New Guinea Market for Australian Rice

Australian Rice

(From Our Own Correspondent.) CANBERRA, October 14.

I understand that enquiries are be ing made to ascertain whether the market for rice in New Guinea Man dated Territory may not be captured lor the Australian article.

As has been previously pointed out, Australia’s production of rice now meets her domestic requirements and leaves a surplus for export amounting to approximately 10,000 tons. Rice is an article of diet that is being increas ingly used by planters and other em ployers of native labour for feeding their “boys”; and the value of the an nual importation is now about £90,000.

Up to date most of this has been purchased from Eastern countries, and there is no reason why, if the price can be adjusted, New Guinea should not absorb Australia’s surplus produc tion.

Officials are reticent, but it is stated that the matter is now being discussed between the Administrator of the Ter ritory (Brig.-General Wisdom), the Prime Minister’s Department and the shipping companies concerned, who are being asked to make some freight con cessions so as to assist Australia in capturing this trade.