Upper Markham

DC Sees Big Future for Upper Markham

[esult of Overland

Trip to Highlands

LAE, Nov. 28. lISTORY was made in New Guinea in November when the orobe District Commissioner, Mr. . Niall, the Territory Director of iblic Health, Dr. John Gunther, id an Administration motor echanic, Mr. Bob Dudgeon, became e first people to drive in the one hide from Lae to the Highlands.

The trip has been made previously it it was necessary to change hides at the Umi River.

The recent trip was made in a w Jeep-ambulance which was too I to be air-freighted to Goroka.

Ihe party left Lae on a Wednes y and reached Goroka on the fol ving Friday. With a little assist ce the ambulance negotiated the ni River, although at one stage 3 fast flowing water reached the hide's bonnet.

Commenting later, Mr. Mick Leahy, io pioneered the route by foot ire than 20 years ago, said that he ped it would lead to opening in a big way the thousands of h acres in the Markham and mu Valleys.

Uready cocoa, rice, dairying and ;f industries are being established the lower Markham areas, >und Erap, hundreds of acres of >und are being ploughed in readi -5S for the next rice crop. )n his return to Lae, Mr, Niall d that he had promised farmers Erap that the bridge now being : across the Erap River would be npleted by the end of the year 1 that the road along the route had just driven would be con noted. As it extends along the ley, more and more rich farming d will be opened to settlers.

Jy the time this road links with ! Highlands road at Gusap, coffee i other industries will be well ablished in the Highlands and d freighting to Lae will be pos ie. iast year’s rice harvest from the ip area was sold locally—some the Administration and the rest traders—and it is only a matter time before enough rice can be wn to supply a big percentage of Territory’s heavy demand.

Ir. Niall said that although the at Erap is excellent for rice, saw, during his recent trip ough the Upper Markham, even ler rice-growing soil, and situated ween there and Erap are thous s of acres of land suitable for tie grazing.

Jr. Niall believes that with the ige across the Erap by the end the year and the big Markham er bridge nearing completion, the

Morobe District will expand and that in a few years Lae will be the most prosperous town in the whole P-NG Territory.

And from the Highlands End

Goroka, Nov. 28

The beginnings of the operation were in some secrecy—but within hours it was over the air that the ambulance had left Lae for Goroka, and that District Commissioner lan Downs, at Goroka, had also departed about the same time, for the Mark ham.

As the wet season for the area commenced in September, the three gentlemen chiefly concerned were taking a risk which may account for the secrecy surrounding their intentions. There is also the pos sibility that the whole thing wou’d have been officially vetoed had it become generally known.

Having reached the Highlands access road base at Marawassa, the ambulance covered the remaining 90 miles to Goroka in leisurely fashior; stopping at hospitals and aid posts en route. The screaming shen shattered the nerves of the popula tion between Kainantu and Goroka.

About 180 miles were recorded on the speed© when a high-spirited Re ception Committee met the pioneers at Goroka. There was scarcely a mark on the all-white vehicle for which much credit is due to those concerned.

Before the event was concluded, many people predicted failure. If the vehicle (reputed to have cost £2,500) had been lost in the Umi River, the official reports would have made interesting reading. But as one old timer remarked: “When I heard that (adjective removed), Home Niall was in it, and that (two adjectives removed) Downs had gone down to the Umi River to meet it, there was no doubt in my mind that they would get the thing to the Highlands—even if the entire population had to carry it on their (adjective removed) heads.”

Hold Up in Cutch

Project in Papua

NO cutch has yet come out of the Papuan Gulf country although the project has been under way there for several years near Kikori.

Cutch is the extract of mangrove bark which is used for tanning. The New Guinea Borneo Mangrove Co. decided to utilise the vast areas of mangroves in the Gulf Country and to set up a factory at Aird Hill.

The company underestimated the difficulties in setting up such an in dustry in this area and the original estimate that cutch would be pro duced by mid-1953 was later changed to mid-1954. However at the end of 1954, the factory still had not gone into production.