Ysterious Fires

Puzzle Moresby

IYSTERY surrounds the cause of two separate fires which destroyed books and irreplace le records in Port Moresby on •vember 22. fhe fires occurred four hours and o miles apart, but the type of iterial lost in both fires was lilai —mostly legal notes and sumehts. 3 olice have been investigating the ssibility of arson. rhe first fire began soon after dnight and razed a block of offices Konedobu, destroying the Crown w Department library, records d files. \.bout 5 a.m., with the first fire rdly extinguished, the Port >resby Supreme Court building ight fire, destroying the chambers Mr. Justice Bignold, where it d apparently started. Among ; records destroyed were notes of ; cases going back about nine irs.

Estimated damage in both fires s about £50,000.

Answering a question on the fire the House of Representatives, nberra, on November 27, Terri ies Minister Hasluck said he did t think there would be any ad itage in arranging for files to be crofilmed to avoid similar losses future.

My comment (that the Common weaith did not want Europeans) was based on the knowledge that some intending settlers have waited for two years in the hope of getting land.

It is my opinion that without a planned settlement of Europeans the native will not prosper.

The natives must have enlightened example and, judging from the suc cess of financially-assited schemes Throughout Australia, no group is more likely to give this example than soldier-settlers.

Dr. Gunther expressed doubt that my statement to National Congress would have the support of the majority of returned soldiers in the Territory (concluded Mr. Bunting).

It must surely be apparent that I spoke as President of the Papua- New Guinea Branch. RSL. My points were made as the result of carefully considered decisions of the State Executive which, in effect, represents all members of the RSL throughout the Territory. t A Japanese whaler which was travelling from Japan to the Antarctic to join the mother ship Konan Maru, put into Rabaul, NG, in December to put off an in jured seaman. He had fallen to the deck from a catwalk and sustained a fractured skull and leg injuries.