Current News Items From Our Correspondents
pp. 35-45 · Read in the full issue
In Papua-New Guinea
Bombers And Bikinis
A group of French aviators had i enforced but acceptable 10 days ave in Port Moresby in early Feb lary. They were the crew of a rivateer bomber which developed igine trouble while flying from loncurry, Qld., to Biak, in Dutch ew Guinea. Two other bombers in ie flight flew on to Biak the day ter landing in Port Moresby en ute to Saigon, in French Indo lina.
The three aircraft were diverted Port Moresby when a cyclone reatened Darwin.
A new engine had to be flown om Saigon to Port Moresby to stal in the grounded bomber.
A Privateer is a converted Lib itor four-engine bomber. The main [ference is that it has one tail me instead of the Liberator’s o.
The only sensation the French m created was when they peared on Ela Beach, PM, in the lie version of the Bikini swim it.
Roast Pig At Half-Time
Another stage in P-NG’s “Ad vancement of Natives” occurred at Goroka on February 5 with the playing of a cricket match there be tween a team of Papuans working in Goroka. and a team of Papuans working in Madang.
The match was only “second-rate” but that was only a minor matter What was important, and historic', was that one team flew from Madang to the Eastern Highlands Headquarters to play. This is the first time a group of natives has travelled by air to play cricket.
Goroka won the match, which was broken off at half-time for a typical Highland lunch of roast pig, pota toes and cabbage.
Simogun: No Punches Pulled
A recent meeting of the Madang District Advisory Council turned down a suggestion to appoint a native member to the Council but later carried a resolution that one or more natives be invited to at tend meetings as observers.
Speaking to his proposal that a native be appointed to the Council,
Mr. G. Bliss said that there were already native members of the Legis lative Council and that prior mem bership of an Advisory Council would have been an ideal training ground lor this where native mem bers were a little out of their depth. (It appears that Mr. Bliss is a little out of his depth in this. The newest member of the native trio, John Vuia, may still be bemused by proceedings but Simogun and Merari Dickson are old stagers and understand what goes. Dickson does not cut a swath inside the Chamber whatever may be his influence out side. But Simogun knows what he wants to say and says it without pulling any punches. Most of his contributions to debate are far more to the point than those of his more learned European colleagues. In fact, Simogun’s speeches, in rapid fire Pidgin, are about the only thing that enlivens the usually dull pro ceedings of Legco, where the official majority is always used like a bludgeon. Nonetheless, PIM agrees that if there are native members of Legco, it is logical that natives should also serve on TAC’s.)
Bridges In Two Districts
A 215-ft suspension bridge over the Dunantina River, 25 miles south of Goroka, was opened in February.
The bridge permits access to the Lufa Patrol Post, where Patrol Officer H. J. Mater, represents law and order for 20,000 natives. Lufa is about 50 miles south of Goroka.
Extensive bridgework is reported to be in progress on Bougainville, too.
One bridge was opened recently, another is being repaired and a start is expected to be made soon on a third, over the Poro River.
Housing Rabaul’S ’’Foreign”
Natives
Stricter enforcement of that section of the Native Labour Ordinance dealing with housing is being sought by the Rabaul Town Advisory Council. A resolution urged that where “foreign” natives at pre sent living in shanty towns in Rabaul were working for Europeans or Asians, the provisions of the Ordinance regarding housing should be enforced, and that the Adminis tration investigate conditions and take immediate steps to make avail able a suitable area where “foreign” natives, i.e., natives who come from other districts, could erect suitable dwellings. The Council was told that there were scores of these natives living in the Rabaul town area, or near the town area, under sub-standard housing conditions.
Fatal Accident On Launch
A Roman Catholic Missionary, Brother Reis, was killed on February 12 in an accident on board the Mission launch Morning Star.
Brother Reis was working a winch which got out of control. He was struck on the head.
He died five hours later and was buried at Nimoa Island.
