how to look after them, the collection is in good condition. There is a movement in Cairns to establish a district natural history and historical museum. Leaders in the movement are the Harbour Board and the Natural- ists' Club. The idea is to make if a War Memorial museum. Support has been sought from the city council and the influential RSSILA (ex-servicemens' organiz- ion). The town council, dominated by Mayor Collins, who has held office continuous- ly for 21 years, has not been helpful. Collins wants a memorial park, out at Edge Hill, where he lives and has property. The RSSILA, all for the museum idea at first, is now split two ways, one faction supporting the battlers for the museum, the other, and apparently the most powerful, falling in behind the mayor. The harbour board has plans for early reclamation of ten acres of mudflat at the inner entrance to the warfage area and they have offered a site for a museum and grounds xm there. This site would be ideal. The Cairns harbour is a beauty spot, instead of the all too common slummy approach to a coastal commercial center. But as I see it the outlook for starting the museum is not very promising at the present time. The political situation is not favorable, nor is there any interest in top business circles. The blight of absentee ownership lies on trade and industry. Profits are the one interest, and profits go to the controlling share holders in the South. Still fighting hard, though somewhat discouraged, the pro-museum committee has approached General Douglas Macarthur in the hope that through him the U.S. government might be brought to show interest in the scheme. Cairns was a great transportation and training area for U.S. forces during the Pacific campaign of World War II. Sunday Oct. 3: Leaving Geoff in charge in Cairns, I flew to Brisbane (Marie with me). Left Cairns at 6:55 AM and arrived in Brisbane about the middle of the afternoon. Traveled TAA (Trans-Australian Airline) on a DC3 of modern type. T.e names of Australian airlines are confusing to a stranger. TMA is owned by the Commonwealth government, and is a thorn in the side of ANA (Australian National Airways), which is privately owned and for a long time had a virtual monopoly on the more lucrative routes. TAA was established only two years ago and still operates in the red. It began by reducing rates. Now a third big outfit, Ansett Airlines, has entered the field, and has reduced rates still further. A bitter tussle is going on and the powers at work are not generally known to the public. As far as I can make out, ANA is owned by big British shipping interests; their hold on air traffic has been resented by a socialistically inclined Federal government, and their rates complained of by the public. (ANA rates remain unchanged where they have no competition, e.g. the Thursday Id. run). Having bought control of the old-established QANTAS air company some years ago and since maintained services to Singapore and the Islands, also internal services, the Federal government has experience in airlines operation and TAA has a good safety record. ANA has had several bad disasters of late. Ansett is said to be owned by Australian shipping interests, but carries the name of its managing director, Ansett, a bright young man of 28. Air services are only a sideline for Ansett. They are going into the tourist business in a big way: buying hotels, bus lines and small ships, and embarking on a scheme for developing resorts on islands inside the Barrier Reef, where they are building hotels described as modern. The Australian press is beating the war drums to an increased tempo of late, without much visible effect upon the population. But one sees signs of prepara- tion for an emergency. The great string of military airports along the east coast are being enlarged so that their runways can be used by the most modern big planes. Staying at Lennons Hotel.