Native Apprenticeship

Scheme In P-Ng

MAIN business of the Native Apprenticeship Board when it met in Port Moresby, Papua, on March 25, was a review of the first year’s activities at the three operating centres, at Rabaul, Lae and Port Moresby; and the con sideration of the examination re sults obtained by apprentices in their first year’s work.

Some of the boys, such as those employed for long periods at the Government Printing Office, have had years of experience and train ing and were allowed to start their indentures at an advanced stage, i.e., third year.

This means that after another 12 months, they will have completed their apprenticeship and will qualify as first tradesmen trained under the Scheme, Mr. D. Linton, Executive Officer of the Apprenticeship Board, who has just returned from an inspec tion of Lae and Rabaul apprentice ship centres, says the Scheme is well established and receiving sup port from private employers, such as motor garages, engineering work shops and building contractors.

About 150 boys have signed agree ments, more than half of which are with private employers and the rest with Administration Departments.

It is expected that eventually a centre will be established at Madang to cater for youths outside the Morobe District of the New Guinea mainland. There are marine slip ways and engineering workshops at Madang.

Members of the Native Apprentice ship Board are; Mr. John Hohnen, General Manager of New Guinea Goldfields (Chairman) ; Captain Orme Denny, Area Manager of Qantas, Lae; Mr. A. Beavis, of Kwato Mission, Samarai; Mr. lan Huskisson, of APC; Mr. C. Gee, of Posts and Telegraphs: Mr. G.

Toogood, of Native Affairs; and Mr.

W. McMahon, of Administration Technical Education. t Mr. Charles McPhee, the well known Pacific artist, arrived at Rarotonga from NZ on March 21 with his wife and son. Mr. McPhee and family sailed for Tahiti on the Waitemata on March 25. tln mid-March, Mr. Ronald Powell and Mr. loba Marsters re turned to Rarotonga from the SPC Fisheries Training Course held at Noumea. Earlier in the month they had flown from Fiji to Aitutaki in ar. RNZAF Solent with a cargo of live trochus-shell for re-planting in Aitutaki lagoon. Over 300 shells were successfully transplanted, and it is hoped that from this small begin ning a profitable industry will finally be developed.