Questions

Rabaul As

Cinderella

Town Council Asks Questions

i FEELING that Rabaul, once the L proud capital of New Guinea, is now being dragged ignomini sly at the heels of Port Moresby apital of the Dual Territory of ipua and New Guinea since the ir), showed up plainly in dis ssions at the February meeting the Rabaul Town Advisory uncil.

For example, Mr. P. L. James ted whether the building of haul town actually was subject any planning authority.

Jr. Don Barrett, MLC: There is Fown Planning Board that lives, ves and has its being in Port resby.

Ir. James said he had discovered it the reticulation of electricity the present town was based on -war plans which defined roads ich bore no relationship to exist roads, Works Department officials h whom he had taken up the tter confessed that they were ipletely baffled. He had seen a ailed plan for reticulation which 5 no relation whatever to exist conditions. [r. Barrett said the Town Plan ar Board (of Port Moresby) had er to zone Rabaul and proclaim is only after Rabaul had been ;laimed a town; and Rabaul had yet been so proclaimed. r. Barrett said that “this very ust body from Port Moresby” once visited Rabaul, and dis ed the town’s needs with various 1 bodies; recommendations had i made and discussed; but the unistration, which had the final “had just ignored Rabaul er badly.” The present position the fault of neither the Works artment nor the Town Board. strict Officer J. J. Murphy ex led that confusion had occurred use, originally, the re-building iabaul was not officially en aged, and housing and electrical s—for which there was an acute and—had been attended to on nporary basis. Then, when the mistration plans were changed it was decided that Rabaul Id be re-built on a permanent , as the District’s headquarters, ulties naturally arose. All sur marks were obliterated and dy actually knew the correct ion of the town until the ro sy was made. . James said that they appreci that aspect of the situation., the fact remained that the :s Department was trying to

carry out works on plans that were completely wrong.

MR. N. C. BARRY wanted to know who was in charge of tree-planting and of Queen Elizabeth Park —District Office or Agriculture.

District Officer Murphy said the position was not clear. Mr. Side

bottom was doing excellent work.

At one time he was employed by Agriculture Department. The latter repudiated him and, since then, he had been included in District Ser vices personnel.

Mr. Barry; But who do we see about tree-planting—District Com missioner or Agriculture Depart ment?

Mr. Murphy: At the moment I cannot answer that question.

Mr. BARRETT asked questions about the Police staff.

Police Superintendent A.

Rackemann said that it had been reported that 16 Europeans had been employed in Rabaul pre-war In his opinion the work could be done by 13.

Mr. Barrett: What is your present strength ?

Mr. Rackemann: Six officers and m Mr lf ßarrett asked the position in relation to police transport.

The superintendent said that at the Gaol they had one rebuilt Chev- Ford and one Ford utility, both over seven years old and both broken down. In the Fire section there was one 7-years-old Ford Fire Appliance, broken down. At the Police Station were one 4-years old International utility, broken down, and one Holden utility, in good condition.

Councillors, with an obvious effort, made no comment.

IT The Papua-New Guinea Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies (Mr. G. Morris), and two native Papuan co-operative movement lead ers, are due in Brisbane in March to attend a congress of Queens land co-operatives. The Papuans are Mr. Toua Kapena, of Hanua bada, and Mr. Gau Pako, of Pore bada (30 miles from Moresby),