[?] Need For Anti-Polio

Campaign In P-Ng

iere will be no anti-polio cam n using Salk vaccine in the itory (a campaign is due to be in Australia this winter). But P-NG Department of Health ctor, Dr. John Gunther, says nts would be wise to have their Iren vaccinated after their r al in Australia on leave. . Gunther said recent examin i of blood of people so far re >d from civilisation as Wabag, the New Guinea Highlands, ' a higher anti-body content existed in the blood of people ustralia. ere had been a number of cases olio among natives and a few pean adults in the Territory the war but to medical know ! the Territory had never had lio epidemic. ere had been no case of an-

terior polio with severe residual paralysis in a European child in the Territory.

Dr. Gunther explained that there was a continuous low-grade infection which tended to build immunity in the Territory. The situation was being watched, he added.

F?N Ftnf For Ovfrpwaromo

£2O Fine For Overcharging

The first case of overcharging for a considerable time came before the District Court in Port Moresby in April.

A Chinese trader, Luk Poi Woy, was fined £2O for selling rice at 3d a pound more than the ruling price of 1/- a pound. He pleaded guilty.

Later, outside the Court, the Prices Controller, Mr. H. H. Reeve (who is also P-NG Treasurer), said his office was closely watching the observance

by traders of the prices fixed for various commodities—particularly on sales to native peoples.

Most Moresby residents echo: “It’s about time, too.” The whole question of prices in the Terri tory cries out for investigation, Some traders seem to believe that th £ y ° an chaT % e an y P rice Public vail stand. After all, they seem to argue, the natives will pay anything and they certainly would never think to complain to the Prices Branch, which really exists only in name.

Mr. Reeve himself admitted be fore the Public Service Arbitrator when he was in Port Moresby that his Branch was not very effective.

Some Public Servants on a mini mum PS salary feel that if Mr.

Reeve had to live on a similar

A photograph taken after the wedding David Thomsen and Miss Aafke Fokkema and, at the Ela Church, Port Moresby, [?] 3. The young couple met when Mr. was visiting Holland during a tour [?] pe. The bride was given away by her Mr. Arne Fokkema, an engineer in for some time now. [?] A photograph taken after the on April 14, at the Roman Catholic Port Moresby, of Mr. Allingham and oner.

Photos: Papuan Prints.

ount he would be more interested seeing that his Prices Branch lly worked.

Streets—New York Or

Nautical

'he members of the Lae Town nsory Council, at their April jting agreed that those streets in which are now distinguished by nbers should remain so. [embers also adopted a sugges i to tack the word “West” onto currently-named 6th, Bth and Streets. he council gave to Service Road new name of Central Avenue; “V” street is to be known as imaua Crescent. was also agreed that streets he wharf area of Lae should con ic to have “M” names, but that r be renamed after various nds ships. The suggested names J Mubo, Meikalong (??), Mac i, Maiwara, Mindini, Matunga, igola and Morinda.

Jilding Boom In Rabaul

itween early 1953, when the post reconstruction programme for aul first got under way, and the of March, 1956, the Common th Department of Works had ed buildings to the approximate 3 of £900,000 in the town area, as does not take into account

minor works under £l,OOO and re pairs and maintenance.

The Regional Works Officer at Rabaul, Mr. A. O. Davis, said this week that these buildings were erected by both direct labour and contract labour for various depart ments and the Department of Works’ own use. The main client Depart ments in Rabaul were External Territories, Interior, Copra Market ing Board, Overseas Telecommuni cations and Civil Aviation, Public works to the value of £84,000 were in hand in Rabaul by the end of March, and a start would probably be made soon on the Nonga Native Hospital.

Caring For The Aged

The Town Advisory Council at Lae has asked the Administration to consider setting up an Old-Age and Invalid Pension system for Euro peans, Asians and non-native re

sidents, subject to the rise and fall of similar pensions in Australia.

Mrs. E. Pollard told the council that one old man in poor circum stances was being kept in hospital by the kindness of the Medical officer.

The Deputy-Chairman, Mr. G.

Whittaker, said he felt that funds should be collected to establish for them a home at Kainantu, Eastern Highlands, where they could have cattle and help grow fruit and do gardening. Then the Administra tion could be asked to subsidise the idea pound for pound.

Mr. Whittaker added: “We can find thousands of pounds to send to Australia for any distress or calamity there, yet we seem unable to do anything for the incapacitated people of our own Territory.”

One question that remained un answered at the meeting was whether a person who spent most

of his life in the Territory would qualify for a pension if he returned to Australia.

However, in Port Moresby a Civil Affairs Department spokesman said residence of an Australian in Papua and New Guinea counted for pension rights in Australia just as if the person were living in Australia.

Govt. Bus Line—No Takers

The Administration in still look ing for some private enterprise which will take over the bus trans port system it has operated for several years for Port Moresby’s 16,000 people.

An earlier call for tenders pro duced nothing satisfactory.

The Administration’s ten buses are now carrying more than half a million passengers a year. The number of persons carried in Jan uary, 1956 (44,000) was just twice the number carried in January, 1955.

Papuans, who represent only two thirds of the population of Port Moresby, are providing most of the passenger revenue.

Minister And Psa Get

Together I

The Minister for Territories, Mr.

Paul Hasluck, has advised the Public Service Association that the Federal Government was not con sidering any proposal for merging the P-NG Public Service with the

Commonwealth Public Service. (The Territory PSA does not want this).

