164 Lae Dinner at the Lee Ashton's; John, Ken, and Brown and wife of Burns Philp also guests. Thursday, December 10. Day spent at the Forest Herbarium on Vacciniaceae and conifers. Old mold on some specimens, but collection generally in good condition. Duplicates of my collections are important part of it (including many pf the 1938-39 expedition). Lot of the 1956 collection (from Leiden) now being mounted. Buntings of Goroka will buy the Land Rover for £900. Have word that after arrival at Goroka yesterday on regular Wednesday govt. charter flight, Van had to charter a Cessna to get to Nondugl. Friday, December 11. Very hot weather for last 3 days; maximum 91° F. yesterday. Our cargo - 13 crates and boxes for the Museum, 5 boxes for the Smithsonian - was delivered at the wharf this afternoon by Forest Dept; semi-trailer for shipment to Sydney per "Malaita" on the 14th, thence to New York by Pioneer Line. Rev. M.E.G. Cruttwell of Menapi due to arrive tomorrow by air to talk botany with John Womersley and me. At the main wharf this afternoon I saw the Arfak, Dutch vessel of about 100 tons, which has opened a new trade between Hollandia and this Territory. A large part of the trade is in Lae beer. The ship carries great numbers of empty bottles from Hollandia. While the ship waits at the wharf, these are rushed to the brewery and refilled. The Lae Brewery struggles under a shortage of bottles. Until rather recently they refilled the bottles in which Australian beer was shipped to New Guinea. Now the Australian beer comes in cans. The bottle shortage has become acute and the price for empties has gone up to 5 pence each. Saturday, December 12. Cruttwell arrived by Qantas from Port Moresby about 8:45 and is our guest at the Bunting house. He and Womersley and I spent the day looking at plants he has collected recently on Mt. Dayman and other parts of his district. Also walked through the Botanic Gardens; photographed orchids, etc. Crut has from the Aneita peak of Mt. Dayman one of the high altitude Cyatheas, which looks like C. macgregori. At Womersley's house after dinner Crut showed numerous fair to very good quality Kodachromes of orchids, rhododendrons, etc. Womersley showed some made on a recent visit to Hollandia, Manokwasi and Biak in Dutch New Guinea; a few from the same places by Don Mackintosh, Regional Forest Officer. Was surprised to see that postwar Manokwasi is a sizable town. It is a Dutch government achievement with hardly any settlement or industry to support it. Large stands of Kausi pine (Agathia) in the interior of Japan Island are likely to be exploited by Guinea Gold Comp. of TNG. on a cut-out and get-out basis. Forest policy of Papua - N. Guinea is strong on conservation. The Dutch, in fear of losing their territory are taking what they can as fast as they can.