Nose Landing For
Norseman
A Gibbes Sepik Airways Norseman made a forced landing on a beach
12 miles from Aitape in February The plane was carrying two Euro' peans and several natives, none a whom was injured.
The plane is reported to haTi landed on its nose but the pild
lickly pulled the tail down when jtrol started to flow into the hot [haust-pipe.
A Landrover, sent from Aitape, cked up the passengers and took tern to Aitape airstrip, where they ere later flown to Wewak by mother Gibbes Norseman.
A track was cleared to the nearby !alol airstrip for the Norseman to ke off again. This strip had not ;en used for some time and had i be cleared first.
JDIA AND NG somfttttnt''
*Dia M Common 0
v. °gmmon An exchange of Indian and Ausalian officials handling Native Ad-
ministration was suggested nn ttph ruary 14 by the retiring Indian Hioh Commissioner to Australia. GeMral Cariappa. prior to his return to Svd ney at the end of a farewell visit to Port Moresby 1 VlSlt Ponornl . . fv,?f on^ al Ganappa told reporters SJJL “Ji 6 * Governor of the Indian State of Assam was particularly in in Australian methods of Administration in the Territory, T said “ e . k a d forwarded to India some details of Australian P a . troll l n § *nd h * s Government was interested to get more information There was no Department in India similar to the Territory Department
These photographs of new buildings in and around Wewak show the progress being made the township of Sepik District. Top photograph shows almost completed passenger [?]inal building at the new airport at Boram. The rumour locally is that this will be an "inter [?]nal airport, and will be "used by French and Dutch planes". The centre photograph shows attractive bungalow that has been provided for the District Commissioner. Lower: The new an Catholic Cathedral, in process of construction at Wewak. Portion of the old "church" it replaces can be seen in lower left corner. —Photos by Walter Barker.
Native Affairs and that the Admstration of the country in which ; primitive Haga tribes lived was ' dlre £t responsibility of the Goviqr of Assam Patrol work was Tied out by the Army.
This makes a nice change. It is ■ I^v„SLe I iS dia ?i dele .f ate the Tiusteeship Council who has derogatory to say about
ine^ ia Wp^'hnn^^ViQf l $
„ hope t ha t General r!^^ pa wllpasa ol x 9 the Indian /ernment the fact that NG has lethmg to recommend it. The leral must like the Territory— ; is his second visit during his
term of office in Australia anH tw is unusual. But General’ Cari^nni is an unusual man year, when travelling toroJmh a NSW country town he got o,ut nf his car and personally scrubbed thP town’s war-memorial which he appeared to think looked dirtv or neglected. The townspeople say very much—probably because the cap htted-but what they did say indicated that they were no too pleased with the General’s
house-cleaning zeal)
Still Trouble At Menyamya
The Assistant District Officer at
Menyamya, Mr. Chester, in mid- February returned from a patrol into the area south of Menyamya headquarters with four murder suspects. . This followed his investigation into reports of seven murders in the area recently.
After replenishing supplies, Mr, Chester will return to the area to
At a farewell party to Rev. Father H. Eather to the RC Mission, Port Moresby. After being [?] Priest for seven years he had now been transf erred to Camp Hill, Brisbane. On his right [?]w Parish Priest, Farther Cuneo. They are chattin 9 to well-known Moresby resident, Mr. —Photo by Papuan Prints.
continue the investigation and seek out more natives believed to be im plicated in the trouble. . , These natives took to the bush when the patrol first entered the area and could not be located.
Food Panic Ends With
Strike
The Territory has come through the Australian shipping strike with out too many hardships—in a way, unfortunately so. Hardships would have proved to the Administration that their native food stocks are not sufficient. , .
Frantic calls were made to the outstations from Port Moresby to conserve native foods, and where possible, use native-grown foods in rations. At one stage, it looked as if Port Moresby would have to send out a call to'the outstations for help in the way of rice and other staple native foods. . Europeans had few troubles, although things might have been grim had the strike lasted longer than it did. Unofficial rationing was started by some stores on some lines, but generally, stocks held out.
