[?]rent News Items From Our Correspondents

In Papua-New Guinea

: Has Drought And

Soaring Temperatures

ie’s phenomenal drought year of (only 154 inches!) has been wed by a record dry beginning 956 (7 inches below normal for first two months of the year) record heat in March. On Jh 3, the shade temperature rose 8.6 degrees and on March 4, to 100 —and that is very hot for tropics where humidity is un lly high. Old residents of the district say they cannot ever mber it as hot before—and what al records exist confirm this a consequence of this heat and ess, grass fires raged all around town in early March and kept e and fire-fighters busy. correspondent in Lae blames extensive rain in Australia for drought—which is probably a what unscientific way of look it it, although the layman will 7 admit that things have been •sed this year. New Caledonia )lains that the dry side of their d has had more rain than the and just across the mountains Lae, Port Moresby has had

record rains—about 22 inches up to mid-March, which is about two thirds of the annual supply of an average 39 inches.

Moresby Now Dials And

Pays More

Almost all of the 1,060 registered subscribers of the Port Moresby telephone exchange were busy on March 12 either calling or being called through the new automatic system. Portable phones, extensions and other devices brought to 1,600 the total of communication points in use.

It was the first business day after a Saturday night start of the Port Moresby Automatic Telephone Ex change.

Reports from heavier users—Gov ernment departments, airlines, banks and other large business houses — indicate a huge increase in tele phonic communication and some subscribers joyfully said they got through almost instantly where previously they had fumed for minutes on end waiting for a line.

However, telephone officials were surprised at signs that more than

a few telephone users had not properly understood the automatic function of the new exchange.

Some subscribers who had not read the instructions aright, either picked up the telephone handpiece in the old expectant way, waiting

for a voice, or had dialled in the wrong sequence the figures of the number wanted.

Moresbyites’ enthusiasm for the new phones had not been dampened by the announcement made earlier that from April 1, telephone charges would be reckoned some what differently and would probably cost more—particularly for users of public phones, who formerly used them “for free.”

Subscribers on Moresby’s auto matic system will pay annual rental of £6/12/6 plus 2ld for each call — the old rate was a flat £lO per year covering everything.

Calls from public phones will cost 3d —the necessary coin attachments will be installed soon.

Telephone users in other centres where manual exchanges are still in use will also have their phone charges raised from April I—in Lae md Rabaul they will go up to £l3/5/for a domestic phone, and to £25 per year for a business phone. The old rates were £lO and £l5 respec tively.

Natives Don T Want Any

Loans

Whatever else the natives of P-NG need, they apparently don’t need money.

The Treasurer of the Territory at

present holds £57,000 in the Native Loans Board —a n d can no t find any native group that wants to borrow money from it.

The fund rep resents profits from trade stores operated during the war by the Production Con trol Board under

Angau. In Oc

tober, 1955, it was announced that this money would form the nucleus of a fund from which loans of up to £5,000 could be made to native groups Councils, Co-operative So cieties, etc. —to further their economic and wel fare activities. A Board was set up to administer the fund—and hasn’t found any work to

At the Church of England, Rabaul, New Guinea, in mid-February, Miss Jacqueline Hughes was married to Mr. Logan Irwin of

the Bank of New South Wales. Matro[?] Honour was Mrs. Rex Iredale and best[?] Mr. G Smythe. Photo: C. H. M.

Loans will not be made to in itials—but it seems extraordinary there are no groups in need t. le Board is now asking for in lation that will lead to the dis ry of any native community :h would like to bsnefit from a

Ose-Up Of A Menyamya

Vendetta

ill details of a recent patrol into icted Kukukuku country of the yamya sub-district were released ort Moresby early March by the stor of Native Affairs, Mr. A. A. ;rts. ie patrol, led by Assistant Dis- Oflicer Chester, entered the area wing a report that a number of res had been killed in tribal ies. The number has now been at seven. . Chester’s report to Head ters said the trouble arose when native killed his wife. Her lers then went to the village e he lived and killed the first they saw. Afterwards, several ets joined forces and raided a e which had had no part in the •. The outcome was a total of l deaths.

Chester said he could get little tnation from the natives lly, but later two volunteers forward and supplied the s of the wanted men.

L’ing the search for them, the sman for one clan demanded ow what the patrol was doing ng about their country, and sted that they go back to amya Station. He was then told the patrol was searching for mrderers, and that the search

would continue until they had all been arrested. weT^fired^t^olice 0 parties opera? 8

hS close ItoKinnoui Wm-

SI shote werefi?edovTthehS

ot the attackers, and dispersed them

w^rereivedTslight arrow woumf

wertf arrested and U am-

to^continue thfsearch

mafetag wanted men The area concerned has been visited only twlre since Menyamya Station was opened in 1950.

Mr. Roberts said that it was an extremely mountainous region and that the Kukukuku people were as difficult in temperament as the country they lived in.

