Moresby “Body-Snatches”

Rabaul Driver-boys

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, July 31.

Residents of Rabaui, ng, called it “body-snatching" when the Government Transport De partment in Port Moresby adver tised in Rabaui News (the Pidgin news-sheet distributed by the Edu cation Dept.) that “Moresby i laikim 15 Tolai draiva”—in other words, that this Government de partment in Moresby would like 15 of Rabaul’s experienced and licenced car or truck drivers.

As an added inducement, the\ Department was offering each suc cessful applicant a house in Tolai Avenue, Kila, Moresby. (The natives of Gazelle Peninsula, New Britain, are usually referred to as Tolais; sufficient of them have migrated to Moresby to have a street in a native suburb now bear their name).

Proprietors of Rabaul's taxi services are sour at the new effort to entice away experienced driver boys. They say that no town of Rabaul’s size can afford to lose 15 of these boys. If the Government Transport Department must have drivers, then they should be pre pared to train them.

At the July meeting of the Rabaui Town Advisory Council, Mr. Don Barrett, MLC, said that employers of labour should play the game and not steal other people’s employees. Territories Minister Hasluck, Administrator Cleland and District Commissioner McCarthy, who attended the meet ing, heard Mr. Keith Cummings, of Town Taxis, state that only that

week a local Government Depart ment had one of his driver-boys up before them for a whole morning: trying to persuade him to work for them. He said he would name the Department if necessary. Three other experienced drivers from Town Taxis had now applied for the Port Moresby jobs. (A District Office spokesman said that when applying the drivers had said they were unemployed).

II Wing Commander B. V. Lepine, of Wellington, has been appoint ed Commanding Officer, RNZAF Station, Laucala Bay, Fiji. He succeeds Wing Commander K. W.

Trignance.