Pacific Report

The month’s round-up of news and pictures of people and events, from PIM correspondents in the South Pacific.

lllandia Celebrates Its

st Fifty Years

there was quite a celebration in Ilandia, capital of Netherlands w Guinea, on March 7, when the m celebrated its 50th anniversary, llembers of the Veterans’ Legion enacted the landing of a military Ity which first put foot on [.landia on March 7, 1910, hoisting Dutch tricolour with the words, the name of Her Majesty the een, raise the flag! God grant It it may never be lowered”, lie anniversary party was dressed ;the military uniform of 50 years i and was armed with the :ditional carbine and “klewang”, sharp long machet carried by fliers of the early Royal Nether ids Indies Army.

Tear the harbour, NNG Governor rtteel unveiled a monument com morating the anniversary, and a :ently built road where a shopping ,tre is planned—one of the main iroughfares of Hollandia was >.cially renamed Kapitein Sachse g (Captain Sachse Road) after ; leader of the military party iich had made that 50-year-old •ding. ?hen the festivities commenced, iere were canoe and bicycle races, imation sailing by all 17 yachts the Hollandia Yacht Club, a icer match, a demonstration of nboinese dancers, and plenty of irt, including archery, for Papuan atestants as part of a night fair, lollandia’s 50 years have been •ntful.

Kn important part has always ;n played by the military, especi y the early stages of exploration, 'ere they had the task of mapping ich of the Territory. There were ensive military explorations Tied out from 1907 to 1915. n September, 1909, HMS Edi (Lt.m. F. L. Rambonnet) appeared in mboldt Bay, and a bivouac spot s found “at the mouth of a small ;er with clear water”. It was five mths later, when the bivouac was mpleted and the flag officially is e d on the encampment of Ilandia. rhere was a German encampment,

with the name of “Germania Corner” on the other side of the border, which was then German territory.

The major job of th 3 Royal Netherlands Indies Army on Hum boldt Bay was to assist a Com mission in determining the Nether lands-German border. But hardships were the order of the day. Tropical illnesses depleted their strength and it was only with great difficulty that the area immediately surround ing Lake Sentani could be mapped.

Little occurred between 1920 and 1938, although in 1930 the first settlers 1 had arrived in Hollandia as pioneer small holders, but this settlement was a failure.

In 1938, the American millionaire Richard Archbold put some life into Hollandia by making the town his headquarters for an expedition to the Baliem Valley. He was in the area for more than a year.

In 1940, Hollandia’s population was a mere 300, but with the war the picture changed in a startling fashion.

General MacArthur, who used NNG as a point for his islands’ hopping warfare, took over, and as

a military population of 140,000 flooded into the area roads and air fields were built or improved, ports extended and enormous living areas laid out. Several American names are still in use in Hollandia.

But when the Dutch took over again from the Americans in 1946 they couldn’t cope with the task of maintaining the area with the re sult that for some time life was tough, as the town lived on and in what it had been left.

On December 27, 1949, Nether lands New Guinea was declared a Government, and a Governor appointed, and the first years after 1950 were years of reconstruction, slow at first, but quickly gathering pace. The centre of Government, originally at Kota Baru, about eight miles inland from the bay, was gradually moved to the habour side, and a new Government House built.

The old Dock 5 area of the Ameri can days has been turned into an extensive residential district, which has included Docks 8 and 9.

Today the population of Hollandia comprises more than 7,600 Euro peans (many of whom are in fact part Europeans); some 6,400 Papuans and about 1,100 Asians.

W. Samoa's Produce

Figures Are Brighter

With independence for Western Samoa getting closer —which means the Territory is that much nearer to the problem of making the country pay for itself —there was some good news in March when the Agricultural Department released figures showing that agricultural production last year was a record.

Favourable weather conditions, and record prices for copra and good returns for cocoa, and a big export business in bananas to New

Hollandia

Remembers

This monument, con tributed by the citizens of Hollandia, was un veiled there by the Governor on March 7 during Hollandia's 50th anniversary celebrations.

The monument is ap proximately on the same spot where Captain Sachse stepped ashore in 1910.

rand, all added up to a total nore than £3,300,000 in income i agricultural exports, fain exports were 16,840 tons of fia to the value of £1,400,000; tons of cocoa worth £969,860 ’ 789,293 cases of bananas worth 1,684. me copra exports comprised 42 jcent. of the total exports, and ; more than 3,000 tons over export figures. Furthermore, se was a considerable improve- Jt in the quality of the copra, sably due to the hot air driers. t:nty-nine per cent, of the copra orted was first grade, verage cocoa price was £275 a ' which was £3O a ton lower than 11958, but 160 tons more were j)rted last year than in 1958. oa was exported to the UK, New Zealand, Australia and many, in order of quantity, rne side-light was that 1,813 de were slaughtered during 1959, spared with 2,454 in 1958, the >ease probably being due to a Ih larger consumption of im -sed fish by Samoans.

legation Discusses

It Problem

four-man delegation from ;bh Viet Nam left Noumea in >ch for Saigon after spending ;e time in New Caledonia and New Hebrides, discussing the olem of the return of Viet nese from New Caledonia to jr home country, negotiations for the return of • e people have been going on the last few years, with no i:ess so far although there has ii a great deal of confusion. :t a conference before leaving imea, the delegation observed ; the Viets in New Caledonia a much higher standard of ng there than they would have ney returned to Viet Nam. nevertheless, the delegation said -as convinced that the majority tfew Caledonian Viets wished to :rn to North Viet Nam mmunist), and South Viet Nam lid accept them and give them isit to the North, he delegation said it was con :ed “the solution was near”, nowever, there is an attitude eloping in New Caledonia that problem seems to be without Dlution.

ne Relief For

Caledonia's Drought

here was some relief in March New Caledonia’s drought, Lough there was still a serious :tage of water in the Yate dam, Noumea’s diesel power station helping out. here were some good falls of i on the west coast and cattle :res received considerable relief.

Rabaul Dispute Over

Land That Never Was

On the shores of Blanche Bay, near Rabaul, lies a strange tract of land: • Until 23 years ago it didn’t even exist. • Up to five years ago no one wanted it. • Today a legal battle is likely for the right to occupy it.

Soggy in the Wet, unbelievably dusty in the Dry, the land was flung up out of the sea to join Vulcan Island to the mainland in the eruption of May 29, 1937.

For many years the natives avoided it, and for several years it was bare of vegetation. Even today the vegetation which it supports shows a shade of difference to that ° n A th i a n „. „ g officer once suggested it would make a possible site for a satellite town to Rabaul.

Commented outspoken Kokopo planter Frank Wilson; “What? Build a town in that forsaken area? Its only good for sand flies, He was quite right about the sand flies^—and in fact they are still there.