Another Archbold

Expedition

The Associate Curator of the American Museum of National History, Mr. Leonard Brass, and another official of the Museum, Mr.

Russel Peterson, were in Samarai in March, where they will recruit a staff to open field work on Normanby Island. Later, they will move to Fergusson Island. Mr. Brass will lead an Archbold biological expedi tion to the D’Entrecasteaux Group.

They plan to collect vascular plants, mosses and liverworts in these islands, and then go on to Woodlark Island to study and collect reptiles, amphibians, fresh-water fish, in sects, and birds.

The scientists will work first in

[?]nd Mrs. A. Smith at the reception [?] their wedding recently in the Church [?]d, Rabaul. The bride was formerly [?]a Curnow. Mr. A. Hartley was best [?] Miss E. Williams bridesmaid.

Photo by C. H. Meen.

:oastal regions before moving the mountains.

Natives Lost At Sea

ree natives were lost at sea fol g an ocean drama north of ik in early March. As soon as canoe had left the lee of u Is. it was swamped in heavy on board clung to the partly mged canoe until dusk. The nen then decided to separate ry to reach the shore on planks from the vessel by the heavy Only two of them were suc il. One of these was rescued lagers who saw him struggling ; water and battled their way ) them in a small canoe, hing was seen of the three natives when an aerial search nade on March 4 along the from Wewak to the mouth of ?pik River. • of the three men missing itive medical orderlies.

For Supplying Liquor

To Natives

;he District Court in Lae on 7 a European woman, Mrs.

Elizabeth Kimmich, was fined i default three months jail, pplying liquor to natives. Sub tly, her 66-years-old husband, i Wilhelm Kimmich, was ced to 6 months- imprison vith light labour for the same t natives to whom the liquor pplied were jailed for periods n two to six months.

Guinea—Teacher And

Pupil

n the Territory Director of , Dr. John Gunther, re to Port Moresby on March i a tour of the Far East, he iat the Territory was well in :e of some of the countries he sited in the fields of TB and :ontrol. However, these same es were ahead of the Terri i malaria, health education, ifant and maternal Welfare s. other words,” he said, “there h we can learn but at the ime, we can teach.”

Uunther’s tour took him to Dre, Malaya, Hongkong, North and the Philippines. At □re, he represented Australia World Health Organisation al Meeting.

3Rella (Cement) For

Traffic Cop

lative policeboy who formerly stand on a small box at the 3tion of Douglas and Mus- Itreets to direct Port Moresby while the sun did its worst, > sheltered by a concrete shelter, which is umbrella was used for the first time ch 12.

Apc Takes 40 Native

Apprentices

Twenty technical students from the Malaguna School at Rabaul were taken to Port Moresby by chartered aircraft on March 12, to

start their probationary term as apprentices.

They will be trained at the APC Badili workshops and the Company’s marine slipway at Napa Napa.

Twenty apprentices from the Idubada Technical School at Port Moresby have already commenced their probationary apprenticeship period with APC.

Those who successfully complete the three months initial probationary term will be apprenticed as diesel mechanics, fitters and turners, car penters and joiners, wood machinists, sawyers and motor mechanics.

All have already done two years pre-apprenticeship training at the Technical schools.

An official of APC said that the Company’s decision to engage apprentices from the technical schools was made after the APC Staff Training Officer, Mr. Huskis son, had visited the centres and in spected the work being done.

Mr. Warburton Leaves

Madang

The Mad a n g Town Advisory Council has a new Chairman and

At St. John's Church of England, Port Moresby, recently, Miss Colleen Orr-Harper was married to Mr. William Morley. The couple will make their home in Madang.

Photo by Papuan Prints.

Deputy Chairman—Mr. D. L. Mi and Mr. R. W. Cahill.

Their appointments at 11 month’s meeting followed the ress nation for health reasons of T. E. Warburton, who has b» Chairman of the Council sine* first meeting.

Mr. Meek expressed the Coundi regret that ill-health had compels Mr. Warburton to leave the Tefe tory and the Council later putli record its appreciation of his I vices.

Nipping Air-Borne Crm

In The Bud

A former Chief of the New So|o Wales Criminal Investigal Branch, Mr. Joe Ramus, arrived) Port Moresby on March 12 on m Qantas officials described ass “familiarisation tour.”

Mr. Ramus retired from the Nr Force 18 months ago and is nown tached to Qantas’s Security Offi Since joining the Company, hel travelled to most parts of the wq on Qantas flights and has beenli sponsible for the arrest of a numi of baggage thieves and would) smugglers.

£7,500 Bank For Gorok#

Tributes were paid to the ej pioneers of the Highlands by speb ers at the ceremonial opening?

March 14 of new premises off Bank of New South Wales in Gorf The first cheque drawn was a j for the projected Agricultural Sic at Goroka.

It was accepted on behalf ofr show committee by the Dist; Commissioner, Mr. Seale, its Prfi dent, who formally declared the!

