April 28th. Things are beginning to take shape now and work progress satisfactorily. 37 Sentani and 24 Hollandia coolies getting building timber for houses and go-downs; 12 Hollandias getting rotan; Makassars finished shifting benzine from wharf and began barking timber. Holes dug for both go-downs, as far down as water would allow. The narrow vale in which Hollandia is situated is apparently nothing more than a river channel, swampy right across, but now partly drained and filled up. Beneath the old concrete floors on which we are building the godowns we found loose sand saturated with fresh water rising almost to the surface of the with the tide. Holes dug in this sand immediately collapsed at the sides. Was informed by Capt. Fininga (of the Bantam) that, on our survey of the 25th, we will be able to float the plane to the ramp on at least one tide a day through- out the year. Fininga was also good enough to offer us the use of the Bantam's searchlights when bringing in the plane at night and gave us a trial display this evening. Have asked the controleur to get sago for our Sentani coolies. The atap (3000 sticks ordered through Mr. Jamnsen at Ambon) is beginning to come in today. Payin 2 1/2 cents per stick of approximately 6 feet. April 29th. Had in all 96 coolies working today. 26 Sentanis and 26 Hollandias getting the first stringers for the aeroplane ramp. 4 bringing each a long bamboo for radio from a distant village along the coast, 10 putting atap walls in a big shed to house the Sentani coolies, 2 making a W.C. over the creek at our own quarters and the remainder preparing timbers for the first godown and levelling off the tip of the beach for the ramp. The two logging gangs brought in between them 63 meters of logs, some of them 14 and 15 meters long and up to -- diameter at the big end. At this rate we would have in a week all the stringer timbers required for the ramp. The [illegible] local coolies bringing the biggest logs but the Sentanis choosing better timber.