In Papua-New Guinea

[?] rrent News Items From Our Correspondents In Papua-New Guinea

Record April Rains

nseasonal conditions gave parts the Central District of Papua the first four days of April n, eight and as much as 11 es of rain or about 30 p.c. more i the average for the entire th. ckson’s Airst r i p, in Port esby, had nearly eight inches Government House only slightly Port Moresby, itself, the rain ed severe damage to the town’s idy bad roads. Hundreds more loles appeared and water carted r tons of gravel from the un id roadways. •wever, a big road-repairing jet is under way in the area hundreds of yards of roadway being ripped up prior to being erly repaired. uld this all-out effort be con id with the proposed visit of Duke of Edinburgh? uring the rain, Jackson’s Air was closed to air traffic several 0.

Easter Accident

e fatal accident on the roads e Territory was reported dur he Easter holidays.

On the evening of the last day of the break, a five-ton truck slipped off Rouna Road, about 17 miles from Port Moresby, falling down the cliff face, killing one of its occupants.

The victim was Leslie Russel, the 2-years-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Russel, of Port Moresby.

The child’s mother and her eight years-old sister, Wendy, and Leslie Brown, aged 7, were injured in the accident. They were admitted to hospital.

Village Councils V. Villages

A Senior official of the P-NG De partment of Native Affairs, Mr. D.

Fienburg, says that results achieved on the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain indicate that area organisa tion of natives has immense ad vantages over the village system in helping raise the standard of living of the people.

Gazelle has five area organisations for native government. They are Rabaul, Reimber, Livuan, Vuna dirdir and Vunamami. The Gazelle area system of native councils is the oldest in the Territory, having operated for five years.

Four other native area councils exist. They are Baluan, which covers most of the south coast of

Manus, two in the Milne Bay dis trict, and one in Port Moresby.

Mr. Fienburg says discussions are under way to expand the Hanua bada Council (Port Moresby) into an area organisation for Local Gov ernment by natives in the whole Port Moresby area.

New Harbour-Master,

Moresby

The new harbour-master at Port Moresby, Captain H. Riding, has, after 21 years absence, assumed his new duties at the port where he was a cadet in a shipping office in the 30’s.

Captain Riding has had much ex perience abroad.

He was formerly with Shaw Savill

and Albion Line and was navigating officer on the Gothic during the Queen’s tour of the Commonwealth.

W Hat—No Highlands?

Details of the Duke of Edinburgh’s visit in November have been planned by the Administrator, and have yet to be approved, but this is the gen eral schedule; On Monday, November 12, the Duke will arrive and spend the day and night in Port Moresby.

On Tuesday, November 13, he will fly to Bulolo and Lae, and on that afternoon to Rabaul.

The Duke will stay in Rabaul un til about mid-day on Wednesday, November 14, and then leave on the Royal yacht for Darwin.

Leprosy—And £5 Teeth

The Milne Bay District Advisory Council dealt with two critical ques tions affecting public health at its meeting in April.

At a suggestion of Mr. A. Beavis and Mr. R. Donaldson, the council informed the District Medical Officer that supervision and treatment in the Grisela Hansenide Colony had deteriorated since the removal of the permanent Medical Officer. A new permanent officer was asked for, and it was urged that the Common wealth Government send a specialist to inspect the Colony.

Some speakers said that inmates

of the Hansenide Colony vtsit Samarai for shopping without super vision at week-ends.

At Mr. Donaldson’s suggestion also, the Council protested to the District Commissioner against the scale of dental charges.

It was pointed out that Samarai

had no local private dentist, ar was therefore dependent on Admii istration services. Speakers said was unreasonable for charges 1 Samarai to be based on those ] Port Moresby, where private dentis existed. It was said that a dentu: with three teeth in Samarai cost] much as £l5.