P-NG Agricultural

21 Months

Late

P-NG Agricultural Gazette is Out

WE have received the latest copy of the Papua and New Guinea Agricultural Journal, date-lined January, 1956. It seems that this publication, like an earth-satellite, will drag further and further back and finually get lost entirely in time, space and the theory of relatively. E—mc2, and all that.

The current issue, if it could be called that, contains two long articles: “A Guide to Bud-Grafting of Rubber in Papua and New.

Guinea”; and “Investigation of Soils in the Warangoi Valley.” Both presumably can be called ancient} history by now.

The Wanangoi area under review.

Is the much disputed area of New; Britain apparently owned by nc native people, which individuals and groups—such as the Returned Soldiers Assn. — tried to obtain fort plantations for many years.

In the course of the survey il is remarked that the only village in the area is a small one of 64> people who are in fact not the ‘ vendors” but squatters.

Who the native vendors are is not stated; and this has always beem something of a mystery, as untri recent years the area was regarded by the natives of the Gazelle Peninsula as a no-man’s-land.

As the population of the Gazelle Peninsula is increasing so rapidly r . one school of thought is that the Warangoi land should have been reserved for transplanting native communities. In view of the troubles that have occurred in over-' seas countries through native land hunger, the idea has merits.

However, it was obvious that in New Britain there is still room foil both native and European ex-: pansion, and this finally appears to have been recognised as some o:c the Warangoi land has now been thrown open to settlement.