Strange Tribal

Beware These

Customs

The news from the Port Moresby jungle is that the “can nibals” in the hotel business may yet be pushed into the Highlands by the competition of the new

Outrigger Motel, properly

managed by Mrs. Lillian

Barclay-Millar.

But the white “savages” remain in control of banks, airlines and even beauty parlours, and slow tor ture is the fate of visitors seeking to civilise the island.

The Australian taxpayer is being bled by tribal customs ranging from inefficiency to highway robbery. But he never sees the knife that cuts him.

Adventurous businessmen see the flashing spears and depart in droves for American Samoa. But the tour ists are stuck.

Stone-age inhabitants

The original inhabitants of New Guinea are so sweet and wear such pretty headdresses that visitors will continue to defy the stone-age in habitants of Port Moresby to reach the Highlands. What is needed is a non-stop jet from Sydney to Mount Hagen, but meanwhile, tourists need protection.

For instance, the ANZ Bank, Port Moresby, short-changed me by SUS2O. When I objected, the man took out a pencil and figured that the bank was giving me more than I deserved. I had to point out that he had made an error in division.

At this, he went back into a corner with his figures. Fifteen minutes later he consulted the accountant. (Over)

Together, after another 15 min utes, they told me how they man aged it.

I had cabled my bank in New York for SUS2,OOO, paying as usual for cables and traveller’s cheques. The money came, and they took their proper 1 per cent, for the transaction. Then they took a piece of scrap paper and converted US dollars into Austra lian dollars at the buying rate. Next, they converted Australian dollars in to US dollars at the selling rate and took another 1 per cent. for scrap paper arithmetic.

No such bank transaction ever took place. I did not buy or sell Australian dollars.

Around the corner, Trans-Austra lia Airlines refused to relinquish a suitcase I sent air cargo from Sydney until I paid them three times as much as the rate quoted by Qantas in Sydney.

Qantas, Port Moresby, quoted the same rate as Sydney. So I asked Qantas to get me a refund. But after consultation between Qantas and TAA, the airlines agreed there are no cargo rates to Port Moresby and I owed excess baggage rates.

It was just my hard luck that Qantas Sydney had given me the wrong in formation.

This bag could have been shipped easily and cheaply from Sydney to my next stop, Manila, by-passing Port Moresby. Not only did I pay an outrageous fee to bring a bag I did not need into Port Moresby, I face an outrageous fee to get it out.

There is no point in tearing your hair over such treatment. The beauty parlour does that for you.

It happened when I asked for an ash blonde rinse to tone down my sunbleached hair and received in stead a honey blonde rinse calcu lated to make it brassier than before. As the operator washed it out, she snapped; “There’s always someone who thinks they know better.”

Even the native grammar is peculiar. And in Port Moresby the customer is always wrong, even about the natural colour of her hair.

THE 43 ft tourist charter launch Yanina has been sold to two Lae businessmen Messrs. T. Hayes and S. Noble and will be used for charter work out of Lae.

Previously, Yanina was used out of Kavieng, and was known as one of New Ireland’s best charter vessels.