Current News Items From Our Correspondents

In Papua-New Guinea

Administrator Goes To

Canberra

The Administrator, Brigadier D. M. Cleland, flew to Canberra from Port Moresby on November 19, for discussions with the Minister for Territories, Mr. Paul Hasluck. Mr.

Hasluck had intended visiting the Territory, but this arrangement was made instead.

Tariff Board Departs

Members of the Commonwealth Tariff Board left Port Moresby for Australia on November 18 after 10 days in the Territory (see also page 59, this issue ).

There were no hard feelings, de spite the fact that members were right on the ball with their ques tions on rubber.

The secretary of the Papuan Planters’ Association, Mr. E. A.

Tames, paid a tribute to their jourtesy with witnesses, and said lis members had found the board nost helpful.

On a brief trip to Wau-Bulolo, he Board members were involved n an accident between a Land ■lover in which they were being iriven by Morobe DC, Mr. H. Niall, md a timber truck. They received a ew scratches.

Chairman of the board, Mr.

McCarthy, said before leaving that heir report would be made early in he New Year to Federal Parlia nent.

Missions Talk—But Not For

The Record

Possibly a lot of good work was lone in the Missions’ Conference fliich opened in Port Moresby mid lovember, and was attended by rep esentatives of 33 missions through iut Papua-New Guinea—but it is lard to know.

All the main work of the confer nce was done at closed sessions— ublic or press not admitted. Con equently, all the public has heard f this much publicised conference

are statements made by various Ad ministration heads in addressing the conference during the week.

With the exception of the Admin istrator’s address, there has been very little of importance in any of this. In any case, since this is sup posed to be a conference of missionaries it would be interesting to know what the missionaries think, not what the Administration thinks —we get plenty of that on most days of the week.

General opinion is that the

missionaries have missed out on the chance of some publicity helpful to their cause.

The Administrator’s statement at the opening of the conference was on the vexed question of liquor for natives. Later in the week, Brigadier Cleland said a few more words to the conference, but this was at one of the closed sessions, of course, so what he said, and what the missionaries said to him, are not for the record. Again a pity.

Brigadier Cleland’s first statement was along the lines that prohibition for the natives was a bad plank on which to stand. In the long run, he said, it would be unwise, for native advancement in all important

aspects of life could not be ad vocated if we were to say that the native could not do the other things we do. He said the answer was a system of exemptions wisely ad ministered.

Third Party Car Insurance

Is Compulsory

Compulsory Third Party motor insurance will be introduced in Papua-New Guinea on January 1, and all motorists will have to apply by January 30.

The annual rate for private cars will be £2, which is the cheapest in Australia. For most commercial vehicles it will be £4, but £2 for trucks owned by farmers or prospectors.

There are more than 4,050 motor vehicles registered in the Territory.

Scholarships

More than 100 native children from all parts of the Territory sat at examinations on November 10 and 11. Results will decide who will win scholarships to Australian secondary schools next year.

Twenty will be selected for the second year of the scheme which was introduced to give natives a chance of a higher education in Australia.

Subjects were English, arithmetic, dictation and general knowledge, and impression was that the papers were a little harder than last year and better arranged.

One missionary pointed out after last year’s exam., that the question on dictation in the English paper had been put at the end of the paper, although it carried a high number of marks. Native psychology apparently encouraged the can didates to think along the lines that, “The Government put it last so it wants it answered last,” and many missed out in answering it, as they had insufficient time.

Native Language

Dictionary

The Methodist Mission Press at East Cape, in Milne Bay, printed a

school edition of a new English Dobuan dictionary in November the first dictionary for nearly i years when a dictionary combinin other languages was turned out.

The dictionary contains vocabulary of 2,500 words which we] compiled by the Methodist chairma in the Milne Bay District, ti Reverend R. Grant. Mr. Grai himself worked out what he cor sidered to be the minimum won required by the native, and it wj interesting to know that later 1 found access to a survey on minimum vocabulary which show€

that he had worked out his mini pmm to within 50 words. ‘airstrip USED ON YULE IS.

For the first time since the war, an aircraft landed on the airstrip at Yule Island on November 12.

The plane was the Department )f Civil Aviation’s Anson, piloted )y DCA’s Acting Superintendent of Mr Navigation, Mr. Tom Drury.

The landing was made to check he airstrip for use by commercial lircraft.

Mr. Drury later said that the strip rould be open for aircraft up to ind including Ansons from No ember 15, but unless the strip was Migthened, the Ansons would not e able to take in a full payload.

The present strip is 2,400-feet mg and could easily be lengthened y another 1,000 feet. If this were one, DC3 aircraft could land and ike off.

Most of the island’s population arned out to see the Anson land, or the native children it was their rst sight of a land-plane close-up, Ithough they had seen them fly ig overhead.

G Services Dutch Aircraft

The Qantas workshops at Lae will d the C of A on all KLM aircraft ised at Biak, in Dutch New •uinea.

