[?]apua-New Guinea

][?]ome More Roads for [?]apua-New Guinea

GREAT deal of road building A. and road reconstruction is go ing on in the Territory of Papua )d New Guinea, apart from activ ebs in the Highlands and the pre ssed Highlands-Madang road. (See M for May). ;Dur Port Moresby correspondent is compiled the following list from licial sources—but it should be anted out that although a lot of [irk is going on, some of it is still the wishful-thinking stage and at road-making in PNG is always □ject to the vagaries of weather, uipment, availability of labour :d supplies. It cannot be said to a country designed by nature • the building of roads—one i-son why they have been neglected * so long:

Madang-Bogia

he coast road from Madang to Bogia, Ich was built by the Army, is to be re ined by the District Services Depart nt, and assistance has been promised the plantations along the road.

Sepik District

big road building programme is to be iertaken by the Administration in the ik District. The first objective is to instruct the old road between Marui Maprik, and then to continue the i from Maprik to Wewak. Work will

then begin on re-opening the Army jeep track from Wewak to Aitape. The job is to be done by the recently-formed Administration Works Section, and two road-overseers have been appointed for the Sepik District.

These roads will be of value in the en couragement of rice growing in the Sepik District. The Dagua villagers (out of Wewak), under the energetic leadership of Simogun, MLC, are producing cash crops and over a year ago asked for Admin istration assistance in getting a road through to Wewak.

Kieta-Iwi

In Bougainville, tw'o Works Department gangs are building bridges for the Kieta- Iwi Road, and the Administration has allocated another £15,000 for this road rebuilding job. Two Bailey bridges are to be erected, and about twenty small timber bridges.

The rebuilding of the road itself will be done by the District Services Department, and when the project was first broached, offers of assistance were made by planters and missions in the area. (See April PIM.)

Kerema Area

In the Kerema district, Western Papua, the District Services Department, with the co-operation of local residents, has built nine miles of road from the Station to the plantation of Kerema Rubber Limited at Epo. This has been done as a departmental job and community project with no special allocation of funds.

Lae-Highlands

An aerial reconnaisance has been made of the country between Lae and Gusap by the DO at Lae and a civil engineer from the Works Department, particularly in regard to the five rivers draining into the

Markham on the northern side of the valley. It is considered that four can be bridged, but at the Maning River, three miles from Kianit, a causeway and ford will be necessary. A survey is being made of the old army road from Nabzab to Gusap across the Erap, Ramu, Leron and Umi Rivers. This will show what road re construction work is needed, and whether bridges or fords are required at the river crossings. (Over)

New Ireland

Three Works Department road gangs are engaged on improvements to the 180 mile East Coast Road in New Ireland.

One bridge gang is working south from Kavieng and has reconditioned six bridges, and another gang is repairing bridges north from Namatanai. Just north of Namatanai a Bailey Bridge with a 200ft span is to be built with a centre pile.

This is a major crossing over the Nambuti River. There is a total of 58 bridges along the East Coast Road.

Port Moresby District

In the Central District, 5Vz miles of road are to be built from the head of Bootless Inlet towards Rigo. and as the old Army road from Taurama to the head of Bootless was reconditioned last year, the combined section will make a good start on the future road to Rigo.

Near Port Moresby the Works Depart ment is constructing four miles of road from the Laloki Bridge into the timber area of the Brown River country. This is the first stage of a long-range ad ministration nlan to get a road right through to connect with the road net work in the Kanosia district. Immediate benefit, however, will result from the first four-mile section as this will open up extensive timber stands. Mr. Tom Flower of Port Moresby will be setting up a mill there as soon as the road is ready, and this should help greatly in relieving the severe shortage of timber at Port Moresby.

Labu-Wau

A new steel bridge is to be built at Pine Tops on the Wau-Labu road to re place the old swing structure which is now in poor condition. Most of the com ponent parts for the bridge are in stock at Lae, and construction will start as soon as the design is approved.