But there have been a few changes

ihe area in the past five years, feting from when Rabaul Amateur T Club decided to use part of Hand for its racecourse, ne success of the turf club is well known, and recently the decided to apply for an t.tional lease on the area to ex i the course. ne Department of Lands has now rmed the club that its applica tor extension has been opposed native groups in the area on a fiber of grounds, ne of the grounds cited is that : area is needed for food crops, es not yet known whether the ;ter will come to litigation or fitly what will happen, mce the day when work started the racecourse the club has been ibled by native people. The /ves pulled out survey pegs, in sred with equipment, and took s and fuel from tractors during construction stage. ‘:ter the racecourse was finished trouble continued. Wiring for trical and public address equip fit was slashed down with busli nes, and wire was taken from nes. One enterprising character ited bananas ac.oss the end of . straight. □mmittee members of the turf • believe that the natives don’t fly want the land, but have zpted a policy of irritation. :ne member said recently: “The r ves never came near the place, ipt to walk through on their way fish, until we started to set up course.

Wow they are planting bananas kau kau in all sorts of awkward as and are complaining that they short of land.

Phere is plenty more land around racecourse area if they could ▼ be bothered to clear It.”

liara Shark Fatality

he Solomons has more than its re of shark fatalities. Latest at i was on February 28 when a iaita boy was attacked by a shark r Honiara while fishing waist :p. He died shortly after being gged from the sea by companions.

ter Flight Aids

The Solomons

he Australian Department of 11 Aviation is now installing iigational aids in the Solomons, ,er a joint programme with the P Government. ‘fork is going on at Honiara, Ida and Buka.

Ihe programme is expected to end iut mid-May and will enable air ;t flying between Port Moresby Honiara to increase their pay iis. The Governments also are :dng ahead to the time when air ■dees will run through the

Solomons to Fiji, much closer now since the recent French-Australian air agreement (PIM, March).

Fighting Malaria On

A World Front

“Malaria” was the key word for this year’s World Health Day on April 7. The United Nations an nounced a concerted effort on a large-scale war against the disease.

The 90 members of WHO have re solved to pool their knowledge and resources to achieve nothing less than the complete elimination of the disease from the globe.

WHO Director-General, M. G.

Candau announced that anti-malaria

campaigns were at present proceed ing in 92 countries and territories — the greatest co-ordinated public health programme ever undertaken.

In 13 of these countries malaria had been vastly reduced, but in 56 countries nothing had been done at all.

Malaria still remained a con stant threat to 1,000 million humans, and the disease was responsible for 10 per cent, to 15 per cent, infant mortality.

"Revision Needed" For

NG Copra Fund

The Planters’ Association of New Guinea is calling for a revision of

the system under which the Cop Stabilisation Fund operates I Papua-New Guinea.

Members of the association si that money in the fund shou never exceed a certain limit (5 to be determined), and that pa outs should be made to produce each time that the limit is reache Under the present system operation, growers subscribe to t fund on a production basis, and t fund is available as a subsidy the event of copra prices falli below an economic limit.

The price of copra has been well maintained in recmt yea however, that there have been occasions for subsidy pay-outs, a the reserve has continued accumulate.

Some planters believe that t safety reserve has already been w passed, and that there is no reas why some of the money should r begin to come back to producers.

Naturally enough, however, tin are varied opinions on the ba which should be adopted for maki the proposed pay-outs.

Should a pay-out be based on grower’s current annual prodi tion, on his total levy to the fui to date, or on what oth r index* Meanwhile the association t appointed a sub-committee wh: is investigating the proposal.

The association’s feelings in t matter have already been put brh the Australian Minister for Ter tories,, Mr. Hasluck.

He has offered to give his clos attention to what he describes “any workable scheme which t association might bring forward..

Growing Concern Over

Tinginagalip Taxes?

Newest developments' in the T ginagalip tax dispute in New Brit; indicate that six Tolai natives t lodge a legal appeal against th convictions for non-payment of t Tinginagalip is a small village; the Gazelle Peninsula where; spokesman claimed in March all the men would rather go to g than pay their local government to the Vunadidir Local Governrm Council ( PIM, March, p. 20).

But whether or not the village T be prepared to go ahead with mass gaol threat will probably be accurately known until late; April, when the Papua-New Guii Administration on behalf of local government council is liM to take some action.

The six men concerned in newest development are villag from Tinginagalip, but their cd viction relates to non-paymentf last year’s tax. They were not cauu up with last year because they w in gaol—for other than taxai offences.

A Rabaul court in March sentem

t to a month on the tax charges rranted a stay of proceedings rat the matter could go to the nme Court if the natives de \ to appeal. anwhile there have been hints r the Tinginagalip attitude is ng much deeper concern in frustration circles than has been sally admitted. 3ple outside the Administration tended to be critical of the magalip situation. They have asted that if the Tinginagalips eo sure that they want to be 3»ed from the council, then they td be dropped smartly—or at f be called to give evidence at sort of an inquiry. ; Administration officers have fcd now that they are frightened jie rest of the council scheme — ; small village falls by the way imay not others follow? iision workers and other men >e Rabaul district outside the mistration and interested in s welfare believe there is no : for this fear. more accurately, they agree cDne or two small villages might the infection and want to pull out they say the loss sustained ie council scheme as a whole .1 be negligible.

is Advance For

Harbour

[liminary engineering investo rs into a deep-sea harbour for and for Asau and Salelologa •ur projects in Savaii, West :a, are nearly completed. The iigations have been undertaken ir. Peter Austin of the London (Bering firm of Group One Ltd. were started last December, i.ong other things Mr. Austin jested the sea bed and sub-soils lie three centres, making ex jiental bore holes. ;.a harbour is to be developed uilding a wharf 1,200 ft long ie western end of Apia Bay. rill be sheltered by the reef the north and north west, and Is up to 560 ft long can be : ed. When dredged the depth of T ater near the new wharf would : ft. 1100-ft breakwater will be built iptect the harbour from heavy :S.

Asau, which is considered the c natural deep water harbour in :3amoa, development of the If would present no difficulties, lugh a large sand bar will have removed from the western end e harbour. i.elologa harbour has been d unsuitable for large ships of Danana boat class, such as the i. It could be developed for :ers and small-craft if a basin dredged, and also the main -nee. (Over)

Ihen the Harbour Development iisory Board receives a final re from Group One Ltd. it will be position to make recommenda -3s to the Government.

Il's Well" With

9 PIR Now

me Pacific Islands Regiment and Papua New Guinea Volunteer :es were operating in a first 's manner in Papua and New mea, the GOC Northern Com nd, Major-General T. J. Daly, after a recent tour of inspec- Major-General Daly has since on up a new posting with the

ay outside Northern Command).

ie commented on the structure the PIR and PNGVR after an oection tour to Port Moresby, oaul, Lae, Mada n g, Wewak, bus, Vanimo and Goroka. .e described the PIR as a highly med and efficient combat force ich would compare favourably i any similar type of force.

