[?]Ome Corrections

[?]ABAUL building

[?]Ites:

Letters to the Editor. fOUR report, “Land Board Building Site Allocations Cause Rabaul Dis ntent” (page 34, Sept, issue), contains number of inaccuracies.

The “local Land Board’’ has no fixed mposition. The members of the New Binea Land Board are appointed by the Iministrator, by notice in the GAZETTE, le membership can and has varied at fferent meetings. In my own case I ,ve only sat once on the Board, and my pointment was specifically gazetted as Ing for that meeting only.

I was not a member of the Board lich is alleged to have had discussions th a representative gathering of Rabaul ddents and I have no knowledge of ch discussions. I rather think your rrespondent is confusing the Land ard with the Papua-New Guinea Town inning Board, which latter body did in :t meet residents of Rabaul. It was at Is meeting (at which I was present) it Mr. Gabriel Achun made the state nt to which your correspondent alludes, fhe statement that most of the Euro m tenders are known to have been ;her than the Chinese is incorrect, grossly exaggerated is the statement it most of the Chinese recommended ' blocks already have building sites, Bses and other property. Most of (hem eady have business premises, but how ,ny have residential premises? How ny of the members of Rabaul Chamber Commerce, who have protested so dly, reside on their business premises? . Chipper and Mr. Brelaz certainly do in ex-serviceman is alleged to have a ;rmissive occupancy” over a block, ere is no such tenancy in the Land rs. Further Mr. Chipper did not üble to tell your correspondent, nor did ir correspondent trouble to ascertain t this ex-serviceman has a Chinese e and is, in effect, an absentee land 1, as he resides on a plantation in v Ireland and leases the existing sub ndard building to a young married ployee of the Commonwealth Depavt at of Works. t is not disclosed—naturally—by the imber of Commerce that the two com lies that tendered higher amounts for block are respectively (a) allied with ompany which is probably the biggest ler of freehold land in Rabaul and irons and the Gazelle Peninsula, a 1 of this land is still, seven years tr the resumption of Civil Ad listration, unused, some of it is sub (b) Already the owners of a number dwellings in Rabaul the majority of ch are sub-let; occupiers of a large a of land which is immediately outside present town boundaries of Rabaul. would point out that all sittings of Land Board are open to the public, act that has been frequently gazetted, s entirely possible, however, that many pie in Rabaul were ignorant of this

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The only questions I have asked in legislative Council were in regard to elay in holding Land Board sittings, s I am not the person responsible for siting the date of such meetings I fail > see why I could not ask the Secretary 1 Lands to explain any delays—even if were a permanent member of the Board,

Nd I Am Not.

As to the merits of having separate isidential areas for various sections of le community: There are proper bodies inch as Town Advisory Councils) where ich questions can be discussed, as they lould be, OPENLY, with all parties to te argument present. This has not to ite been attempted although several embers of the Rabaul Chamber of »mmerce are also members of the abaul Town Advisory Council.

The Rabaul Chamber of Commerce does »t represent ALL the opinion of residents Rabaul, of any race or creed.

It is evident that little or no attempt is made by your correspondent to ascer in all the facts.

I am, etc.,

Don Barrett.

ibaul, October 9.

N the September issue of your journal I was quoted as making the following itement; “Mr. Achun, a spokesman for e Chinese people, was asked whether e Chinese wanted to live away from eir shops and among the Europeans; id, after some thought, he said perhaps t of them might, but for the most part, e Chinese preferred their neighbours to Chinese.” I wish to state that I do t remember ever having made such a itement.

I am, etc.,

Gabriel Achun.

.haul, October 10.