Territories Talk-Talk

By Tolala

Wells and Water

At Rabaul

Rabaul’s water supply, or rather lack of it, has become a headache to the local TAG as well as the residents, and a well-digging cam paign has been recommended.

I have mentioned here, before, that a local water supply was sufficient for more than 50,000 Jap troops during their occupation of the town—it was obtained mostly by putting down wells. From my prison at the Rabaul Freezer (at the corner of Mango Ave. and Kamarere St.) it was a daily sight to see crowds of G-stringed and nude Japs bathing in 44-gallon drums set around wells near the old Bung. Colyer, Watson’s offices, and at the Power House in the evenings: while, during the day, a constant stream of rubber-tyred hand-carts trundled away drums of water for cooking.

In pre-war days I remember cer tain wells in Rabaul which seldom went dry—at the corner of Park Lane and Central Ave.; alongside the Rabaul Carrying Co.’s garage in Casuarina Ave.: and another near the Motor Transport depot in Mango Ave. South. There was also reported to be an ever-flowing spring on Mount Mother.

Water from wells, of course, savours a bit of the pioneer days, so possibly present-day technicians rather look down their noses at anything so elementary. In German days NDL steamers took on water at the old “Burnt Wharf’’; it

was piped from a dam up above the Botanic Gardens.

Pax Britannica Safe

In July I expressed the fear that “the Pax Britannica policy was working in inverse ratio’’ after reading a Sydney Press report con cerning natives at Chauve giving the cold shoulder to Patrol Officer Keogh’s patrol last May; and I quoted these natives as having been contacted by the Hagen-Sepik patrol in 1938. It now appears, from a detailed correction from an Ad ministration Spokesman (or Spokes woman) that I was adrift in my geography and that these are two native communities which have no connection with each other. I am pleased to learn that good old Pax Britannica is still working as it should, and the Chauve people are as hospitable as ever.

Last time I was anywhere near the Highlands was back in 1934 when I travelled to the then-remote Bena-Bena drome in a Junker with Bob Gurney (and one of Guinea Airways’ best, God rest him!) and on landing there we were entertained by one of the local kunda-swallowers who, with the greatest of ease, pushed a long strip of doubled kunda down his gullet and then withdrew it with a flourish worthy of the best of sword-swallowers on our more civilised variety stages. I suppose they are still swallowing lengths of kunda up in them thar hills, but I rarely hear about it now.

Christianity and

Cowrie Shells

A report in an American pap a few weeks ago refers to Americ: missionaries going into Dutch N( Guinea’s Shangri-La, “equipp only with cowrie shells to conv( the Stone-age natives to Chris anity.”

This is reminiscent of the pi War II time when a mission socie operating on the mainland of N imported large quantities of imit tion white cowrie-shells “made Germany’’. Government, natural took a dim view of such wholess deception of primitive natives a confiscated the lot. Some trade who had been selling imitation do and porpoise-teeth to the nath since the crack of dawn, then f wholly absolved of their heinc crime of counterfeiting nati money.

Returning down the aisle of the Ro [?] Catholic Church at Port Moresby September 8 are Mr. John Maher and [?] bride—formerly Miss Rae Goriss. groom’s sister, Pat, flew from Melbo [?] to be a bridesmaid at the wedding. —Photo by Papuan Pr [?]

I’m not suggesting for a moment tiat the US missionaries are adopt ig similar tactics. All that was efore War 11. But I would be irprised if present-day Customs ‘gulations do not carry a penal ,ause for such snide tactics.

alive Etiquette

There is no doubt but that the dministrator of P-NG has to be man of many parts and is ex ited to be au fait with every lase of native etiquette, a know dge difficult to attain even bv the dest residents. A Camilla Wedg )od or Margaret Mead cannot ways be in attendance. Last anth Brig. Cleland was momen rily embarrassed when presented th some betel-nut (a most im rtant adjunct to native cere inial, as most people know). >wever, eventually he did the :ht thing and all was well.

It is difficult for the more imitive native to realise that the ua 11 y all-knowing European, pable of so many wonderful ;omplishments, should be ignor t of the simplest native customs, remember an incident which :urred many years ago at a live sing-sing, when, following ; action of a visiting chief, I ;hered a handful of greenery m one of the dancers. Shortly erwards I was surprised to re ve a couple of fathoms of native ney, some baskets of native food 1 a chunk of very unappetising king pork, wrapped in banana ves. I later learned that grabbing handful of greenery from a icer was the highest compliment ich could be paid to a performer a dance. But—and herein lay catch—the dancer, having paid admirer in money and goods cording to his standing) awaited opportunity to return the com nent when his admirer danced I so received a present equal to t which he had given. I was

ed with the embarrassing

ition of not being a participant any dances and so giving no ortunity for my donor to return compliment. The impasse was rcome by a special presentation urn of tambu and stick tobacco, i everyone was happy.

■rave misunderstandings could,

have, arisen from the non jrvance of old customs.

Vlisnomer

he term “Malay” is used some it loosely in TNG and might ly to anyone hailing from nds north, northwest or west from the Marshalls to Indo na. But the majority of so -3d “Malays”, resident in Rabaul, ; came from Ambon some 50 ■S ago as clerks for the big man firms. Recently, exception been taken by a correspondent the S. P . Post to the term

“Malay” as applied to a member of the Rabaul TAG. The Ambonese and Javanese are of a race apart, politically, religiously and socially.