The Qantas area manager for New uinea, Captain Orme Denny, an- Dunced this in Lae in November id said that the overhauls would ; on DC3’s and, later, on Beavers.

The first DC3 had almost com eted its overhaul by November 12 id was ready for delivery to the utch pilots by mid-November.

Eaching Natives To Look

Ahead

A research survey on improved ethods of handling and preserv g native foodstuffs has been arted in P-NG. It is being con icted by the Food Technologist of e South Pacific Commission, Dr. . S. McKee.

Dr. McKee, who was formerly with e CSIRO Food Preservation [vision, began his survey in the istern Highlands in November. He 11 work in the Madang, Morobe id New Britain districts and on mpletion of his Territory tour 11 visit BSIP and other member rritories of the SPC.

Main object of the survey is to velop simple methods of preserv ? and storing native foodstuffs, thout loss of nutrition value. A currence of gluts and shortages village food supplies could then eliminated.

Dr. McKee’s findings will be made ailable to areas throughout the -cific. He hopes to develop tech lues which could be carried out co-operative societies.

Volcano Warnings

Eruptions are predictable, claims r. John Best, the Rabaul vul-

The gentleman with the rifle is District Commissioner F A Bensted, who was photographed while firing the fiest shot to open the new Rifle Range at Madang, New Guinea, on November 7. Photo: R. G. Krause.

nologist, who addressed the Town Ivisory Council on that matter at ; November meeting. Mr. Best’s itement is welcomed by a popula m which is, subconsciously, always yed up in anticipation of a vol nic disturbance.

His recital of the unmistakable ns, ignored by the layman, which seeded both the 1937 eruption of itupi and Vulcan and the 1951 iption of Mount Lamington on ; Papuan mainland, lends weight his claim.

Xmas As Usual

rhe end of the watersiders’ strike Australia came in time to save haul from a black Christmas. >cks of tinned food, freezer meat, ;r and spirits had run seriously j. Christmas displays in stores re held up, waiting on goods to ■ive from the mainland. Hard re supplies were depleted. And in the ships were loaded, the fog despair lifted, and Christmas ks like being a real Christmas er all.

Hospitals Are Pending

Ir. August Chan protested, in Rabaul Town Advisory Council member meeting, against the in iquate facilities of the Asiatic spital and the dilapidated con on of the building. He offered to late £l,OOO towards the building a new Asiatic Hospital, and said t other Chinese businessmen in town would be prepared to give mcial help. b can, however, be safely as led that this outburst will pro e no impetus to the holders of purse strings in Canberra. New ers’ quarters, large enough to ommodate the increased number staff that will be required to run proposed Euro-Asian Hospital, being built beside the present

European Hospital on Namanula Hill. But the new hospital itself is still a will-o’-the-wisp dream.

Meanwhile, the proposed new Native Hospital to be erected at Nonga is still in the discussion stage while the old one holds together by the Grace of God and the combined

Win for

Rabaul Boxer

The amateur [?]gilists, right, were [?]otographed during Boxing Tourna ent at the Re [?]rned Servicemen’s [?]ub, Rabaul, New [?]inea, on October They are Alan [?]chardson (black [?]nks) and Floren [?]o Almario of [?]nila. Richardson in on a TKO in the cond round. Almario is one of three lipino sailors from e American Survey [?]ip, F.S. 216, who [?]k part in the [?]rnament.

Photo: C. H. Meen.

efforts of a large proportion of Rabaul’s white-ant population.

New Oil Company For

Papua

Westland Oil Co. Ltd. has been registered in Port Moresby to prospect a very large area adjoin ing the Dutch border. Prospecting rights in this area were formerly held by Australian Petroleum Co.

Pty.

Westland Oil, whose managing director is Mr. R. H. W. Molesworth, is at present test-drilling at War breccan, Queensland.

Rubber Grafting

Nearly 3,000 rubber budwood grafts have been completed recently in the Sogeri District near Port Moresby by the Agricultural De partment.

The budwood was imported from Malaya and Ceylon, and grafted on to rubber seedlings at Itikinumu Plantation owned by the British New Guinea Development Company.

This budwood includes stock from Prang Besar and Chemara Planta tions in Malaya, with such proved types as the recently evolved T2O, NAB and LCB series of clones which are amongst the highest yielding selections. Many of these imported clones have proved capable of yielding between two and three times as much as the normal un selected rubber trees in Papua— Papuan average being about 380 lbs

per acre annually.

The Department has received much assistance and co-operation from the BNGD Company, and the Itikinumu Plantation Manager, Mr. J. Grimmer, in enabling the grafts to be made on Itikinumu seedlings in the plantation nursery.

Within a few weeks the seedlings will be transplanted in the Admini

stration Bisianumu Rubber Bree ing Station nursery, and the fii budwood from these graftings w be ready for distribution in frc two to three years.

