Climbing NG Mountains

For Fun

From Our Own Correspondent

Moresby, Aug. 30.

Recently two visitors from Victoria have been tackling peaks in the New Guinea High lands as a holiday jaunt. Mr. L. T.

Rayner, a 42-year-old architect on the Victorian Public Works staff, and 31-year-old Mr. Noel M. Semple, a research biochemist with the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories, have climbed Mt. Wilhelm, Mt.

Herbert and Mt. Gilluwe.

On the ascent of the first two peaks they were accompanied by Patrol Officer A. M. Keogh, and the party fixed the height of the two main peaks of Mt. Wilhelm at 14,900 and 15,400 feet respectively.

This latter peak, incidentally, is the highest mountain in the Terri tory based on present knowledge, although it is possible that there are higher peaks in little-known country well to the southwest of Mt. Gilluwe.

The two Victorians have scaled many peaks in overseas countries, and they are also enthusiastic bush walkers.

Another mountain assault will be made soon by a government patrol which will ascend Mount Michael, south of Goroka. This party will comprise District Services and Lands Department officers who wish to ascertain the actual height of the mountain, and establish a trigo nometrical station.

Fiji Manganese

In our August article on develop ments in the Fiji manganese in dustry the exports for 1952 were wrongly given as 36,000 tons. This figure was the value in £-Fiji: the quantity was 2,010 tons. The error occurred because of the confusing system of lay-out adopted in the Fiji Trade Report for 1952.

A young Australian, Mr. D.

Bartlett, is in Papua-New Guinea for 3 months, making a series of color films for the American film producer, Armand Denis, who specialises in producing native life and natural history documentaries.

He will visit the Sepik District, Manus, Kavieng, Rabaul, and if there is time, the Trobriands and Western Papua.