-30- a weak government and inexperienced local officers. When finally the ring was broken, sufficient money was recovered to repay the shareholders 13/- in the pound. In the great Purari Delta village of Kaimauri, at about the same time, the Parari Sago Manufacturing Company Proprietary Limited was set up by another rogue named Tommy Kobo. In defying the government, two district services of- ficers and their police were chased out of the village. All contacts with white traders and recruiters were cut off. As at Wedau, cargo cult entered into the picture. As a beginning, all trade was taken into native hands. Large quanti- ties of sago were made and a boat bought to transport it to Hanuabada Village (at Port Moresby). Much sago was sold, but no proceeds reached the shareholders. I am not clear as to what happened to Kobo. At any rate, he served during the war as mess boy on an American small ship. On calls to Australia, the commander of the ship would take him into his house as a guest. Kobo had had some sort of education. Typed his company business letters in broken English. By a coincidence, one of my boys asked me today when the Americans would arrive to join our party. Later it developed that five more Americans were ex- pected. The inference is that somehow in the native mind we are connected with cargo cult. In the postwar version of this, Americans are supposed to be the people who will bring all sorts of manufactured goods and give them away to the native population. The was left the impression that Americans were a sort touch. Thursday 3/26/53. Variable wind(or breeze) mostly from the SE, and the day slightly cooler. Set out northwest and north to find the track leading toward Mukawa on the north coast. I want to find out how far inland the natural savannas are situ- ated. Missed a turnoff on the path I followed from the head of Menapi Bay and ended up in sago swamps and native gardens. Collected there, then turned back and found the track I had been looking for. Followed it half a mile or so north, through good rain forest in a small valley, then onto Imperata grassland among forest patches. Met on the way an old native and two young women, laden with copra in string bags. The old man knew Motu and confirmed the identity of the path. Natives who own any number of coconut trees are busy making copra. The trade stores are paying the high price of threepence a pound for it. Some off the coastal villages have small community plantations of coconuts. Am averaging 20 collection numbers of plants a day - as many as I can handle. The most interesting today were giant sedge Mapania 21679, gregarious on the banks of a shadowed stream in rain forest, and several mosses from the rotting trunks of old sago palms in the swamps and from the rain forest. A new species for the mammal collection was a bandicoot (Echymipera) trapped in a grass patch. Late in the day we had a welcome surprise. A party of natives from the mountains with English potatoes to sell. About 100 pounds in all, which we bought for cash at the ruling rate of sixpence a pound. The natives had walked from Ikara Village at the foot of Mt. Simpson, 6 or 7 days away. No potatoes were to be had in Samarai when we laid in our stores and we have been using rice as a substitute. Not much native food is to be had in this area. Bananas are