Islands Services

Improved

New Guinea Gets Two Steamers a Month

Morinda To Establish Sydney - Norfolk

Island-Auckland Service

AFTER lengthy negotiations between the Commonwealth Government and the contracting firm, Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd., the rearrangement of Islands mail steamers has been now finalised. The new itinerary provides improved services to the Territories and involves a general change-over of vessels.

THE merging of the New Guinea and Papuan services, which was considered at one stage, has not been adopted. Instead, Papua retains an independent vessel—the Mataram — and New Guinea will be served by the new M.V. Macdhui and the Marsina.

The Macdhui will maintain a monthly service and will call at practically the same ports as the Montoro, which has been diverted to the Solomon Islands.

The Marsina’s route has been al tered by the inclusion of the outports of Namatanai, Karu, Ramat, Bopire, Kimadan and Witu, and the omission of Tulagi (British Solomon Islands), Norfolk Island and Lord Howe Island.

She will leave Sydney every five weeks.

Whereas, previously, New Guinea had a regular three-weekly service, this has been now improved, so that the Terri tory will have approximately two steamers each month. A further im provement, which is of particular in terest to Rabaul residents, is that the southward trip—Rabaul to Sydney— by the Macdhui will take seven days, as compared with eight by the Montoro.

Another alteration on the New Guinea service is the inclusion of Townsville as an optional port on the northward trip from Sydney.

Under the new intinerary the Papuan schedule has not been altered. The steamer, however, has been changed.

The Morinda made her last trip there in May and now takes over the Norfolk Island-New Hebrides run. The June trip will be made by the Montoro, and then the Mataram, from the Solomon Islands, comes on to this service.

The Solomon Islands will be catered for by the Montoro, which will main

tain an improved service on the basis of every five and a half weeks, instead of six-weekly.

Norfolk Island-New Zealand

Link

An important alteration, which will be appreciated by Norfolk Island resi dents, is the extension of the Norfolk Island service to Auckland. Besides this innovation, the Islanders will bene fit in other ways. Firstly, the old Makambo will be replaced by the Morinda and, secondly, a three-weekly service with Sydney will be provided, as (against a two-weekly and four weekly, maintained by the Makambo.

The Marsina is to discontinue calling on her southward trip from New Guinea but, in view of the improve ments, this will be hardly missed.

With a better vessel and the regular link with New Zealand, many tourists should be attracted to Norfolk Island and the future outlook for this Terri tory is distinctly improved. Another important phase is that the Norfolk Island planters will have a regular new outlet and be able to get their produce across to the New Zealand markets in three days. The Morinda, which will cross to New Zealand every alternate trip, will remain in Auckland two days before returning to Sydney via Nor folk and Lord Howe.

The New Hebrides service is still on a six-weekly basis and will be carried out by the Morinda.

The future movements of the Mak ambo are not known.

All the new schedules, with approxi mate sailing dates at intermediate ports, are published in detail on page 16 of this issue.