That’S The Way The

Money Goes In Png

Wide-ranging financial discrepan

cies and lack of control are revealed in the Auditor-General’s report covering Papua New Guinea’s first year of nationhood. But the report blames the situation on a lack of experience and skills rather than on inherent weakness in PNG’s approach to its national management. Shortage of staff, too, is blamed for much of the situation.

The report of the Auditor-General, Mr J. F. Loughry, covers the 12 months to last June.

It tells of a 60% error level in wage processing, K 45 million accounts discrepancy in Port Moresby (now reduced to K 23 million) unnecessary cost of more than K 1 million on vehicle operations, and a backlog of K 6 million in uncollected telephone accounts.

The K 45 million discrepancy in accounts at the Port Moresby Area Finance Office was “incredible” the report said, and mounted up through simple failure to keep reconciliations up-to-date.

The report also drew attention to purchases and dealings without appropriate authority. One of these involved the purchase of a K 126,000 house fora PNG diplomat in a country the report does not name. The house had apparently been bought without authority and in addition to one already occupied, the report said.

Three colour TV receivers and an aerial system were installed in the house at a cost of K 2,600.

The report also told how K 105,000 was withdrawn without authority from a PNG diplomatic account abroad, and the money paid into an investment company. Irregularities in airline ticket purchases and travel expenses were also detailed.

The report revealed that, because maintenance services on government houses in PNG were deferred, rot and insect infestation had now put some houses beyond economic repair.

The demolition of the houses was now recommended, and * deferred maintenance on other houses had now mounted to about Kl.l million.

The Auditor-General criticised the government’s failure to keep a complete register of its property,

except for housing. He also found evidence that some public servants had been paid for up to six months after they had left their jobs.

Outlining the causes and remedies, the report said that 60% of departmental audit jobs were not filled because of a shortage of skilled and experienced staff. There was an urgent need to embark on an expanded training scheme to fill positions involving financial management and control.

A “more virile” approach was needed in taking disciplinary action where losses were caused by public servants not doing their jobs properly, the Auditor-General said.

Micronesian copra

goes to Europe

A recent shipment of 2,000 tonnes of copra cake from Koror in Micronesia to Hamburg in-West Ger many, points the way to further development of the Trust Territory copra industry. It was the first large export from the Trust Territory to Europe, according to Mr Guy Lut trell, president of the Micronesian In dustrial Corporation.

He said there was a strong market in Europe for copra cake because it was such a good cattle feed. The MIC was now looking at ways of increasing the use of copra cake within the territory, to help lift pig, chicken and cattle production. It would cost about one-third of the price farmers paid for importing commercial feed from other areas.

The MIC copra mill is the biggest industrial undertaking in the Trust Territory, costing SUS 3 million to build. It is buying all the copra in the territory.

Solomons’ rice in

a dead man’s chest

Rice grown on Guadalcanal Plain in the Solomons by Brewer Solomons Associates is among a range of products contained in an historic, 175year-old sea chest which is now on permanent display at the Honolulu headquarters of C. Brewer and Co Ltd.

The company is one of the “Big

Five” businesses in Hawaii. Brewer Solomons Associates is one of its sub sidiaries.

The chest also contains many other items including sugar and macadamia nuts from Hawaii, spices and coffee from Central America and fresh and processed potatoes from Oregon all produced and marketed by C.

Brewer and subsidiaries around the world.

The chest, which originally belong ed to Captain James Hunnewell, who founded the Brewer company in Honolulu in 1826, was a 150th an niversary present to the company from Robert F. Caiman, executive vice-president of IU International Corp, of Philadelphia. IU holds 53% of the shares in Brewer & Co.

Caiman discovered the chest by ac cident in a Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, antique shop last summer. The link with Hunnewell was discovered from a scratched in scription inside.

A Brewer news release says the chest "is an excellent example of early American craftsmanship. Its hand cut, dovetail joints and handforged hinges are as strong today as when it was built in New England around 1800”.

The Coolidge

emptied at last

All the oil has been salvaged from the President Coolidge, the US troopship which sank in Segond Channel at Santo in the New Hebrides during World War II after hilling a US mine. The last 191 tons of oil pumped from the ship was transferred to the P&O liner, Ar cadia, when she called at Santo recently.

P&O bought all the oil. Salvage Pacific Ltd, of Suva, which had the contract to remove the oil, started work in July. Altogether, it recovered 550 tons of oil, which was 300 tons less than the quantity believed to be still in the wreck.

Divers are still working in the wreck, particularly in the engine rooms, trying to recover usable metal. • The Papua New Guinea Finance Minister, Mr Julius Chan, announced in November that the Asian Develop ment Bank had approved a loan of K 10.5 million to establish water supplies in a number of PNG towns.

The loan would cover construction of water supplies for Lae, Mount Hagen and Wewak, and the design of a scheme for Madang.