In 1958, many PIR members were Dived in a serious riot, with Ilians. Changes were made in regiment following this].

iiier To Enter French

ilynesia From Cooks

Tie French authorities in Papeete r e eased the requirements for ftors from the Cook Islands, n the past, persons other than ok Islands Maoris who wished to t Tahiti from Rarotonga, had to :ain entry permits or visas from French Consular representatives ieither New Zealand or Fiji.

Tow, as a result of negotiations ween the Cook Islands Adminis tion and the French authorities, ropeans or others wishing to it Tahiti from the Cooks can ;ain an entry permit by tele

graphing Tahiti and supplying name, date and place of birth, nationality, occupation, passport number, intended duration of visit, and intended address in French Polynesia.

Decision Causes Upset

Among Parents

Consternation was caused among parents in New Caledonia in March following an announcement that New Caledonian students called up for military service while at school in France will have to serve their time in France, for a period of 27 months.

At present, New Caledonians re turn home to carry out their military obligations. The service period is shorter, and conditions easier because the recruits have the compensation of home life. And what’s more, says PlM’s Noumea correspondent, they run no risk of being sent to the Algerian front.

The correspondent says that un less the plan is reconsidered there could be real danger that parents will not send their children to France for higher education.

The Noumea roneo press has bitterly attacked the decision.

The President of the Territory Assembly, Mr. A. Ohlen, radioed Deputy M. Lenormand and Senator Lafleur, at present in Paris, asking them to do the best to have the

decision altered.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that beginning from July the New Caledonia military will begin a recruiting campaign, directed at New Caledonian natives, and natives of the Wallis and Futuna Islands (recently granted French citizen ship). The natives of these Terri tories are not subject to compulsory military training.

The Spiking of

Mr. Lakshman's Guns

Fiji’s B. D. Lakshman, who man ages to keep himself frequently in the public eye, came an awful cropper in March after having failed to appear before the com mission of inquiry into the De cember disturbances in Suva.

Lakshman, who is a problem to the Government at times, looked like making a martyr of himself over his defiance of the tribunal.

The commissioner, who is Fiji’s Chief Justice (Mr. Justice Lowe) had thought Lakshman could help him in his inquiry into events of those troubled days, so he had sent a summons to Lakshman to give evidence. Lakshman did not appear, but he did take the trouble to write in and say why he would not appear. Lakshman claimed the commission was not properly con stituted, although it was difficult to

Doctors

At Work

Hollandia, Netherlands New Guinea, these days has a modern central hospital. This photo graph shows Mr. Albert Mandosir, a surgical assistant (right) during an operation, one of many he has assisted at. Dutch surgeons have praised him for his skill, and when the hospital was officially opened in July last year he was decorated with the Medal of Honour in Gold, in the Order of Nassau of Orange.

I how he arrived at this con cern for all legal formalities had complied with, and it was the cof the land and Lakshman him i is a lawmaker in his role as an Elected Member for the Ih-Western Division. irlier he had publicly stated l he had the fullest confidence in ilntegrity of Mr. Justice Lowe, ref ore his about face could only termed as a “Lakshmanism”. uyway, Lakshman was sum med to appear in court to answer aarge of having failed to appear xe the commission.

Lkshman had let it be known he would not pay any fine. So default imprisonment was fin ed in lieu, Lakshman would have ee himself a martyr in the eyes aany. The Government kept an to be played at the right lent.

Lkshman appeared in the Suva astrate’s Court towards the end February and was convicted. The jistrate fined him £lO and gave seven days to pay. Lakshman he would not pay any fine, jie Crown then played the ace. : sked that instead of a default od in gaol a levy and distress rant be issued on Lakshman’s

Ijs.

Lkshman’s guns were neatly sd when the Magistrate agreed, was not going to pay a fine, ner was he going to gaol, fiut would lose £lO worth of goods.

March, police seized a table two chairs from Lakshman’s >e at Lautoka.

itas to Increase

Jet Fleet

:ie Australian Government has flted approval for Qantas to buy ;e more Boeing 707 jet airliners. the same time approval was in to modify the engines of the tent Qantas fleet of seven ings to the newly developed •ofan principle. This will be 3 as soon as the modification •mes available in mid-1961. jr. C. O. Turner, general lager of Qantas, said in March: ie overwhelming popularity of Boeing jets with air travellers led us to order three more ;his stage. ;n January we had already sold •e times the number of advance icings for March compared with figure for January last year.

Jur success with the Boeing from the beginning has been )nd expectation. We’ve had full Is all the way. The problem ii our existing fleet of seven jets been to provide enough services cope with the traffic they are lacting.” he tubofan gives the engine 26 cent, more thrust at take-off, »er cent, more thrust at cruising ;d and produces a drop of 10 per :. in cruising fuel consumption.

To the airline economist this means larger payloads and smaller fuel bills.

The modified jet needs 18 per cent, less runway for take-off, bringing more airfields within the scope of operations and further increasing the safety margin in operating from presents ports of call.

PdkiowpH Dpmanrl Fnr A

Kenewea uemana ror M C..wf> AlrnArt

jUVaUTyMirpoiT

tvip nrivnntne'p < > of abandoning thI h flood rfdden Nausori airport 12 mUesSrom Suva and staffing afresh with a new one close to the city, are being stressed again in Fiji. There’s a plan for a strip on reclaimed land at Suva Point to cost £251,000.

For at least twelve years there has been recurrent discussion on this subject of a new airport.

A t one stage it almost appeared that something was to be done about it but through lack of finance or opposition by land owners it fell through, and since then the choice of a possible loca tion in the suggested Suva Point- Laucala Bay area has become more limited due to other development Of land. However, no one is likely to deny the increasing desirability of such an airport, and if there is ever to be one a decision will have to be made In the very near future Mr. Chris Ritchie, manager of Fiji Airways, has also stressed that Nausori is unsuitable for modern aircraft and that commercial avia tion in Fiji and to nearby

ictories is restricted by the stations of this low-lying, »jiently flooded airport with its facilities and its distance from Deity, partly over a very poor lie limitations of Nausori are % emphasised as passenger lie into Suva increases. Fiji says carried 30 per cent, more “ngers last year than in 1958, is now carrying over 2,000 engers per month over its rous routes from Nausori. In i:mber and January of this year 2,700 passengers were carried sach month.

Ritchie said this traffic could further expanded if Suva had nodern and handy airport so tourists could readily fly across i Nadi for a quick look at Suva :he time that is often available them between connecting air s’ believes that such an airport a be established at no more t it would cost to bring Nausori ;to standard and with all the untages of a city airport, rwever, the Fiji Government says of £251,000 to reclaim and build a strip at Suva )t is wrong—it would be nearer ),000. ;t big money will have to be It to keep Nausori operating, too, 5 Suva could easily become, with a jible airport, an important huh m aviation wheel extending in iy direction, including the New rides and the BSIP, with Fiji vays the flag carrier. [ji Airways was recently re stituted to include New Zealand Britain in its ownership and first meeting of the re stituted board was to be held Suva in early April, when no 3t many of these problems of Tress would be discussed.

