The unfortunate double in getting parts has added ;o the recent acute shortage of light jlanes in the Territory.

Oil Search Extended

Australasian Petroleum Co., which already has spent about £10,000,000 >n an unsuccessful search for oil in Papua, now has filed applications :or permits to prospect for petro eum over a further area of 4,200 square miles, and another zone of ?,910 square miles, both near the Dutch border. The Company has

also lodged applications for the variation and partial cancellation of certain permits it already holds.

If these applications are granted the Company will hold petroleum prospecting rights over a total area of 17,904 square miles.

Simultaneously, the Allied Island Exploration Co. has applied for prospecting permits for two new areas, one of 6,660 square miles, and the other 1,190 square miles.

Both are likewise in the region of the Dutch border. If granted, these will boost the lEC total permit area to 17,335 square miles.

The APC and the lEC have a Canadian contract party making an aerial magnetometer survey over country near the Dutch border. The survey is being conducted from a Catalina flown by the Canadian party specially from Canada for this work. Half the survey was complete in mid-February.

A Club For Fliers

An organising committee to form an Aero Club includes: Chairman, A. R. Murray; Secretary, P. Grim shaw; Treasurer, E. Dawson; Gen eral members, J. Samuel, G. L. Bugg, D. Sullivan and T. Parsons. The Club will seek to buy three Tiger Moth planes. The club will have the benefit of Mr. T. Drury’s experi ence with the Newcastle Aero Club.

He is Superintendent of Air Naviga tion here. Civil Aviation Depart ment probably will make the renovated Jackson Field passenger

lounge available to the Club when the permanent passenger lounge is built.

Survey Of P-Ng

Administration

Dr. E. M. Ojala (Deputy Chair man of the South Pacific Research Council) after an 18 days’ tour of

the Territory said he had found some very promising trends in the Territory. He instanced the pro gress being made by Village Coun cils in learning to run their own affairs, and commented that the Councils were also producing new leadership among the native people.

He was impressed by» the keenness of various native communities to share in the economic development

of the country, and their willing ness to work harder to benefit by economic development. He was im pressed by the pioneer and research work being done by the Agricultural, Forestry and Health Departments.

He thought the results being achieved at Maprik and Kokoda Education centres indicated the pos sible pattern of native education for Papua and New Guinea.

Charge Of Murder

Two members of the Royal Papuan and New Guinea Constabularly— Su’Yae and Kelembe—both Sepik natives—were committed for trial at Port Moresby on February 18 on a charge of murder. They are accused of having murdered a Goilala native on December 19 when a District Services patrol was travel ling from Tapini to Ononghe. At the time, the accused were mem bers of the patrol in charge of Dis trict Magistrate Tolhurst.