In Papua-New Guinea

[?]urrent News Items From Our Correspondents In Papua-New Guinea

Tea Factory For Garaina

Some progress is reported with ie Administration’s plans to in oduce tea into the Territory.

In May, the first sections of the /o-storey, pre-fabricated factory be erected for tea processing, rived at Lae. It will be sent on Garaina and the remander of e sections are expected to arrive fore the end of the year, in sep ate shipments.

The factory is coming from Eng id.

About 100-acres has been planted th tea experimentally by the Ad nistration at Garaina, and about acres is ready for plucking, rhe factory will have a capacity 1,000 pounds of dried tea a day. it the day when the factory is aning to capacity is not yet. The t tea project is still experimental.

Hotel For Bulolo

If all goes well with the Bulolo >ld Dredging application for a blican’s licence, Bulolo may get first hotel. They plan to call it ie Lodge Hotel, Visitors are finding the Bulolo iu area very attractive —and if ; hotel is run with BCD’s usual ciency, Bulolo will become the iday maker’s Mecca around those *ts.

Te Land And Its People

mother victory in the native land r was chalked up in May at Port resby—the natives on the win ig side again. ’he question involved 87-acres of ;ive-owned land at Taurama ;ar Moresby) which has for some ,e been used by the Pacific inds Regiment as part of its rcise ground. It is a nice piece, the sea, and suitable for sub ision.

'he Administration resumed the :k last year, and in the subse mt dealings over a price, the ninistration offered £4 an acre, 'he Kila Kila people, led by ta Sebea, their head councillor. d is no novice when it comes to d questions, asked £25 an acre it. durt proceedings were not neces y, as both sides agreed to the lection of an independent itrator. From the panel given m, the Kila Kila people selected S. Fox (“Peter”), a Port resby accountant, member of the m Advisory Council and leader many town affairs. ; is generally agreed that he did masterly financial job, finally ling the land at £2O/3/4 an acre, ,ch gives the Kila Kila people *e than £1.700.

Under the Ordinance, there is no appeal from the decision of an in dependent arbitrator approved by both sides.

The Kila Kila people plan to spend the money on getting power to the village (providing, of course, that the village doesn’t catch fire in the process), and the acquisition of a rotary hoe.

Taxing Cocoa

In Port Moresby in May, Mr.

Don Barrett, MLC, had discussions

with Administration officials on the method of assessing the value of cocoa for export duty.

Present procedure deducts freight and marine insurance from realisa tion price, to get assessed value.

Mr. Barrett, on behalf of Territory cocoa producers, submitted that allowance should also be made for brokers’ commission. This could make a difference of 25/- a ton on the present duty, which is about £5O per ton.

More Rice From The Mekeo

Territory rice harvests began in May, and in the Mekeo the crop this year looks to be a good one.

This will be a change from last

fear, when drought did a lot of iamage.

About 800 acres are under rice n this District, and according to he Agriculture Department, Mekeo ice looks like getting a real start it last. There might, they sug ;est, even be money in it for new omers in a year or two. Accord ng to one report, one grower in the /lekeo this year might be worth 10,000.

About 170 acres of Mekeo rice is wned by natives.

Tag’S Not Eager To Work

With Dac’S

The Administrator plans to or anise closer liaison between Town nd District Advisory Councils.

The new system, just announced, alls for the chairman of each Town louncil to be appointed ex-officio lember of the District Council in is area. District Councils will ominate one of their members for le Town Council.

There are 8 Town Advisory Coun ls and 15 District Councils in the erritory.

The proposal is receiving a mixed ;ception in P-NG.

The May meeting of the Morobe [strict council carried a resolution lat, “there seems to be no reason ) incornorate the Presidents of AC in the DAC, ex-officio.” The (solution was moved by Dr. Carl unther and seconded by Mr. N. r hite.

The Port Moresby Town Advisory auncil in May agreed, without dis ission, that the Council chair an be recommended as ex-officio ember on the Central District Duncil, if the Administration so (sired.