(ynesian Airlines

:e To The Air

:ie West Samoa air company, nesian Airlines, in March, lly commenced a regular service veen Apia and Pago Pago, srican Samoa. Authority to com ice the operation was signed at o by Mr. F. B. Bruckner, repre iing the Federal Aviation Agency, here had been a long delay for :ous reasons ( PIM , March).

ne Sea-Fare

Auctions—Maybe

übstantial off-season reductions, lesser in-season reductions in is-Pacific round-trip fares were ;ounced at the Pacific Area vel Association conference in ilstchurch, NZ, in February—but e of the shipping company its involved seemed to have any irmation on the subject, tie announcement was made by

Mr. E. Howard Green, secretary chairman of the Trans-Pacific Passenger Conference of San Fran cisco, which includes the main passenger shipping lines on North and South Pacific runs.

According to Mr. Green, a reduc tion of 25 per cent, will apply in the “off-season” and a reduction of 10 per cent, will apply at other times for round-trip trans-Pacific voyages only.

The reductions would apparently not apply to a Suva-Sydney-Suva voyage or to a Suva-San Francisco- Suva voyage, but only to a full Pacific round trip, e.g., Suva-Sydney- Suva-San Francisco-Suva.

Auckland travel agents said that if the announcement Is confirmed— and it presumably will be soon — the “off season” in so far as voyages originating in the Southern Hemis phere are concerned, would probably be August through December in clusive. Voyages originating in the Northern Hemisphere would probably enjoy the 25 per cent, cut from January through April inclusive.

P-NG Mail Charges

Cause Upset

Businessmen, planters and the public in general were angered in Papua-New Guinea recently when the Department of Posts and Tele graphs announced the introduction of two new special postage charges.

A wave of opposition to the charges came from advisory coun cils, from at least one planters’ as sociation, and in statements from individual businessmen.

The first of the new charges is a flat 1/3 which has to be paid to the post office for the handling of any mailed material which requires a Customs clearance.

The second is a demurrage charge which comes into effect if packages are not collected from a post office within a specified time.

The greater criticism has been levelled at the demurrage charge, but painstaking explanations given later by the Director of Posts and Telegraphs (Mr. W. Carter) and the

Assistant Administrator d Gunther) indicated that many the critics may have been a hasty.

Postal officials have been told to levy the demurrage charges any cases where it had been possible or unreasonably inconve ent for addressees to collect tl parcels.

In other words, there is no hs ship to people living on outstati or even to people who r regularly collect their mail only infrequent intervals.

In the words of Dr. Gunther: simple excuse will be accepted.

Nevetheless the Planters" Asso« tion of New Guinea still has doubts. “It’s placing postal offic in an embarrassing position if ti have to make these decisions,, member of the association saidl

Rabaul Happy About

Its Road

An urgent campaign by Raf Chamber of Commerce and Ral Town Advisory Council culmim in the announcement in March t £40,000 would be spent in sea* and reconstructing the main st) of Rabaul, Mango Avenue.

Unprecedented storms in Decent last year tore the road into a n Businessmen claimed that thousa of pounds worth of damage was o to their stock by dust which H rose from the road.

Under the reconstruction p two lanes will replace the exis= single lane. All trees will be down initially, but a planting ; gramme will be carried out later The announcement was gree with sighs of relief in RaU Typical of the general feeling a letter sent to the Administn of Papua-New Guinea, Mr. D.< Cleland, from Rabaul Town Advk Council, thanking him for allocation of funds.

Now They Can Learn

Japanese By Radio

Radio Japan commenced a cod of lessons in spoken Japaneses

Slish-speaking listeners in the nth Pacific in April, on a twice [;kly basis. Japanese interest in South Pacific has been growing )the last few years and this is hther manifestation of it. [he course was first instituted , August but was beamed to ;er areas and was apparently re- T ed with considerable interest Tseas. As a result the series is ng repeated in the South Pacific nsmission which is on the air m 0930 to 1030 GMT daily. [he language programmes, con- Ited by Dr. Toru Matsumoto, of ,ji Cakuin University, Tokyo, are ithe air from 1005 to 1020 GMT Mondays and Thursdays, as from •il 4, and the frequencies in use 11.8 Mc/s in the 25-metre band, 15.235 Mc/s in the 19-metre >d. Reception is usualy excellent Ithe latter band.

irm Hearts Helped

n On His Way

[he people of Rabaul have given •e than £5OO to a Roman Catholic ist so that he can carry out one his dearest wishes —to visit •istian shrines in Jerusalem, tope, Ireland and America.

Ihe pviest is Father Bernard inke, 30 years a resident of New :nea. who left Rabaul for over ; in March but who hopes to be k within a year. ; will be his first holiday since was stationed at Rabaul more n 10 years ago. he presentation was made to him ,i public farewell in Rabaul early

in March, attended by members of his own church, other churches, representatives of the Administration, and representatives of business organisations.

“But predominantly you can say it was attended by the hundreds of people who know him as a friend,” one of the organisers said.

Father Franke comes from Bavaria, and he intended to take his holidays there alone to visit his 88-year-old father. But some of his friends learnt how he had always wanted to visit the centres of re ligious historical interest through out the world.

Almost spontaneously an appeal grew up so that he could achieve his wish. In two weeks more than £5OO was collected, and the pre sentation was officially made by Mr, George Kassi, of Rabaul.

Other speakers at the occasion were the New Britain District Officer, Mr. H. West, the Rabaul Parish Priest, Rev. Father J. Dwyer and Mr. Gabriel Achun.

Father Franke travelled by air to Sydney and then left by ship, visiting Jerusalem first and then his home in Bavaria.

Attempt To Solve P NG

Tenure Problems

The problem of native land owner ship in Papua-New Guinea, and how it affects natives who want to work on their own but can t get land separate from tribal tenures, was mentioned in the Australian Parlia ment in March. There was also men

again of a transfer of popula rritories Minister Paul Hasluck J.t was “now becoming obvious” i native tenure did not always 3e that enterprising individuals :ested in such things as coffee >:ocoa would have access to land. said that also a native who :t have spent a great deal of sand incurred a debt on plant rmight not be able to will his to his successors because he no title in it, and under native re it may have to pass to cone not related to him. . Hasluck said that bearing that :of problem in mind, and also iact that it was “apparent that nail have to make very consider r transfers of native population those areas which have poor to richer land”, he had nged an investigation of land re which was now almost ned. said it was hoped to arrive at Earrangement to ensure that r ve land rights were respected that natives would use the < 9

seete Airport In

vice By November

r.th contractors working around clock, Papeete’s new inter onal airport is expected to be

ready to take propeller aircraft in November this year.

At first, the single runway from northeast to southwest, situated a couple of miles from the centre of Papeete, will be 7,000 ft. long, but it will be extended in 1961 to take jet aircraft comfortably.

