Brief News Items From Papua-N. Guinea

From Our Own Correspondent

Moresby, Oct. 8.

Compulsory Education

For Native Children

COMPULSORY education for native children was discussed at a meeting of the Eastern Highlands District Advisory Coun cil held at Goroka, New Guinea, on September 18.

The Council unanimously carried a resolution that, “Education for native children under 14 and living within a reasonable area of a school should be compulsory.”

The matter was raised by Pastor A. J. Campbell of the SDA Mission, The Reverend R. Goldhardt (Lu theran Mission, Asoloka) said that on one of his out-stations 200 children attended school and if at tendances were made compulsory the figure would be double.

Port Moresby Business

Leases

Port Moresby jeweller, L. L.

Smith, and Mr. V. Sanders of San ders Transport Co., both were suc cessful in obtaining important business allotments on 50 years’ lease in Cuthbertson St., Port Moresby, at the end of September.

Mr. Smith tendered £2,120 and Mr. Sanders £1445/17/-, Both in tend to extend their businesses.

Chinese Girl Guides

Four attractive young Chinese Girl Guides from Rabaul left by Qantas Skymaster on September 27 for a month in Brisbane. They will undertake special Guide train ing under an arrangement in which the Administration, the Territory Guides’ Fund and the Chinese community in Rabaul all gave finan cial assistance. The plan is for the girls—Brenda Chow (25), Helen Lee (18), Mary Tsa (18), and Elisabeth Chan (16)—to bring back their Guide experience and train more Guiders for Rabaul.

Moresby Feels It Can Learn

From Fiji, Samoa

Port Moresby is still interested in setting up Local Government— to the extent that they are willing to learn from Fiji and Western Samoa. At a recent meeting of the Town Advisory Council it was de cided to ask the Government Sec retary to inquire from West Samoa and Fiji about local government there.

Accordingly, the Government Sec retary’s Department, in September, sent letters to the Government Sec retary of Western Samoa and the Colonial Secretary of Fiji asking them for any legislation, reports or other details they might have about local government. (In Fiji, local government con sists of Town Councils, with a Mayor as civic head, at Suva and Lautoka. There is no rural local government, except in the Fijian

sphere. In Western Samoa there is no local government in the sense that Moresby contemplates.)

Historical Society An

Other Step Nearer

A public meeting to discuss the formation of an Historical Society of Papua and New Guinea is to be held at Port Moresby during Octo ber. Letters setting out the aims of the Society and enclosing a draft of the proposed constitution were sent to various bodies throughout the Territory at the end of Sep tember.

Comforts For Korean

Veterans In Moresby

Port Moresby’s Jackson’s air strip saw great troop movements during September when 18 Qantas Sky master flights passed through carrying Army men to and from Japan and Australia. The move ment was a record for any one month and more than 700 Austra lian troops were carried, many of them wounded.

Every aircraft was met by the early-rising Port Moresby Women’s Auxiliary, which served hot tea and cold beer in the thatched grass hut erected at the strip for that purpose.

The Aussies appreciated it.

Bulolo Plywood Factory

The new plywood factory under construction for the Commonwealth Timbers at Bulolo, NG, is becoming a landmark from the air. The main building is now completed ex cept for the wall sidings and work has started on the log storage crane-way. Some machinery has arrived and at the end of Septem ber was being assembled.

Conducting P&C Assn.—

By Mail Order

The Council of the Federation of Parents & Citizens’ Associations of Papua and New Guinea held its first council meeting at the begin ning of October—by post.

Members of the Council, who are scattered throughout the Territory, received by mail complete business papers for the meeting and were asked to make their comments and suggestions and approve resolu tions as if the meeting were going on at a round-table conference.

The papers were then returned to Port Moresby where the presi dent of the Port Moresby Parents & Citizens’ Association, Mr. S. Fox, was acting as interim council sec retary.

Kerema Road Finished

The Works Department at Port Moresby reported on October 1 that the construction of the Bluff Road at Kerema, Papua, should be finished by about the end of Oc tober. When the Works Depart jnent made its report the beach had been cleared of heavy timber

and the deviation around the bank of the first bluff was almost com pleted. The road will be an impor tant new development for Kerema.

180 Times To Ng

When Flight Steward W. J.

Smith of Sydney reached Jack son’s strip at Port Moresby on the Qantas Skymaster on September 30, he was making his 180th flight to the Territory. Many people know him, and he knows quite a lot about Territory folk.

Smith said at Port Moresby that he liked the New Guinea run be cause he found the Island people probably the friendliest passengers anywhere.

Visit Of French Ship

Port Moresby people gave the men of the French Naval escort vessel “Commandant Amyot Din ville’’ a hearty welcome on the two recent occasions when it put in at Port Moresby.

On first occasion, September 7, the ex-Naval Men’s Association put on a dance for them, with plenty of the Port Moresby girls for part ners. The second visit was on October 4, when the vessel got the same kind of welcome.