More Doctors Needed
Urgently
More medical officers for the Sepik district of New Guinea are being sought by the District Advisory Council.
Four important centres —Vammo, Aitape, Yangaru and Ambunti—are all unmanned. The Sepik District has a population of 220,000.
Malaria Control
Intensified
An Englishman, Dr. W. Peters, has been appointed Chief Malan ologist with the P-NG Department of Public Health. He reached Port Moresby on February 27 to take control of anti-malarial work throughout Papua and New Guinea.
He has had considerable experienr in this field in India.
The Acting P-NG Director Health, Dr. Alec May, says the DC partment will begin a campaiji this year to spray all natu homes with a solution of DDT au kerosene. Staff to do the job is no* being trained at Minj, in the Higj lands.
The Department would concen tte first on native homes to rid em of mosquitoes, but later Euro an homes would be sprayed.
Vo People Can Now Safely
Be Bitten By Taipans
fi limited supply of the newly veloped serum to counteract ipan venom is now being kept at : Port Moresby European Hospital, is understood there is enough um to treat two cases, rests carried out by the Common alth Serum Laboratory with ipan venom forwarded from the rntory by Mr. Ken Slater have »wn that the P-NG Taipan is :htly more venomous than the stralian species, which is, itself, arded as one of the deadliest kes in the world.
Ir. Slater, formerly with APC, recently become Administration mal ecologist.
)56 Scholarship Winners
young European schoolgirl who for first place in the annual sidy examinations, has been rded this year’s Cromie Scholar 1, valued at £5O per year, tie girl, Wendy Ann Aveling, last • attended the Mount Hagen lary school. This year she will y the Seventh Day Adventist i School at Wahroonga, in ley. te Milne Bay Branch of the RSL awarded this year for the first ■, three scholarships, each of a year, for children of ex icemen in the area who are irtaking secondary studies in ralia. le first awards go to Robert nan, now studying at Charters ?rs; Noel Crosbie, who started )1 at Charters Towers this year; Floyd Pauline Smith, who •ed grade 7 at St. Ann’s Church igland, Townsville.
Veterinarians Meet
change visits between the Chiefs ivisions of Animal Industry in 7 and the Northern Territory been arranged in Canberra by lasluck. 3 *? hie A . of Division in a New Guinea, Mr. Marley, will soon for a three weeks visit e Northern Territory to study tions in the pastoral industry er, Mr, Marley’s counterpart in Northern Territory will spend weeks in Papua and New la.
Lhe Yaws Campaign
Anti-Yaws campaign is pro tig well. On Nissan Island, every native man, woman and received a penicillin injection anths ago, there has not been ew case of the disease.
Bougainville, officers of the i Department have now almost eted the big task of treating native. rtly, a similar campaign will •?
get under way in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. The World Health Organisation and
Former UK air hostess, Miss Margaret McMillan, was married to Mr. P. Clarke of the Administration, Port
Moresby, on February
18. On the left is Mrs. O'Dell, who was matron-of-honour, ex treme right, Mr. O'Dell, who gave the bride away. —Photo by Papuan Prints.
* United Nations Children’s Fund 1 assist the campaign. t is intended to have three teams the field simultansously. in the t stages of the campaign, two ns will work on Malaita Island, 1 the third will be in the Western »up.
Cattle Arrive Under
Subsidy Scheme
be first batch of cattle to arrive er the new freight subsidy ;me reached Port Moresby on ruary 26. le 30 head of cattle in the con ment went to Eilogo Plantation, • Port Moresby. They travelled i NSW by ANA Bristol freighter, r. lan Louden, of Eilogo Planta said that the cattle would cost ■t £6,000 landed in Port Moresby, er the Government freight idy scheme, the Administration pay about £l,OOO of this, ic cattle, made up of 28 heifers two bulls, came from Aberdeen is studs in the New England ict of New South Wales arrival in Port Moresby, they trucked immediately to Eilogo.