Work on reclaiming portion of Faa’a lagoon, beside which the air field is being built, is still proceed ing—by the end of March the new area had been raised to a foot above high-water level. It will be about five feet above high-water mark when completed.

More About The

Solomons" Population

Final figures for the sample census of the British Solomons, which was conducted at the end of last year, won’t be available until the information has been processed in Sydney.

But on the preliminary figures there are 778 Europeans in the BSIP, 363 of them in Honiara.

The distribution is: Central Dis trict 152 Europeans (outside Honiara), West Solomons 132, Malaita 90, Eastern District 41.

There are 367 Chinese in the BSIP, 266 of them in Honiara and the rest mainly in the West and Central Districts.

All Europeans, Chinese and

Polynesians were counted, except for a few households on the Polynesian atoll of Ontong Java (in the far northeast of the BSIP). The total number of Polynesians is 4,600.

Selected areas of Melanesian populations were enumerated be cause a full census would have been impracticable (see PIM, February, p. 140), but the sample census should produce figures which will give an accurate population trend and density.

Two Dead In

Rabaui Tragedy

Only a day after telling friends they were planning a holiday in their homeland, a young Polish couple met violent deaths in their house at Rabaui in March.

A coroner’s inquiry found that the man had taken his wife’s life and then his own, but the evidence gave no indication of a motive for the tragedy.

The couple were Stanislaus Zanowski, about 35, telephone tech nician; and his wife Eve, of about the same age. They had lived in Rabaui for several years, where Zanowski had been studying for higher qualifications in his trade.

The Coroner, Mr. G. F. Hall, SM, found that Zanowski had strangled after hanging himself with an elec

trie power cord in the bedroom the house.

Mr. Hall said he could not de mine exactly the means used cause Mrs. Zanowski’s death, death had probably followed press on the neck while she was h in bed.

Evidence was given that Zanoi had been in a forced labour cam' Europe during the war, and thai had recently suffered from nervous trouble.

Fijians Back From

The H-Bomb Base

Since the beginning of 1958, tl has been a group of 70 Fijian n. ratings and soldiers on Christ Island, Britain’s nuclear tes base in Central Pacific.

Their work has now been c: pleted and the last party retui home on April 3.

The seamen carried out stevet ing duties, in addition to trail while attached to HMS Resolu i the Royal Navy shore station Christmas. The Fiji Military Fc detachment worked with a Br; Field Engineer Regiment, ma on road and building construct!

With their characteristic frier ness and good nature, the Fiji were popular with British sem men (Army, Navy and Air Fa on the island. They won a nun of sporting trophies in competi with other units.

Britain exploded her first H-h in the Christmas Island ares mid-May, 1957, after spem millions in turning the fon isolated copra-producing island a modern nuclear testing sta; complete with 7,000 ft runway airfield.

After the series of succet atomic explosions, Britain annoui. that she would maintain ser establishments on Christmas Is., use it in future for nuclear wea], experiments.

Volcanic Manam Causes

A Sensation

Right on schedule (it waited the vulcanologist to arrive) Guinea’s Manam volcano gav magnificent display of geoloK fireworks in March with the major eruption since 1958.

But the 2,000 or so natives li. on Manam Island worked on hai in their gardens, and no evacus was necessary to the mainland New Guinea.

Any lack of palpitations from) natives living only two miles 8 from the centre of the eruption! more than balanced by the palp tions set up in the newspaper ofi« more than 2,000 miles away.

Journalists and photogran flew from Sydney and Brisbam

s after the eruption started, but Early reports of “terrified, panic xen inhabitants fleeing to w” were found to be unfounded, fact, only two small villages cleared of their occupants on advice of Government officers, ::he people were back the next and their villages were un iged. J jere was no doubt, however, that Eeruption was a first-class ex iion as far as the geologists rother observers were concerned. i£s shot hundreds of feet into dr reflecting a pink glow on the is and sea. A sea of red-hot Een lava formed in one of the craters, and four streams of poured down valleys in the »of the mountain. .mam volcano is situated on am Island off the coast of :i-east New Guinea and about vay between Madang and ;ak. ir three weeks shortly before the Ition started a geologist of the anological service lived on the i.d and made observations. He irted molten lava rising and ig in the crater, and generally easing volcanic activity, hen he returned to Rabaul in second week of March he fore that an eruption would probably place in one or two weeks time, sanwhile the Government janologist, Mr. G. A. Taylor, had » to the island and had been ;e only a few days when the ition duly began on the morning llarch 17. r. Taylor kept in regular radio lact with the New Guinea main . He reported that he had moved ves from the villages of Kolang Bokure in the interests of safety, that the natives had later been wed to return. nere had been no damage or in and the native population had lied on their work as usual, Mr. lor added. issengers in aircraft which flew to the island gave the most li accounts of the eruption. They of seeing two main streams iva pouring from the crater and smaller ones. lare from leaping flames lit up

the clouds and sea and provided an unforgettable spectacle, they said.

The height of the visible activity was reached two days after the eruption when the flames and lava flow increased in intensity and in candescent rocks were hurled out of the crater Seismic activity then began to fall off. although the volcano was ex pected to remain in a smaller state of eruption for several weeks.

In the week following the eruption there was one smaller outburst which resulted in showers of ash being sent 2,000 feet into the air.

“But the activity was essentially mild then,” Mr. Taylor reported.

Later at a Port Moresby Press conference the Papua-New Guinea Administrator (Brig. D. M. Cleland) criticised sections of the Australian metropolitan Press for “sensational ising the eruption”.

Many reports had been exagger ated, and the eruption in fact had not been as serious as that of 1958, Mr. Cleland said.

Latest reports from Mr. Taylor indicated that the volcano was settling down into what could be come a prolonged period of mild but active eruption. The activity could continue for several months.

The natives, who insist they know their island, do not want to leave, and the Administration says that evacuation is not necessary any how.

Early Jockeying in

Fiji Sugar Agreement

Following a visit to Fiji by Dr.

J. Vernon, Sydney general manager of the Colonial Sugar Refining Co., preliminary meetings between the

company and canegrowers’ associa tions took place in Lautoka in mid- March to discuss sugar-cane prices for 1960 and 1961.

The present agreement expires on May 31. Earlier, CSR had offered a 10-years agreement, but now has withdrawn this because of un certainty over mounting costs of production and put forward a two years agreement on much the same price basis as previously offered.

No agreement was reached. Be fore the next conference, CSR will consider the canegrowers’ case for increased prices, and the associa tion leaders will consult with mem bers on the revised offer.

Observers in Fiji say that there could be some sticky negotiations before the new agreement is settled.

Fiji’s cane production is well above its export quota, and the problem of how the loss on surplus cane is to be borne may well be one of the contentious matters of the negotiations.

Australia Buys Into

NNG Timber Business

An Australian timber firm, Adi Timber Development Pty. Ltd., has concluded a deal for the exploita tion of timber on the uninhabited island of Poolau Adi, near Kaimana, in Netherlands New Guinea. The concession covers about 30 000 acres, and more than £A142,000 is involved in the first investment.

