Ninigoes' neighbours want

more tourists

Manus, away up alongside the Western Isles, is trying to climb on to the tourist bandwagon, but first moves by the newly-created Manus Local Government Council to interest the Australian Government in its am bitions to possess an international air port didn't get very far.

The Minister for External Terri tories, Mr. Barnes, no less, personally turned down the suggestion. He was up in Manus in August and met the local council which was holding its first meeting. It’s a multi-racial coun cil, multi-racial because it’s got one European member, Mr. R. L. Knight, and as he’s the only fluent English speaker, his was the job to ask Mr.

Barnes for an airport. The airstrip at Momote was more than a mile long, long enough to land large air craft and Guam and Air Micronesia were only 1,100 miles away, so could they have an international airport?

Mr. Barnes said “No”, because the expense of building an international airport at Manus and staffing it, etc., would be prohibitive.

Later, a disappointed Mr. Knight told PIM that he thought Momote was ready-made for the job, and, if

wasn’t, there was a larger airstrip a t Mokerang which the US Forces built during World War 11. This strip was longer and harder and, though overgrown at the edges, could be made usable with fairly minimum effort. The only extra staff required would be a full-time Customs officer and a health officer, with a small increase in local ground staff, Airport, or no airport, Manus is getting on with the job of opening the territory to tourists. The council has started a Tourist Board with Mr.

Knight as president and Pokio Palko, the council president, has the “port folio” for tourism, There are limited tourist facilities in Manus already, says Mr. Knight, and individual family groups can be catered for locally if at least one month’s notice is given. Tours of the surrounding islands with camp-outs, barbecues, conchological expeditions —shell studying to ordinary people— fishing, etc.—-if the tourist is willing to “rough it in comfort”. There’s also road transport, overnight accommo dation and motorised outriggers, but no hotel—yet. .

An attractive block of land in Lorengau has been allocated for a hotel site, but there have been no applicants for the lease. It’s still open!

There is much excellent wood carving in the Western Isles and nearby Manus. This is an example from Manus.