Dri Drowning Fatality
English seaman, Malcolm ~t Gibson, 31, was drowned in Cikori River, February 21. >son was an engineer on board lotor-vessel Melinqa, which was ged several months ago when s struck by a tidal bore in the
Kikori River. Gibson fell off the wharf at Middletown.
Nondugl Sheep Are Ok
A suggestion that the flock of sheep at Nondugl was not progress ing satisfactorily was refuted late February by officers of the P-NG Department of Agriculture.
The Department is more than satisfied with the condition of the flock—a criterion of the success of
the management of the Highlands station was that the sheep, breeding are £ with an an nual rainfall of 100 inches, needed drenching only three or four times a year. In Aus traha, sheep had to be drenched about the same number of times within the 40-inch rainfall belt.
The Station recently has received a gift of 30 stud ewes and two rams from Sir Edward Hallstrom. These are reported to be settling in well.
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Seeto shown outside the Catholic Church, Rabaul, after their marriage in January. The best man was Mr. Joseph Chow, and the bridesmaid was Miss T. Chow. The Rev. Father Dwyer performed the ceremony. —Photo by C. H. Meen.
Ex-Moresby Residents
Cheques Bounced
A former Port Moresby resident was sentenced to six months im prisonment in the Court of Petty Sessions in Sydney late February for passing valueless cheques.
The man, Albert Alex Breshyars, worked for a short time for the De partment of Works last year, then transferred to private employment.
He was convicted on three charges of passing valueless cheques drawn on the Port Moresby Branch of the Bank of New South Wales. The cheques involved amounts of £46, £45 and £l4.
Local Teleprinter Boy
The increasing part that natives are playing in the Territory’s com munications network is shown in an announcement on February 24 that a Papuan is now working as a tele printer-operator at the Port Moresby Post Office. Four others are being trained for the work The newly-opened teleprinter link connects the Post Offices at Pprt Moresby and the administrative centre at Konedebu. It is therefore now possible to lodge local and over seas telegrams at Konedebu.
Automatics In Action
Port Moresby will have automatic
telephones from March 10. The cutover will be made at night. New telephone books will be issued to all subscribers prior to the cut-over.
No one will be more pleased about
the change than Port Morseby long suffering public, which for yeas has had to put up with long war to get through to the various eE changes.
The P-NG Director of Posts and jlegraphs, Mr. W. Carter, says ►out £69,000 worth of equipment is been installed in three ex langes at Port Moresby, Boroko id Konedobu. All subscribers have peived new telephones, rhe exchanges will handle 1,600 bscribers initially but can be ex ided to cater for an additional two Dusand.
Ml equipment for the exchanges re supplied by a UK manufacturer d installed by technicians em •yed by the Administration.
Contracts have now been let for i construction of buildings to ase automatic exchanges at Lae 1 Rabaul, and automatic phones >uld be operating within 18 nths in those centres.
New Cat For Apc
Tie first aircraft APC has owned several years arrived in Port resby on February 29 from the ited States. The plane, a Cata i, was brought to Port Moresby the Managing Director of World le Air Services, Mr. Sumarlidason. rid Wide will operate the plane
Apc.
he Catalina was delivered by a te not used by a commercial air t—by way of Honolulu, Johnston nd, Kwajalein and Rabaul. pecial permission was granted by ihington for the Catalina to land Johnston and Kwajalein, both jrican bases. ne red and cream Catalina will ised to transport men and cargo he oil drilling fields in the gulf :ict of Papua.
\.Sles Serious In Samarai
i outbreak of measles at Samarai sported (early March) to have hed serious proportions, le local school has been closed Health authorities have warned quarantine regulations must be tly adhered to. They are asking lents of the Island to avoid erings, meetings or parties of kind.