Native labour will be trained by 50 Australians, with a training centre to be established on the island.

It was announced in Sydney in March that the first heavy equip ment could be expected to arrive in NNG within a few weeks, and that

g Manam Island, seen on the approach from the mainland.

Photo: K. Vellacott-Jones.

a local firm would be established in wniionHin which would build its own prefabricated houses, and would ha ™* le which hnd SjaT NNGagents so that local spare parts and export of about 5,000 S C .d m n?e e r S a bout Tears 6 Adi

IsTand iT favourably siLated for

smpping and behig protected against shipping of timber is possible during the whole yean The exports* re W<»tedl to go to Australia, Japan, South Africa ana Europe.

One of the men behind the scheme is Sydney timber merchant Michael Hintze, Russian born, who went to Australia in 1953 after managing a timber mill in Manchuria for a British firm for 20 years.

He became interested in NNG timber when he found it was the only area near Australia which did not have restrictions on exports.

(| o ff ee Position

oo k S Brighter

Merchants will pay 4/- lb mini mum for all ungraded Arabica coffee,

substantially eg™ beans,

f l ui^ 1 for the 12 months to March This was agreed to at a confer ence in Canberra on March 10 by Territories coffee-growers and 15 representatives o & the q main coffee

pastern Australia t

secretary industries and Commerce division 0 f Territories Dept., was chairman. Mr. lan Downs, president 0 f Highlands Farmers and Settlers’

Association, Goroka, and Hon. F. M.

Hewitt, MLC, the growers’ per rnanent representative in Sydney, negotiated the agreement, while Mr. w. L. Conroy, head of P-NG Agri culture Dept.’s Division of Agricul tural Extension, held a watching brief for the Administration, The previous price-fixing con

ference was held in Sydney!

April 14, 1959.

Expected production is 1,500 t and the Australian coffee buyers; dicated that they would take quantity in 1960 —and more if i available.

While there has been marked provement in the quality of P coffee, the Administration will troduce a new ordinance in Ma; standardise grading and packag The Highlands Farmers’ Associa. regards the new agreement as “q satisfactory” and will make an out effort to improve local proc ing practices.

At present, three officers of Commonwealth Bureau of Agrii tural Economics (Messrs. J. IV, farlane, C. Roberts and J. Van He are in NG undertaking a com; hensive survey of the econc potential of the industry. The vey should reveal whether Te tories growers could, as has II forecast, supply within a few y all the coffee Australian needs spite of a 30 per cent, increast demand by coffee users and drim over the past two years.

P-NG Land Scheme

Success "Assured"

The success of the Ex-Sem man’s Land Scheme in Papua- Guinea is now assured, the Pi dent of the P-NG State Brand the RSL, Mr. R. F. Bunting, the State Congress in Lae in e April.

A total of 211 Europeans and natives are now settling down their properties.

Mr. Bunting told the Congres recently flew over the Poponc (northern Papua) settlement where a group of some 23 Euroi Ex-Servicemen have been se - ; for only a few months.

Mr. Bunting said the settlers, cleared as much as 100 acre« heavy jungle, had planted c.: and established nurseries.

“One sees here a spirit; pioneers, of men willing and © to tackle and overcome the juj The lack of roads and accomrm tion is being swept aside.

“The same can be said of sett in other scattered areas.

“This scheme is exceeding our wildest dreams,” he said.

Fiji Needs £40,000

For Tourist Promotion

Chairman of Fiji Visitors Bui Mr. Charles Stinson, is tryinr prise donations from local buss houses to supplement the 1960 1 ernment grant of £9,000 for to promotion. The Governmentd promised to subsidise contribm. £ for £ up to another £2,000, td to get aid for the Bureau commercial firms that benefit by tourism.

Just what sort of a budget sH

Visitors Bureau have? To hard iing, liner-greeter Secretary Lane, probably the sky would he limit; to the Burns Com mon it is £25,000, as recorded in Report; and according to a survey by Pacific Area Travel siation and US Department of merce, Fiji’s Bureau should not less than £40,000. ■. Stinson’s circular pointed out “there has been an astrono :i increase in Pacific travel og the past 10 years”. Statistics ■ that 18,794 visitors to Fiji

H 9 spent an estimated £55,000;

e in 1959 75,000 tourists left an nated £1,000,000 in the Colony, □resent 10 per cent, of Fiji’s onal income is derived from ;.sm; by 1968, it could be 30 icent., PATA predicts. lC drive for Visitors Bureau ss by early April had produced £1,250 in cash and promises.

mges in Fiji's

cation Set-Up

,i amount totalling 90 per cent. £213,800) of the cost of a new school for Lautoka, Fiji, has provided by the UK Colonial elopment and Welfare Fund. school will be built on a 111 ■3 site, opposite Churchill Park. ie present Natabua Secondary i>ol, at Lautoka, will be used for of three purposes when the new ol is finished —a teachers’ ling college, a Government post

primary school for Indian girls, or as an approved school.

The new school will comprise main building, technical block, and hostel for 60 boys. Academic, com mercial and technical courses will be taught, providing a four-year secondary education mainly for Indian students.

Another Indian school, financed by the local community, was offi cially opened in March near Garvey Park, Tavua.

The Fiji Government has been taking £ good look at the educa tional set-up in the Colony and announced in March that it pro poses to repeal the present Educa tion Ordinance and replace it with a consolidated and amended law, to come before Legco soon for debate.

Schools will be classified into four categories: Govt, schools main tained out of public funds; regis tered schools; recognised schools; and aided schools. An Advisory Council will be set up to advise the Director of Education on all educa tion matters.

Sir Andrew Reported

'Disturbed' On Education

A good six or seven weeks after he left Papua-New Guinea, the whisper leaked out that Sir Andrew Cohen, Britain’s representative on the United Nations Trusteeship Council, had been most disturbed at the attitude towards native secondary education in Papua-New Guinea.

Sir Andrew spent a fortnight in the Territory, terminating with discussions at Port Moresby on matters of mutual interest to Aus tralia and Britain as members of the Trusteeship Council.

Before he left he spoke glowingly of what was being done in the political and agricultural spheres among the natives of the New Guinea trusteeship. ( PIM, March, p. 121), Sir Andrew, it now appears, burrowed a lot deeper into many problems than was generally known at the time. He did not confine his talks to Administration officers, but spoke with businessmen and mission workers.

He left many of these people with the feeling that Australia’s educa tion policy for the New Guinea native was outstanding in the primary education field, but was nebulous (or nebulous in effect) as far as secondary education was con cerned.

He said that the target to achieve 100 per cent, literacy was an ex cellent and commendable policy.

At the same time Sir Andrew be lieved, according to some of the people who met him, that it would be better to concentrate first on the production of a strong nucleus of highly educated natives rather than make an entire population literate.

He believed that a vacuum would be created at higher levels which would make it impossible to raise the native community above a cer tain level if immediate steps were not taken to create a clear-cut secondary education target.

