-6- tour this morning. His 50-ton vessel broke down and he had to be towed in about 100 miles by another vessel. He is much interested in our trop and will instruct his officer at Baniara to assist us. Healy spoke of white pelicans which have appeared in Duporre' Lagoon (on the main barrier reef south of the Conflict Group), apparently carried there by a hurricane last year. Such birds were unknown there before. They are protected by law. He counted 31 on the lagoon a couple of days ago. Heard more from Healy of a chain of observation posts which is being (or has been) established along the Dutch border. He calls them political observation posts to watch for Indonesian infiltration. They are manned by District Services officers and armed native constabulary. One is at Lake Murray, another at Orville on the Upper Fly, and there are several along the border of the Trust Territory, on the Hollandia side of the Central Range. Australia regards very seriously the possibility of the Indonesians taking over western New Guinea from the Dutch. Wynn arrived from Milne Bay late in the afternoon. We talked well into the night. Red-headed, open-faced, active man of 30-35. Has done a great deal of walking about in the mountains of the "East End" recruiting labor for plantations. Has been in the Bamu and Kikori areas in the west; croco- dile shooting on Woodlark Island (the kill easy to recover in the clear waters of the reefs). For past two months has been running a small sawmill in Milne Bay. Have engaged him at £ 60 a month and keep. Have learned at last the reason for the very hospitable and helpful attitude of A.H. Bunting Ltd. Good wartime relationships between Americans and Australians are still paying off. When Bunting returned to Papua in 1945 to gather up the wreckage of his property and re-establish his business, he was taken in and helped by Americans at the Milne Bay base. When Dusty Miller visited the U.S. as a bomber pilot during the war he was royally en- tertained by a family living at Oyster Bay, Long Island. Now Archbold Ex- peditions are the guests of the Bunting Company in Samarai. We not only have the use of Bunting's own house. Food and native servants are provided as well. Thursday 3/12/52: Nine boys signed on as general laborers at one pound a month, plus food, clothing, tobacco, etc. Their contract is for 12 months. The boys were recruited two months ago for the China Straits Construction Coy., which is going out of business. After being paid off, they agreed to work for us. These proceedings and a medical inspection occupied most of the day. As we will be going into mountains above 4000 ft., the law required the issue of 3 blankets and 1 flannel shirt, in addition to articles ordinarily supplied. Will give the boys another flannel shirt before we leave the coast. They should have a change of warm clothing. Will also increase their wages, if they turn out well, as I expect they will. These are "Gosiago" boys from Ferguson Island (1 from Goodenough Id.), the New Guinea "fuzzy-wuzzies" of World War II. One of them was with us on the Fly River in 1936, although for some reason he did not go inland. All we need now to complete personnel is a cook boy. The astronomical wage of £ 7 a month is being offered for this important job, but so far no taker is in view.