Bank premises open for businesasi The Bank’s Chief Inspector!

Australia, Mr. R. R. McKellar,!, tended the opening and later m an inspection tour of the Gos( and Wahgi Valleys. Mr. last visited the Territory for I opening of the Bank’s new prentfr at Port Moresby.

A photograph of Mr. and Mrs. Danny S who were recently married at the R Methodist Church. The bride was formerly if Lynn Lee.

Photo: C. H. [?]

Re On Rabaul Harbour

/o fires were burning in the lie of Rabaul harbour in mid ;h. They had been lit by ige crews working on a Jap sunk during the war. len the salvage men blasted off ship’s propeller, oil fuel, pre ibly from the oil tanks on the rose to the top of the harbour, e was a danger of its spread icross the harbour and causing ble damage to shipping, e oil was set afire —and would until the fuel in the submerged was exhausted.

Historical Society

Resuscitated

e Historical Society of Papua- Guinea was revived in Port =by in March after about a year action. 3 previous president and vice lent, Mr. W. C. Groves and Mr. . V. Stanley, had resigned for nal reasons.

Ivan Champion was elected lent, and Mr. Anthony, Vice lent; Mrs. F. A. Anderson was d Secretary-treasurer, j Committee of six includes for first time a Papuan, Toua aa, Chief Native Clerk of the :tment of Education, whose er, Boe Kapena, is a delegate 3 South Pacific Commission, ers elected to the Committee Mr. E. H. Clark, Mr. H. Clay,

Mr. E. Glover, Mr. H. Plant and the Reverend D. E. Ure.

Over 50 persons attended the meeting.

The Historical Society of Papua and New Guinea now rates as a parent body of an organisation which —speakers suggested—will probably

have branches at Madang, Rabaul and other centres.

Minister’S Concessions To

Psa

The recent quick visit of repre sentatives of the Territory Public Service Association to Minister

The Bristol Freighter which recently flew Aberdeen Angus cattle from Australia for Mr. lan Louden, Eilogo Plantation, Sogeri, shown at Port Moresby. Photo: Papuan Prints.

ick, in Canberra, has already ; fruit.

March 23, the Minister advised ssociation that he had approved ayment of leave fares to home s, subject to certain conditions. ; Minister has also approved ent of fares and removal ex s of officers on their retire or in the case of deceased •s, fares and removal expenses dow and any dependants. ; Minister said that under ng arrangements there is no ilty in approving requests for nt of land in P-NG within a or two before retirement and cial cases this may be extended e years. remaining matters raised by elegation would be dealt with ;edily as possible.

Victor Convoy, Lae

Highlands

or vehicles too large to be into the Highlands may be i in convoy from Lae later this jral vehicles have in recent been driven over the unmade between the head of the lam Valley road and Gusap, istern terminus of the High road system. :ral rivers—such as the Umi,

A photograph taken of the official party at RAOB Lodge Bulolo's Regalia Ball at end of February (see March PIM); left to right, standing, Mrs. L. W. Bergstrand, Mrs. Halpin, Mr. A. E.

Lindsay, Mrs. Lindsay, Mr. L. W. Bergstrand, Mr. R. E. Halpin, Mr. A. E. Gazzard, Mrs. Gazzard.

Front row, Janette Wilson, Elizabeth Lindsay, Joy Halpin and Janie Lindsay. Photo: A. Paine.

Leron and Irumu —are the greatest hazards to success as they are always liable to sudden floods.

The Administration, private settlers and others in the High lands are interested in the idea — for example, the SDA Mission wishes to take in a Holden van which will not fit in a DC3 aircraft.

If the convoy takes place it will probably be in June or July, which are normally dry months.

Bocal Government For P-Ng,

Maybe, Some Day

Mr. J. R. Winders, a Queensland Government official, is now engaged on a six weeks’ tour of P-NG in cluding Port Moresby, Rabaul, Madang, Lae, Wau and Bulolo. He will examine the pros and cons of local government in Papua and New Guinea.

It is claimed that Mr. Winders has wide academic and practical ex perience of local government organ isation and is well qualified to assist in settling a question much dis cussed in P-NG in recent years and raised by some Territory Advisory Councils.

Mr. Winders is the Secretary of the Queensland Sugar Board and previously Chief Clerk of the Queensland Local Government Board. He was selected for this sur vey as it was considered that con ditions in the coastal towns of Queensland provide the nearest

comparison with those in Territory centres.

To promote contact with interested parties and people, Mr. L. Odgers, of the Department of Civil Affairs, will accompany Mr. Winders on his tour.

Mr. Winders will later submit his findings to the P-NG Administration.

U Mr. Bob Wright, Fiji Public I lations office photographer, left!

New Zealand in March, where! f will interview travel organisatid newspaper and tourist departm® with a view to increasing Fi,r photographic publicity in IB Dominion.