Nutshell

In A Nutshell

roposals for self-government for Methodist Church in Fiji and itern Samoa were unanimously jrsed at the General Conference he Methodist Church of Austra i held in Adelaide, South Austra in May. The decision means the areas will set up their own Terences after more than 100 *s of Methodist work there. The rches will have the same status those in the various Australian es. $ $ 3{e ongan motorists are now equip their vehicles with amber ured headlamps to reduce glare, safety helmets will shortly have be worn by motor cyclists and r passengers. !j! H* H* remier of Tonga, Prince Tungi, in America and Europe in May. of his objects was to buy a new 0 ton vessel for the Tonga Copra rd, to be used in the transport of n coconuts from Tonga to Pago 3 for the processing factory being up there with American and gan capital. The Tonga Marine jrintendent, Captain J. T. Suther i, joined Prince Tungi in Europe. * * * he P-NG Administration has sur :d 2,500 acres of the Lower ut Valley, which joins the Mark- Valley, for possible settlement, >wing inquiries from interested pie. The survey is now being uated.

He * ❖ five-passenger Piper Aztec B air t will be based at Rabaul, New nea, in June to operate a new V air service to Jacquinot Bay, tsea, Hoskins, Kandrian, Finsch ;n and Lae. The cabin can also be d to carry a stretcher, patient, ;or. nurse and medical supplies. aircraft will mainly service the ninistration but will also be avail for general charter work. It has ruising speed of 190 miles per r. * * * Ir. Charles R. Hill arrived in

Pago Pago from the US on April 24 to supervise the construction of a factory for the American Can Company, part of which is expected to begin operations in June. Tem porary quarters for the US em ployees, who will be brought in to work at the factory, are being set up in the old Poyer School nearby.

The factory will provide cans for American Samoa’s two tuna-fishing companies. ♦ * * The demolition of the 100-years old Leone Catholic Church, the oldest church on Tutuila, American Samoa, began in May. The church is to be replaced on the same site by a bigger one of modern design, which is expected to be dedicated in September. * * * Seventy-five Phoenix Islanders will leave the GEIC in the Tulagi in June to settle on the small island of Wagina in South-east Choiseul, BSIP. sj! Hi S£ The first geological map of the BSIP, the culmination of 13 years of field exploration, has been printed in England. Copies were received in Honiara in April. The map incor porates the latest bathymetric con tours from work done by HMS Cook in 1958. Among those who helped to produce the map were Dr. P. J.

Coleman, Dr. R. L. Stanton, Mr. J.

C. Grover and members of the BSIP Geological Survey Department.

A new airstrip suitable for Cessna aircraft has been completed in the Owen Stanley Ranges about 40 miles north-west of Port Moresby. It is at Manuma, Mount Koairi.

At the Nomad patrol post, in the Western District of Papua, the exist ing airstrip has been extended for Piaggio-type aircraft. * * « Because of a shortage of water at Mota Lava, Banks Group, New

jrides, tanks storing 10,000 gallons to be provided. Construction ns directed by the British Service erintendent of Works in Vila will all the tanks. Materials will be imbled in Vila for shipment. ♦ ♦ ♦ Vork is proceeding apace in the IC on three causeways linking the ts of Tarawa atoll, between riki, the Colony Headquarters, and iriki. Old inhabitants shake their ds and say the causeways, built of chrock, will not last, but a sample >th built almost a year ago still ears sound and the prospects seem ouraging. * * * *iji is to introduce a subsidy *me on August 1 designed to assist wing in the coconut industry to ntain maximum production from iting plantations and to provide the expansion of copra producing as. jrants will be payable to growers clearing bush, planting, replant , tninning of groves and for main ance until palms begin to bear.

Tie scheme will not be compulsory growers will not be required to tribute towards the subsidy fund, initial grant of £31,000 has been de by Britain towards the cost of year’s operation of the scheme further substantial grants are ex ted in succeeding years. * ♦ • Reports from outlying parts of the ik District indicate that the natives becoming increasingly interested the recently established Adminis ion radio station of Wewak. 110 sets have been installed at ;ral centres. * * * 'iji has bought 12 pedigree cattle the United States to improve the ony’s beef herds. Eight of the ;le are Santa Gertrudis and four Zebus. The total cost is estimated about £lO,OOO. ♦ * * Australia’s Prime Minister, Sir bert Menzies, unveiled a com oiorative stone from the Kokoda 111 in the foyer of the RSL head irters building in Canberra in May. t stone symbolises the links be en the P-NG and Australia in war I peace.

ji is to issue a local development of £l 4 million on July 17. The will close not later than July 15. money will help to finance de >ment projects costing more than lillion this year. lis is the ninth local development to be issued in Fiji since the All have been fully subscribed, le terms of the loan will be an ced early in June. * * * party of 30 Army Cadets :»ed 15,400 ft. Mount Wilhelm ■NG’s Eastern Highlands District Vfay. Mount Wilhelm is the ;st peak in the Territory, He Hs ❖ ie GEIC Public Works Depart ; is having a busy year building s and restoring the wartime air ► at Funafuti and Bonriki awa) for the start of the Fiji ays service later this year. The at Bonriki has been maintained asonable condition and has been occasionally by Service aircraft, the Funafuti strip was planted coconuts after the war. ie PWD is also building a Counfor the new GEIC Ad y Council which holds its first 3n in September. The building also be used as a court house and be constructed largely of local rials. sj: ❖ the invitation of the Fiji Gov icnt, the South Pacific Commis will hold a Regional Conference uva on low-cost housing in the h Pacific from June 6 to June 15. ie Conference will examine and iss methods being used in the ic territories to meet the urgent ing needs of their people. :presentatives from American aa, the BSIP, Cook Islands, Fiji, ch Polynesia, New Caledonia, Hebrides, Niue, Papua-New iea, Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Samoa, will attend. The jrnments of Australia and Great in will be represented by official rvers. ♦ * ie Guadalcanal Council has be the first stage of a joint Govern ; and Council scheme to examine ssible route for a road via Gold e to the Kuma Valley on the her coast, which would link some 3 people with Honiara.