In Papua-New Guinea
pp. 131-132 · Read in the full issue
News Items From Our Correspondents In Papua-New Guinea
P-Ng Has An Historical
Society
A T a public meeting held at the f*. Red Cross Hall on November 2, 1953, a body to be known as the listorical Society of Papua and lew Guinea came into being. Its bject is to encourage study of the listory of the Territory of Papua ,nd New Guinea, to promote the ompilation of historical records, to .cquire and preserve books, manu cripts, newspapers, coins, stamps, irints, pictures, relics and any laterial which may have a bearing n the history of the Territory, and o use its influence to preserve laces of historic interest.
It is hoped that members of the ommunity will lend their support 0 the Society. Inquiries should be lade to the Secretary, Miss R.
Jarter, at the Public Library, Port loresby.
Goilalas On Trial
The tribal flare-up among Goilala atives in Papua in October had its equel in the Supreme Court on lovember 24, when ten Goilalas rere found guilty of murder.
They were sentenced to gaol terms f four and five years each, eventeen others were found not uilty and were discharged. One ther native who had been charged dth murder was found guilty of mnslaughter and given 12 months aol.
The trouble occurred on Oc- Dber 4, in a village near the Gov rnment station at Tapini, in the ientral District, when a pig was tolen after a tribal dance and sast in which the village groups ad taken part.
Cadet patrol officer J. G. Maclellan, r ho was in charge at Tapini in le absence of his senior set off )r the trouble area with a patrol s soon as news of the fighting ame through. He arrived back at 'apini with some of the bodies of le victims, and a large number of atives from the villages concerned.
The Central District Commis loner, Mr. F. A. Bensted, com lended Maclellan’s courage and litiative. He said he had under aken a difficult, and what might ave been a dangerous task, in a lanner which would have been a redit to an officer of much more xperience.
Boy Scouts’ Branch For
Territory
A move is to be made to form a ranch of the Boy Scouts in Papua nd New Guinea instead of having tie Territory as a district of Queensland.
Commissioner J. Jackson, who r as in Port Moresby recently, said tiere had been such a remarkable rowth in the Scout movement 1 the Territory that the move was warranted.
Business Interest Across
The Dutch Border
The managing director of the Sentani Trading Company in Hol landia, Netherlands NG, Mr. P. N.
Groot, arrived in Port Moresby re cently to investigate the possibil ities of trade between the Dutch and Australian territories. He said that one of the biggest difficulties to be overcome was shipping as there was no direct link between the two Territories; air-freight may be the answer.
Remembrance Day
Pilgrimage
Remembrance Day services were held in most churches in the Ter ritory on Sunday, November 8.
A pilgrimage of twenty-two men and women made the journey from Cairns by special chartered ANA aircraft to visit the Bomana war cemetery. All were ex-servicemen or relatives of ex-servicemen.
They attended a service at the cemetery in the morning and later visited the Kokoda memorial. More than 4,000 poppies were scattered over the Bomana war cemetery from the plane as the party passed over the cemetery on its way South. (Next Page)
New Wharves For P-Ng
The advancement of the Terri tory has been marked lately be the completion of new wharves se Samarai, Lae and Madang, and thr letting of a £228,000 contract fee j the new Rabaul wharf.
The new method of cathodic proc ! tection against corrosion has installed on the Lae wharf.
The main wharf and small ships; W i ? r l es Madang have been comr pleted, and work on the cargo anu copra sheds is going ahead, a water supply is also being installed The Rabaul wharf contract foe more than £228,000, has been let ti Dayal Singh Constructions Ltd. oc Lismore, NSW.
Import Restrictions Lifteii
* m P° rt restrictions have beer lifted in the Territory of Papuai New Guinea in respect of goods imi ported from non-dollar and nom Japanese countries. For some gooo« reason best known to the bureau] crats, it is still necessary to obtain a licence to import—although mer' chants have been informed thai these will be issued freely.
Greatly increased overseas mg is anticipated as a result ano. this in turn will bring morr customs revenue to the Territory..
Educating The Ng Nativese
■ Miss Marie Egan, who for the pas* five years has been teaching Chinese; and native children in the Rabaui area, left Sydney in November in the Citros for a round-trip to Hong-; kong and Japan. When she returns] to Rabaul in k the new year, she will take charge of a new departure in native education in the Territory— a boarding school for native girls! which is sponsored by native village; councils in the Rabaul district.
It is expected that 20 girls willl attend the school. Miss Egan said) in Sydney that the school would) equip the girls for a better life ira their native villages but any who showed promise would be encouraged) to go as far as possible academic-; ally.
In November, a secondary schoolc for native boys was opened in tho Madang district. The boys willl grow their own food and do theiri. own domestic chores and academic subjects with what is left! of their time.