A point which emphasises this difference was the treatment meted out in Rabaul during the Japanese occupation to the Javanese and the Ambonese-Celebes POW’s. The Javanese soldiers strutted the streets of Rabaul freely, carrying their original side-arms, and were engaged in semi-military duties; while the Ambonese and Celebes prisoners were deprived of all privileges and engaged as labourers and lorry-drivers, always under escort.

TNG owes a lot to its Ambonese clerks, especially in the early days.

They carried out the unglamorous office routine with punctilious exactitude, while the European de partmental heads got the kudos.

Rabaul Wants a Fair Cut

The long-suffering residents of Rabaul are at least becoming some what vocal after enduring years of the most primitive conditions where public services are concerned, such as houses, roads, lighting, shipping accommodation and the like. Dur ing this time Moresby has been receiving every attention with what would appear to be most favoured generosity from those holding the Territorial purse strings.

A more recent protest in the September meeting of the Rabaul TAG is made by N. C. Barry, who compares the activity of the Rabaul area, where post-war rehabilitation has been so slow, with Moresby Referring to visits to the latter town he says: “It has always riled me to see such an unproductive town having so much money spent Another cause of complaint is the fact that in Department of Works tenders called recently, and amounting to half-a-million pounds the most of the work is again for Moresby, and Rabaul’s share is two bungalows at Kokopo.

It would only seem fair that a concentrated effort on public service development at Rabaul should be made now, considering the many post-war years when Rabaul’s fate w t s undecided and there was no rehabilitation work carried out ™£ e^ riv 2 lry between Papua'and TNG has been of long standing and was no doubt, an unofficial weight which tipped the scales against the merging of the two Territories when two previous Commissions enquired into such a possibility.

Rabaul likes not the role of poor relation, after having experienced the joys of self-support and pros perity in pre-war days. A “fair go” for Rabaul district is a matter now for Moresby, not Canberra officials: so let’s hope they will let their heads go in doling out some

inds to this long-suffering com lunity. few Blood in L.C.

The number of electors who cast leir votes in the Legislative mncil election on October 2 was sappointing, only 750 going to the NG Islands and Mainland 11s out of 1,800. This possibly was ie to the unequal composition of e Council, with its 24 official and iminated members to the lone elected.

George Whittaker should be a Icome addition to the unofficial nks and will certainly be vocal, lling no punches. With over 30 irs’ experience in various callings the Territory, George should ow what he’s talking about. If i unofficial Members, as a block, ild get into a pre-Sessional ddle and decide on a plan of ion, they might be able to get aewhere.

irkham and the “Lily”

in inquisitive bloke is this jtain Carl Haug, who lives in rmstadt. But his enquiries al -7s awaken within me a similar talgic feeling. From whom did rry Markham acquire the Lily ? ditors’ Mail Bag, Sept.) My

TOP: Among those who made merry at the Port Moresby Golf Club Ball, on September 3, were, from left to right: Mr. Ossie Todd. Mrs. Ray Lovell, Mr. and Mrs.

Theo De Hesselie. Mrs. Jim Boyd, Mr. Ivan Hoggard, Mr. Ray Lovell and Miss Aileen Carroll. LOWER: At a reunion of Downlands Past Students at the Papuan Hotel, Port Moresby, on September 3, the Old Boys were guests at a dinner party given by the Rev. Father Eather, shown extreme left. —Photo by Papuan Prints.

guess would be that he got it from Hernsheim & Co., the German firm with headquarters in Rabaul and had, in 1912, a branch store at Kieta, Bougainville, and did some considerable trading down in the BSI. The Lily was stationed at Kieta, where Herr Class was manager, with Herr Drege as his

off-sider. Harry, I think, took over from Charlie Munster on Ontong Java (or Lord Howe) trading stations. Charlie later on acquired property in the Manus group, which became portion of the big naval base in War II; he was killed by the Japs in 1942.

Guavas at Aitape

In September “Tropicalities” mention is made of an orchard of guavas at Aitape, visited by War II troops, and wonder expressed at the fruit being in such an isolated area.

Over 40 years ago Aitape (or Eitape, as it was then written) was quite a busy district, though the govern ment station was always handi capped for want of a good anchor age. It was a centre for the German birds-of-paradise shooters, many of whom financed their plantations from the proceeds of the gay plumage. The orchard mentioned was probably on Tadji plantation, a flourishing coconut estate, originally owned by the Neu Guinea Kompagnie. German planters had a very excellent habit of planting up fruit trees on estates, a practice which we have not followed so diligently.

Matapau in News Again

Potential oil fields at Matapau, in the old Aitape (now Sepik) district, are in the news again, after 30 years. And this gives some idea of the persistence with which the search for oil in TNG has been carried on. I mentioned this area in April “Talk Talk”. Actually it is almost 40 years since an A. N. & M. E. F. sergeant on patrol first spotted oil seepages at Matapau.

Drillings in 1924 found encouraging traces, but not payable. Still, qurias

—and there have been plenty the since those days—could make a 1 of difference. One disadvantage Matapau: there is no anchora within coo-ee.