Mr. Hasluck added that the views of the Association had been noted and “the way was always open for the Association to convey to him any opinions it might have on the matter.”

In a letter to the President of the

PSA, Mr. R. Brennan, the Minister said that following the recent de cision of the Public Service Arbi trator, he believed the need existec for a complete review of the basis used in determining Public Servlet salaries.

Mr. Hasluck said he agreed witl the Association’s request for direc

?otlations and was making the tial arrangements, le had now arranged for his de •tment and the Public Service nmissioner to examine the whole sting salary structure and sub ; proposals that could be cen tred as a basis for further dis sions with the Association, n this letter to Mr. Brennan, Mr. duck asked for further sub sions from the Association on the stion of rates of secondary school wances. He mentioned also that hing had yet been decided about ledical Benefits Scheme, i Port Moresby, Mr. Brennan [ the Association was gratified at reception given by the Minister submissions by the Association, ve Special sub-committees of the lie Service Association in Port esby have been set up to gather e information for the Minister Territories on questions raised the Association and placed be him recently in Canberra, le Committee will deal separately i such matters as cost of living, :ation allowance, and opposition my move to incorporate the •itory Public Service into the imonwealth Public Service. ssides these committees, another have been formed by the Asso on to prepare reports which will submitted to two Australian ars who will arrive in the Terri soon to investigate living con ns in the tropics. le doctors will spend about six ;s in Papua and New Guinea later submit a report to the monwealth Government, e matters they will deal with de housing, food supplies, h, cost of living, amenities and ire, and recreation leave.

Mercy Flights

ree separate flights were made lints along the Papuan coast on 18 to return four sick or in l people to hospital in Port sby.

Santas Beaver aircraft brought i APC rigger who was injured ipril 17 when a tractor over id on him at Kuru; and APC’s lina later picked up a native also was injured the previous in a motor accident at Bara . A second native was killed in iccident which occurred when ck ran off a road and careered a cliff-face. >n after landing at Port sby, the Catalina took off again

for Yule Island and picked up two Europeans—a man and a woman.

The Catalina was in the air five hours on its two mercy flights.

Local Native Enterprise

An enterprising group of natives in the Boana area of the Morobe (Continued on Page 133)

Recent Port Moresby weddings included that of Mr. and Mrs. K. Cullen (left) at Ela Church on April 7. (Bride was formerly Miss J. Mclntyre). And (right), that of Mr. and Mrs. Max Kaboth, also at Ela Church on March 27. (Bride was formerly Miss Gwenda Thomsen). —Photos by Papuan Prints.

,rict has gone into the bakery mess and is now selling bread ocal native people, he new industry was discovered a recent patrol by Cadet Patrol cer Green who, after sampling bread a number of times rated s “excellent.” 11 the flour and other ingredients going into the Boana area by owever, about the same time the ;rict Officer at Lae was asked to ;stigate complaints by motorists t natives of one village on the -Wau road area have been plac large rocks in the local creek —and making quite a profit out t. btorists complained that their i became bogged in the creek, n afterwards the natives appeared helped pull the cars out of the r, nearly always receiving pay it for their labours. This unusual 1 industry was not noticed until or two of the victims had been ;ht several times and no longer udered the situation accidental, icially when the same natives e along and helped.

£12,000 Per Bed

rief details have been given in ; Moresby of the design of the >osed European Hospital at Port esby. The hospital will contain

-52 beds and probably cost up to £600,000.

It is to be erected alongside the new native hospital on Taurama Road but is not likely to be ready for about two years.

The hospital will have two operat ing theatres, pathological and X ray sections, an administration block, and an out-patients section.

Separate quarters will accommo date 26 nurses.

Menyamya Natives Get

Three Years For Tribal

Killings

Three Menyamya natives charged with murder were each sentenced to three years by Mr. Justice Gore (April 23) at sittings of the Supreme Court in Lae.

This is the result of three months active patrol in the Menyamya area.

ADO Chester is still investigating and recently arrested another three natives believed to be implicated in the murders, which started with the death of a woman and snowballed into an inter-village vendetta.

Anzac Day Observed

Large numbers of native ex servicemen marched with European ex-servicemen at Anzac ceremonies throughout Papua-New Guinea this year.

Wearing their service ribbons, they were there at the dawn services, at the marches and at the various ceremonies which took place in the

main centres and the smaller out posts.

Again, the impressive Anzac Day services started at the first light of dawn coloured the sky. Big crowds saw the dawn in at the War cemeteries at Bomana, in Port Moresby, Bitapaka (Rabaul), and Lae.

Later in the morning, several hundred returned men and one woman took part in a commemora

tion service at the Memorial Gat in Port Moresby. The Chief Justic Sir Beaumont Phillips, took tl salute in place of the Administrate This Anzac Day picture was r peated throughout P-NG.

Appeal Dismissed

An appeal by Adolf Wilhel Kammach, of Lae, against tl severity of a sentence imposed < him in March this year was di missed by Mr. Justice Gore at rece: sittings of the Supreme Court Lae.

Kammach was sentenced to s months light labour for sellii liquor to natives.

Shortage Of Funds Stop!

Work On Airport

Practically all work on the nc runway at Jackson’s Airstrip (Po Moresby) has come to a halt di to a “shortage of funds.”

Only minor maintenance jot some drainage and a limited amoui of work on the hangar is contini mg and, according to Commoi wealth Works Officials, it is unlike that full-time operations on the b project will start again before Jul