This expression of opinion is not altogether new as far as New Guinea is concerned. Some mission workers have already expressed a similar feeling and have said they would like to see changes made.

The missionaries do not accuse the Administration of any positive mistake with regard to education,

but they contend that the approach to secondary education is too negative to get results.

Thev say that too much stress is given to the displaying and en couraging of a* few outstandingly bright natives, rather than to the general encouragement of all reason ably intelligent ones.

The matter also looks as though it may get an airing soon in Rabaul Town Advisory Council following questions which have been put to the Administration by one of the members of the council, the Rev.

Wesley Button.

Mr. Button is chairman of the Methodist Overseas Mission at Rabaul and has often been out spoken on matters affecting educa tion.

Recently he appealed to the Ad ministration to hurry up in making a definite move with regard to com plete integration of all schools.

Integration of this nature is, in actual fact, a policy of the Admin istration, but education officers are finding today that there are still many minor problems to be ironed out.

Not the least of these is the very strong nucleus of opinion against integration among European parents, usually on the grounds that the presence of natives in a mixed class tends to slow down the education of every other child in that class.

Hamac Goes Into

Liquidation

Port Moresby’s Hamac Holdings Bimited and seven of its subsidiary companies have gone into liquida tion, with liabilities exceeding £500,000.

Hamac’s liabilities were listed in liquidation petitions presented to the P-NG Supreme Court in early April according to AAP-Reuter.

Chief Justice Mann appointed two liquidators, one in Sydney and the other in Port Moresby, to

handle the winding up of the com pany’s affairs.

The liquidation order was the largest ever handled by the Papua and New Guinea court.

The eight companies have in terests in shipping, plantations, hotels, meat production and motor vehicle distribution.

Tonga May Export Some

Of Its Produce

A report from Tonga the Nukualofa markets have been over supplied with produce lately, and the prices to growers have been hardly worth the trouble.

One Tongan woman with initiative took her cabbages and yams to Pago Pago in American Samoa and returned $2OO richer.

As a result the Tongan Pro duce Board has recently sent a man to Pago to set up an agency for the marketing of excess Tongan pro duce and also to look into the pos sibilities of sales in Western Samoa.

Among the produce available for export are tomatoes, yams, kumara, taro, beans and cabbages.

The Priest and the

Pressman Depart

In March, Papua-New Guinea lost two men who have helped bring the Territory into the world news.

After 17 months as a Catholic publicist and historical researcher in the Territory, Divine Word missionary Rev. Dr. R. M. Wiltgen. 38, left for Rome to become Director of Public Relations at the Inter national Headquarters of Divine Word missionaries. There he will have the job of handling Catholic publicity work in 33 different countries, where 2,500 priests and 1,300 brothers work for Divine Word.

After eight years in the Territory, six of them as editor of Port Moresby’s only newspaper South

Pacific Post, Albert Edward (“Ste; Stephens, 40, left to become editor of a big Sydney Sun newspaper. It had been a stc eight years.

• The Priest. Dr. Wilt

Chicago born, took to journal directly after his ordination in and was soon writing Catl stories for the National Catl Welfare News Service, which viced overseas countries. He t to New Guinea in September, with the job of digging into history of the Divine Word miss in the northeast mainland of Guinea. The first missionary arrived there in 1896.

“I soon found that what I really writing was an early his of New Guinea,” says Dr. Wilt “Fortunately, I can speak and German, and I read everything j interviewed everyone. There some old natives in the Mat. area who can speak German, can remember the German quite clearly.”

Dr. Wiltgen’s research will] turned into a book, which he Ih will be published for general reai for it is likely to fill a gap inr history. Meantime, as his resea

nded, he sent out more and s stories on Catholic events in [Territory. ir the last 17 months these 3es have been appearing in the >ed States, Australia, Holland, many and the Philippines, where >ons of readers in the Catholic :S, and many elsewhere, have Wiltgen’s byline from the :re of New Guinea. e has not only collected the srial from odd places by canoe, •aft and by foot, but he has :d the material, roneoed it and Eed it himself to as many as 40 irent overseas news outlets.

'The Pressman. When A. E.

[hens took over editorship of the twice-weekly South Pacific in 1954, after two years of be lts reporter, he made it clear yardstick would be, “If it’s is I’ll run it, and hang the icquences!” It’s probably not [rising that many of his stories, . territory dominated by Gov :ient forces, have had an anti [rnment flavour and that they ; brought down the wrath of an iialdom which believes that in ative country the Press has a iial responsibility to watch what xys. • obably no newspaper in the ;h Pacific has been quoted so uently in the United Nations— nally always by the Russians use extracts with which to beat West. nt Stephens has had as many sorters as opponents. Many of supporters have been senior Ad stration officials who have con ed to feed him with background rmation and news “leaks”, de ; the witch hunting efforts :h went on in the past to stamp practice out. ,ys Stephens, “The only thing fable to protect the community :nst the machinations of the

politicians is the newspaper. Most people realise that, which is the reason why I get so much help. Be sides I like the people I’m dealing with.”

Stephens has always worked hard —once he wrote 23 news stories in a day—ls of them before lunch, because besides being editor he was also reporter and sub-editor.

In one noisy series he attacked the Mission influence on education in the Rabaul area, and was awarded a Walkley Award for journalism—the Australian version of the Pulitzer Prize.

For the last eight years Stephens’ hand has been the main one behind “The Drum”, a widely read column of comments on the local scene which appears on the front page of the South Pacific Post. It’s been hard-hitting, often irreverent, and

mostly laced with a mischievous humour.

On one occasion after the Admin istrator, Brigadier Cleland, had publicly rebuked a Returned Soldiers’ meeting for the attitude which the RSL had adopted on a current matter, “The Drum” came out with a paragraph along these lines: “The Old Man certainly got stuck into the RSL boys. He really told them off. Pity he’s overdue with this year’s RSL fees.”

What made the uproar worse was that the Administrator’s aide had forgotten to pay the fees.

Stephens has been threatened for some of the things his newspaper has published—once he kept a heavy cane behind his desk, expecting trouble from angry Communists in

On a reporting assign ment in New Guinea, Dr. Wiltgen interviews an elderly native. See below.

A. E. Stephens, former editor of the "South Pacific Post".

the crew of a visiting ship.

In earlv April, as he was just fit ting into his new job, Stephens pub lished an article in the Sydney Sunday Mirror on New Guinea relations (a sub-editor headed it,

“New Guinea Smoulders.

Africa On Our Doorstep?”)

which reminded many Territonans that Stephens was still an active commentator. The RSL New Guinea State Congress, then meeting in NG, shot off a strongly worded telegram to leading Australian newspapers deploring the article as an “abortion of the truth” and promised to bring it before the Government.

Replied Stephens, “The context of the article gives my views, and I’ll debate them with anybody.”

