Unique Ouuasion

They Ran An

Aerial Bus Service

Its N Guinea’S Most

Unique Ouuasion

By Pat Robertson

rTTR DOS’s, flying almost tip to tail, were an unusual sight for even blase Territorians on June 29. Most of them were headed in the same direction —to carry 160 passengers from Lae to the Goroka Show, now the chief annual event of the New Guinea Highlands. This was their third Show.

Produce, ranging from peanuts to passionfruit, was housed in specially built, kunai-roofed, pavilions. The timber and labour were supplied by native and European timber-lease holders.

Coffee beans (the “Brown Gold of the Highlands”) predominated: but exhibits of tomatoes, peas, potatoes, parsley, bananas, kau-kau and passionfruit, could have taken an honoured place in any Aus tralian Show.

Although Sunday was the third day of the Show; and was the “official opening” by Assistant Administrator Dr. Gunther—whose lengthy speech about wages, con ditions and education for natives was listened to respectfully by the Europeans and ignored by the natives enthusiasm was not blunted.

In fact, it reached its peak when groups of traditionally dressed natives—some in costumes rarely seen outside their villages—swooped down on the crowds in mock attacks, and provided fine material for the hundreds of amateur photo graphers.

Natives Provide Highlights

Another unique event was a demonstration of bird-catching by a native, whose tribe keeps the method a closely-guarded secret.

On bamboo lines, stretched be tween tall trees, the native did a “Blondin”—and came back with the bird dangling by a string from his teeth. Administration officials said he had spurned the soft kunai laid beneath the lines in case of accident, because he would rather be killed in the fall than lose face by falling.

Coffee for Lady Slim Also on exhibit—a spontaneous and patriotic gesture—was a suprise gift of 200 lbs of coffee-beans for Lady Slim, which was grown by natives of Samogozuha, about four miles out of Goroka.

When Lady Slim visited the village last year she was scheduled to stay ten minutes, but was so impressed that she remained two hours. In the meantime, the coffee has been processed, packed in two

100 lb tins and, after the necessary formalities, will be flown to Canberra.

Another highlight was a plate of scones, baked by the native cook-boi at the Goroka Hotel for exhibition in the native cooking section. In advertently, the scones were entered in the European cooking section and won second prize.

Gaily decorated floats in the Grand Parade were overshadowed when a large group of natives (Tambora, or spook men), covered from head to toe with mud, and with evil-looking hoods of the same material, whooped into the ring, doing a rather obscene symbolic dance. They had not been seen before outside their villages, and camera enthusiasts took over the arena with complete disregard for the less colourful and familiar sights.

Natives Hide Millions of Shillings

There was another interesting item at the Show week-end, when Bank officials at Goroka revealed that a huge quantity of silver, in Australian shilling pieces, is now hidden in the Highlands by these primitive natives.

At the rate of about £lOO,OOO worth of shillings a year, which have disappeared from circulation— and which in many cases could be lost forever—this Bank has used up £40,000 in shilling pieces, in eight

months. So even though there silver in them thar hills”, t; r l^ s mus t b e getting mighty she of the nimble “mark”.

A bank officer said that . occasions a labour line would cham as much as £4OO into shillings, one time. The reason? A shilli;. —or, in Pidgin, a mark—is t; recognised currency of the nativ< If a note if buried it will r» whereas the silver lasts forever.

It it hard for the native’s rell fions, of course. A native rare keeps a written record, or willl and so the money can remai buried, and forgotten.