-142- The town is agog with reports on the murder by natives of both officers at Telefomin Gov't station on the upper Sepik. Both were inexperienced and opinion is that they should not have been posted to an area only recently (1948) brought under control. No less than 36 experienced officers, some of them 15 years in district service, are away at administration school in Sydney! Many stations are in charge of young patrol officers such as Szarka and Harris who were killed at Telefomin. A great patrol of 4 white officers and 36 native police has been flown into Telefomin to investigate the murders and apprehend the culprits. Critics of the administration are calling it "Operation Hannibal". Tom Gilliard of the Museum, en route to the middle Sepik and Telefomin on a bird collecting and photographing expedition (his wife with him) left Port Moresby early in the week. His plan was to go to Telefomin in about 3 months' time. The area will probably be closed to him. Sunday, November 15, 1953: Left Moresby 12:50 by Qantas Skymaster and arrived Brisbane's Eagle Farm airport 7:15. Very smooth flight, the big plane not much more than half full. Flew at 9500 ft. and touched the queensland coast near Rockhampton. Clearing Customs took about 1 1/4 hours. No fuss, but not enough staff. Improved my acquaintance with a New Zealand writer - retired sheep farmer named Douglas Cresswell. On a 10-year assignment from his government to report on Australia, he has done a 7-week tour of Papua/New Guinea as guest of Qantas. Visited the Trobriads (3 weeks), Central Highlands, Middle Sepik, APC oil prospecting camps in western Papua, including Everill Junction on the Fly River. Keen, intelligent, "English type" man of about 60 who saw 4 years of service in World War I. Much impressed with opportunities for agriculture and other development in the territories. Qantas manager in Port Moresby talked with me about a charter flight which the Dutch Government has been trying to arrange with his company to land an administrative party at Lake Habbema for purpose of bringing the Balim Valley under control. Flight now unlikely to be made. Dutch military restrictions too stringent. No photographs - air or ground - allowed. Qantas interests are largely from a publicity point of view. Dutch military said to be charging the civil administration tremendously high rates for plane charters. Brisbane people complaining about the first heat of summer. Weather pleasantly cool to me after Port Moresby and Samarai. Town much quieter at night than Moresby - at least this Sunday evening. At the Papua Hotel in Port Moresby there is a roar of motor traffic. At Lennon's in Brisbane all is quiet, even though this is the wool sale season and the town full of buyers from other countries.