162 Lae Tuesday, December 1. Van and John left for Wau by road this a.m. to see Horrie Clissold, who has been collecting mammals for us as a personal interest. Made good progress with the packing. The Dept. of Forests is making crates for special cargo which will not fit into the crates we brought with us from New York, and stored for the return freighting. For the botanical collection I have bought for 3/- each from a Chinese Storekeeper a lot of big packing cases from which, with some rebuilding, I can get enough space. The cases have already been several times rebuilt. Their last voyage was from Hongkong. Visited this evening Dick Lowe, friend of the Webbs of Cairns, i/c Electrical Undertakings Branch, Dept. of Civil Affairs. Interested in REA in the USA. Wednesday, December 2. The full day spent on the packing job, which is now well in hand as far as I can take it until Van does his part. The Dept. of Forests has come to our rescue again, this time in the matter of case nails, which were available only in big, heavy sizes at the commercial houses. Was visited by Hugh Osborne of Rossel Island and M.V. Yelangili. He was of great help to us in 1956. Today he brought me two pieces of ebony from Woodlark Island. Told of an outbreak of cargo cult in Mud Bay on Goodenough Island. It was of the violent kind. Plan was to murder first the sisters at the Methodist Mission at Bwaidoga, then Ann and Ailsa Gribben, Clem Rich at Nuatutu, Father Abbott of the Catholic Mission, and finally Dicky Ricks at the north end of the island. Clem Rich got word to government by radio and about midnight a detachment of armed police arrived from Samarai and broke up the movement. Clem's native wife or what have you, whom he stole from a corporal of police, probably saved the situation. Government is trying to soft-pedal the happening. Two of our boys are from Mud Bay. Thursday, December 3. Van and John did not return until 3:30 in the afternoon. Went as far as I could with my part of the packing -- some of it had to wait until after Van's return, and now that can't be finished until I return from Rabaul late Saturday. Radioed Department of Agriculture, Port Moresby for permit to export 2260 mammal, 4105 herpetological, 50 bird specimens and an estimated 1500 ectoparasites and 50,000 insects. Radiogram to Government Anthropologist, Port Moresby requesting permit to export four stone mortars and one grinding stone. Have applied to Chief, Division of Botany, Lae, for permit to export 3621 botanical collection numbers represented by 18,144 herbarium sheets. Friday - Saturday, December 4 and 5. Spent on an air trip with Mandated Airlines, on their Rabaul Courier flight, from Lae to Rabaul and back. Total flying time about 15 hours. DC 3 plane on one of the so-called "Bung Run" flights. Seats lengthwise along the fuselage; scant comfort. Cargo stacked under nets down aisle. Many native passengers, some of them dirty, covered with tinea, and not wearing shirts. Dogs, drums, betel-nut and all the rest of it. Places visited: Goroka, Madang, Wewak, Momote (Manus), Kavieng, Rabaul. We were supposed to do Lae to Rabaul on Friday and return Saturday, but Rabaul strip was closed by rain and we spent Friday night at Kavieng. Stayed with DC