Much Activity On

Fiji Hotel Front

A £50,000 expansion programme at Fiji’s best known tourist resort, Korolevu, will be completed by Northern Hotels Ltd. in August.

The same company’s Lautoka Hotel during the next five months will be remodelled.

Also at Lautoka, construction of the new Park View Hotel will be started almost immediately by Cathay Hotels (Fiji) Ltd., which owns the Grand Pacific Hotel, Suva.

Narain Construction Ltd. will build the 25-bedroom, two storey hotel at a cost of £137,000.

Its layout will be a departure from

the style of other Fiji hotels—fc and courtyard with beer garden ’ comprise the ground floor, while main dining room and kitchens be on the first floor. It should ready by December.

At present, the former commer Bhanabhai Building, corner of Ms Street and Waimanu Road, oppo the Lilac theatre, Suva, is being modelled as a 22-bedroom hotel an Australian-Fiji group, H o Suva Ltd. Mr. H. Swanbury, dire and Mr. P. Giungi, legal adv; from Sydney, were in Fiji month arranging details and i chasing furniture and equipmen outfit the hotel.

July is the tentative opening d Meanwhile, proposed Governn legislation to restrict hotel bar ti ing hours, as a means of comba drunkenness and its often ace panying loutishness, in Suva the towns, has continued to stir local feeling.

Many Suva people take the .1 that closing bars between 2 an p.m. and between 6 and 8 p.m. not solve the liquor problem—it i even accentuate it by creatini “6 o’clock swill”.

Air Fares Cut—But

Not In The S. Pacific

The South Pacific won’t be get much in the way of concessions lowing the Paris conference February of the International Transport Association. The con ence which lasted several weeks, which followed a similar meetim Honolulu last year when unanin agreement on certain air fares not forthcoming, cut fares on sev routes, but not South Pacific rot The changes decided on are c plicated, and not all the decig were immediately announced. S will be announced by the van airlines as they come into op tion.

The main points of the Paris ■ ference are that where possibll future there will be only two els of service—first-class and one hi class either tourist or ecoir according to the part of the w in which it is provided.

This solves one problem—for nr people who were not looking forr to having three classes in the; aircraft.

There will be “substantial” reductions on the North Atlas African and Far Eastern routess There will be a fare differee between jet and piston aircrafi some routes, and at some times ? instance, between London and York during the off-peak ses; October-March). lATA specifically decided there would be no jet-propellers ferential on the Far East or tralasian routes.

Most of the fare cuts appL

Ist fares and vary between six 36 per cent., but there will be «ases in some first-class fares.

'.TA’s decision meant that first es have at last been taken .irds providing cheaper air travel Ji, incidentally, in improving the ncial situation of the world’s mes). ]ore cuts, presumably, will fol —but South Pacific travellers certainly hope they get a share hem.

iy Think Tax Is

'Planter's levy"

here was an ironical addition to New Guinea tax story in March in the strange situation arose of >,e Europeans appealing for re sd native taxation while a native :self told them that the tax was excessive. jut like most stories which appear adoxical on the surface, there more in this one than met the u the first place, the Europeans 0 spoke out were motivated (and ;e justifiably so) by more than ■e benevolence. :i the second place, the native i) answered them was hardly ical of the average wage-earning iive. he situation arose at a meeting Rabaul of the New Britain Dis it Advisory Council, an honorary Iti-racial body appointed to ad ‘ the Papua-New Guinea Admin iation on matters affecting New tain and the Territory as a ole. he three Europeans who spoke native tax were New Britain inters, Mr. J. Allen and Mr. J. irston, and Burns Philp’s planta u supervisor for the district, Mr. 1 Garrett. hey pointed out that all natives *e expected to pay an annual id tax of £2, without regard to

the wide range of earning capacities'. A , ..

This was a huge slice out of the earnings of, say, a plantation agree ment labourer who might be earn ing only £lB a year. These labourers should be expected to pay only 10/a year in tax, the speakers said.

Then the story came out that the tax was proving a big worry to the European planter himself. He was faced with the job of collection, and found many natives had no concep tion of what tax meant.

The unsophisticated native serv ing his first term on a plantation was likely to think that the tax was a personal levy invented by the planter. This led to discontent and

misunderstanding, and as often as not the planter paid the tax on behalf of his labour line for the sake of peace if nothing else.

Answering the appeal for a re duced tax, a native cocoa grower, Stanis Boralimit, said he did not consider that £2 was an excessive tax even for natives earning £lB a year.

These people were getting free medicine, clothing, quarters and food, he said.

FOOTNOTE : The Australian Min ister for Territories, Mr. Hasluck, has informed the council that it has not been considered wise to vary the rates of head tax between one native group and another.

>s This Document

n Their Cause?

i e Administration of Papua- Guinea has produced a docu g which has something more to about the controversial Kokopo I, which joins Rabaul and opo in New Britain ( PIM, Feb., it the people of Rabaul and □po who for years have been ng to have the road sealed are none the wiser about what will oen—because the document is idential. jie existence of the document reported at Rabaul recently by New Britain District Com iioner, Mr. J. R. Foldi. He said the document set out a five plan for works in New Britain, that reference was made to the :opo Road. eanwhile public pressure is con ilng to have the road sealed, ily on the ground, that it is lomically one of the most valu roads in Papua-New Guinea, le of the strongest recent claims come from Mr. J. Allen, of ilum Plantation, near Kokopo, flatly told a Rabaul meeting mtly that New Britain was not iing its fair share of public >ts money spent throughout G. le Australian Minister for Terri es, Mr. Hasluck, reported re ly that he raised the subject of lie works expenditure with the linistrator, Brig. Cleland. e said that Brig. Cleland re :ed New Britain was receiving its re of the overall expenditure, ommented Mr. Allen: “The Ad istrator might think this, but people of Rabaul and district ik otherwise.”

Mr. Allen claimed that roads in the Rabaul district were not as good today as they had been 30 years ago.

"Extend The Colombo

Plan To New Guinea"

The Premier of the Australian state of Tasmania, Mr. Reece, in March entered into a controversy which has been going on for years in New Guinea —and in other Islands territories. He advocated a scheme for the education of New Guinea natives at Australian secondary schools and universities.

Mr. Reece, referring to Indonesia’s claim to Netherlands New Guinea, said he felt Australia should speed up its plans for independence for Papua-New Guinea.

He said New Guinea natives should be trained in Australia as administrators, specialists and mem bers of the professions, and the Australian people should take a great interest in their training.

Australia is performing a similar function for thousands of young Asians under the Colombo Plan, and it should be even more appropriate if the system was extended to in clude nationals for whom Australia was directly responsible, he said.

ese groups of Islanders were photographed in [?]ey and in Port Moresby. Above, these three came [?]e Polynesian Association of Sydney for the first —they are Oni Hayk, of Rotuma; Wene Kingi, [?]otorua, and Otto At right e winning team of the Port Moresby Soft Ball ciation, with their Burns Philp trophy.

Photos: Tele-Photo and Papuan Prints.