All this should please members the Australian Tariff Board, W. during the recent inquiry, ask many questions about rubt grafting—a process recommended

[rubber-expert Mann in his report lon the Papuan industry.

F Conciliation Committee

Completes Job

The Committee appointed by the Minister for Territories to enquire into the salaries, allowances and working hours of Territory Public Servants has completed its task, and expects to hand its report to the Minister by the end of December, The enquiry started on October 25, and was completed on November 25, after evidence had been taken from 107 witnesses, and informal discussions held with approximately another 100 persons during inspec tions of Administration hostels, single quarters, residences, offices, native hospitals and several out stations.

The Committee first took evidence from witnesses at Port Moresby, and then visited Tapini, an out station in the Central District, spent two days at Lae, and while visiting [Joroka inspected an out-station at Daulo. The survey was then con ;inued at Madang, Wewak, Kavieng, ■labaul and Kerevat. Evidence was ilso taken at Port Moresby from •esidents of Samarai, Kikori and )ther areas.

Witnesses included Public Ser vants, private citizens, and ■epresentatives of industry and )lantations.

Commenting from Rabaul, a lorrespondent says: “During the wo days the Commission sat here lot one planter or other employer of abour submitted evidence on either iving costs or the reasons for or gainst the five-days week; nor did me member of any business firm ome forward to put his case for m increase in salary. The average Ldministration salary is far higher ban that of a private employee: Jovernment officers enjoy shorter forking hours, more generous leave nd sick benefits, pay only nominal entals for homes—therefore it eems that those who failed to pre ent their case were those with the lost reason to do so.”

Bank Aids Co-Op. School

The Commonwealth Bank of Aus ralia has made a grant of £3,500 ■om its Rural Credits Development imd to assist in establishing a Co perative Educational Centre at ort Moresby, This centre will train atives in the methods, practices nd business principles of Native ocieties. A further grant of £3,500 lay be made by the Bank next year, nd the balance of the cost of the ew Centre will be provided by the ative Co-operative Societies.

This year’s Bank grant will be sed to finance the purchase of land nd erection of two dormitory build igs to accommodate twenty mdents each. Later two classrooms »r thirty pupils each will be erected, iso another dormitory, a mess hall nd kitchen. The total cost of the )mpleted Educational Centre will 5 approximately £11,500.

prospective “studente Waiting llst of

1 uueui,b -

When the Co-operative movement began in P-NG in 1949-50, the turnover the first year was £62,000; last hthouldTon Sow and tWS year it should top £600,000.

How To Keep Your Boy

Happy

At a recent meeting of the Lae Town Advisory the Chairman (Mr.

A. J. Bretag) said that people were finding it difficult to keep a domestic servant if he was not given money for the pictures.

“They expect to go to the market on Saturday mornings, church on

t a h nd P ictures twice a week.

What is the place coming to?” Mr.

Bretag asked, At the same meeting if cided to ask why Lae ls stiU to^e enied a 24-hours’ electricity Department of Works, Regional Officer, Mr. Tom Passmore had already stated that he saw no reason why the town should not fall in line ancTsamarai P ° rt Moresby ’ Madan S * 7 T™* n after Mr. Passmore made his statement, the Administrator and pfie Government Secretary both said that Lae is “not in a position” to that Lae could have a 24-hours’ ser

fice, and approval was given forth with.)

Lae Vital Statistics

A son was born on November 8 0 Mrs. Kit Brown, wife of Qantas Engineer, Lae; on November 0. a son to Mrs. Bedford, wife of ir. Andy Bedford, of Robt. Gillespie »ty. Ltd.; a son on November 14 to drs. Pike, wife of Mr. George Pike, f the Post and Telegraphic Branch f the Administration, and Lae Golf Jlub Captain; on November 15, a on to Mrs. Doug Malyon, whose .usband is with the Department of livil Aviation at Finschhafen; on fovember 21, a daughter to Mrs. tob Haughey, of Shell Company, nd on November 25, a daughter to Ir. and Mrs. Vic Zavattaro, of New Guinea Industries.

Direct freights from the United jngdom to Fiji which have been ibject to a surcharge of 5/- per ►n by the British ship-owners, ;ased to be so surcharged from ugust 1. This surcharge was Iditional to the 5/- levied at the iva end on all incoming cargoes 1 cover added costs in handling nee the port suffered earthquake image.

Mr. Peter Coote, of Langu antation, Witu Is., was to marry iss Margaret Hamilton, of Sydney, St. Stephens Anglican Church, acquarie Street, Sydney, early in ‘cember.

If Mr. Henry Eekhoff, who has been in Lae ’ V 6W Gui ? ea ’ J onger than a nyone f ° rtm g h t in now up again em 6r ’ Ut 15 & •

if Mr C Smith nf Ta m i

cemiy announced tL engLement^

his eldest daughter! g to R iC ]\j ar w °K ly SC f n o°i Mr ‘ and Mrs - R. N. Hughes, of Sydney, Australia.