Pacific Islands Regiment

The second relief of the PIR oops at Vanimo (near Dutch irder) was made in May. “C” mpany relieved “B” company— avelling by air between Port oresby and Madang, and then by a on the Army Supply vessel from adang to Vanimo.

“B” company spent 8 months at mimo under Major Bishop. Major ?arn is OC with the new relief.

While the Sepik District Com issioner, Mr. S. Elliott-Smith, was Port Moresby for the meeting the Legislative Council, in May, presented to the PIR a shield lich will be competed for annually, will be for skill at small-arms, e results to be taken over 12mths’ training between the com nies. Mr.. Elliott-Smith is a *mer war-time commander of B.

G. G. Smith & Co.

3. G. Smith & Co. Ltd., of Port iresby, will be carried on along b same lines as before the pur ase by Steamships Trading Co. is to be taken over by STC in

August. The deal also involved the Port Moresby store of J. Wyatt Limited, which will close down at once, after selling out its entire stocks. STC have other plans for it, but these have not been an nounced.

STC paid £llB,OOO for the two businesses. The cost will be met by an issue of 30,000 £1 ordinary shares at a premium of 21/-. This will raise £61,500, and the remainder will be made up in cash. New shares will rank for dividend from August 1.

Returning to Islands

Mr. and Mrs. O. A. Dare, with children Rosemary and John, journeyed to Raro tonga. Mr. Dare is the new Official Secretary, Cook Islands Administration.

Miss Vaine Terekia and Miss Tere Pittman, who are employed at Hastings, NZ, returned home to Rarotonga, on vacation.

Mrs. Kay went to Rarotonga to join her husband. Judge R. V. Kay; and Mrs.

H. E. Armstrong, of Auckland, paid a visit to her son there—Mr. Ryan, officer in charge, Public Works Department.

Dr. and Mrs. A. G. Larson and Helga were bound for Rarotonga, where Dr.

Larson joins the South Pacific Health Service as Assistant Medical Officer.

Big Game Hunting To

Trochus Fishing

MR. R. S. HARTLEY, a man who has spent most of his life in South Africa, combining coffee planting with big game hunting, has now decided that he “likes the look of New Guinea” and will settle here eventually.

He left Africa about a year ago and went to Australia, but at the moment he has an interest in a boat and is fishing for trochus, near Samarai; later on he hopes to get back into the planting game.

To a hunter who has been run down by a wounded elephant, charged by an irate lioness whose husband he had killed, chased by a black mamba, and attacked by a tig«r, New Guinea with its lack of

wild animals (other than human) must be a very “tame’ place.

Rabaulites Want Own

Museum

Mr. J. K. McCarthy, District Com missioner, New Britain, reported to the May meeting of Rabaul Town Advisory Council, that it was eventu ally the intention to set up the principal museum for Papua-New Guinea, in Port Moresby, with a smaller edition at Lae and Rabaul.

Members pointed out that the Territories of Papua and the old Mandated area were so distinctly different, that interest could not be expected from New Guinea people when collected items would all be forwarded to Port Moresby. Also, that as far as tourists were con cerned. it was reasonable to hold

the exhibits from each area, on the home ground.

It was decided by the TAG that a letter be written, requesting that the principal museum for exhibits of New Guinea Mainland and Islands, be located' in the Trust Territory.

Rabaul’S Building Board

Rabaul has a building board which appears to take the place of a chief building inspector of an Australian Shire Council. In other words, it looks over the plans of prospective buildings and decides whether they are up to the required standard.

Considerable discussion took place at the May meeting of the Rabaul TAG about the board and it was generally agreed that the present board—namely Mr. J. K. McCarthy, Chairman; Mr. Johnson. Regional Works Officer: Dr. K. Pike, and Messrs. V. Pearson and Don Barrett —was too small. It was suggested that the Board be reconstituted to include three official and four non official members, one of whom per haps will be a woman.