168 Lae—Port Moresby-Cairns Dinner at "House Champion" (a govt. senior officers' mess) with Dorothy Shaw. After dinner show of Agfa color slides made by a young Crown Law man on a tour of the Mediterranean and India; one of two young lawyers of the service who have recently completed a course in international law at the Hague. Another of these men (McQuillian ?) a keen student of N.G. history. Showed me a copy of Greenop's "Who travels alone", which is a biography of Michluho-Maelay. Saturday, December 19. Some showers in morning; rest of day broken clouds. A good part of the day spent in drafting an outline report on the expedition for NSF. The terms of their grant require a report at end of the year. Visited Koki Market again in afternoon (there is nothing to be seen in the morning). More people and more produce than yesterday. Police were breaking up a fight between two native women when I arrived by taxi - the old triangle. White man of the British Foreign Bible Society selling the holy works and tracts in numerous translations; saw no actual sale. He told me that translations have been printed printed in about 200 languages and dialects in P-NG. All fish and crays that I saw were dead, though fresh looking. Government some time ago attempted to organize the refrigeration of sea foods - buying it from the fishermen on the reefs, but the fishermen asked more on the reefs than they could get in the market, on the grounds that their catch was really fresh out there and worth more. The women folk have taken over the selling in the markets lately and as a consequence a good cray which could formerly be had for 2/- now is sold for 3/-. Good big betel-nut sells for apenny each. Much of the garden produce is brought from the Rigo area, 40-50 miles east of Moresby, by native-owned trucks. Sunday, December 20. Left Cairns on Qantas DC 4. 12:40 arrived Cairns 3:20. Qantas has a monopoly in air traffic between P-NG and Australia and sometimes acts that way. Saw air freight parcels being grossly mishandled, and unloaded onto wet terminal a day or two ago. Today my pick-up at the hotel failed to materialize. Finally they sent a taxi to take me the 8-9 miles. New passenger terminal at airport, built this year, badly designed and already too small. Accoustics very bad. Several farewell parties going on. Almost impossible to hear the public address system in the din. Many people leaving for Christmas - on a Constellation to Brisbane and Sydney, on DC 4 to Cairns and Townsville. Was met at Cairns by the Bates, Webbs and Brooks. Staying at Hides Hotel - much deteriorated since 1948 and 1953. Had the Bates for dinner and they drove me to Bowen Waters to see Gordon Stephens later in evening. Cairns about as hot as Pt. Moresby. Not nearly as bad as Lae. Monday, December 21. Northerly weather and the town sweltering. Worst day of the year, it is said. Max. temperature. Day of visiting in town. First Ernie Stephens, Horticulturist, Dept. Agriculture and Stock. Joe Wyer, Secretary, Cairns Harbor Board. Fielder, who is honorary sec. North Queensland Naturalists Club and looks after the herbarium. Tom Webb, in wholesale electrical appliance business.