The Bremerhaven

Vol. 2. No. 3.

October, 1931

THE suggestion that this journal is trying to restrict the activities of the German steamer Bremer haven in New Guinea —simply be cause the Australian shipping and trading companies will not stand up to keen German competition, is un justified and unfair. This journal is independently owned and edited, and is anxious to do everything possible to advance the interests of the Pacific territories as a whole, without fear or favour. It is in the interests of New Guinea residents that Australian connections there should be protected —within reason.

The arguments of those who sup port the Bremerhaven are set out on page 12. Our correspondents make out a good case for non-interference, and we have no comment to make thereon, except in reference to the manning of the Bremerhaven, in com parison with the manning of the inter island steamers. The German ship is manned by Chinese, and the Aus tralian-owned ships by natives. One Chinese is worth three or four natives, but there is not that difference in their pay. The Australian ships, ob serving Australian conditions, pay their white officers just about double the amount received by the officers on the German ships. The Australian shipowners say that, if they were allowed to use Chinese instead of na tives on their small vessels, and pay their officers at the same rates as the Germans, they would never be troubled by the Bremerhaven.

There is, in the Territory, a sort of Implied fear of “the grip of the big firms,” and an eagerness to encourage competition against them. One understands and sympathises with that feeling. Inherent in all of us are hatred and distrust of a monop oly, wherever found and in whatever guise. We hold no brief for the big firms, whose power and influence in the Territory are very great. But one must be fair; and none can deny that, if the big firms have drawn big profits from the Territory in the past, they have also carried the Territory through this cruel depression. With out them there would have been a general smash. Any man of intelli gence, knowing that it costs from £200 to £250 per day to run the Mac dhui or Marsina can calculate what Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. are los ing in these lean times on their islands services. Australia is has been for years—heavily subsidis ing the Territories and the Islands shipping services. Is it not right, then, that Australian interests in the Islands should be protected, within reason, against unfair foreign competition?

However, the situation is solving itself. Shippers by the Bremerhaven do not receive return sales for many months. Shippers through the Aus tralian firms get full credit at once, plus the immediate benefit of the rul ing exchange—which is now 30 per cent. The exchange may alter, now, at any moment —though January is the “expert tip.” Far-sighted planters are not likely to risk losing the bene fit of the exchange, in order to get the comparatively small advantage of shipping per the Bremerhaven from the outports. It looks, therefore, as if the Bremerhaven difficulty will automatically disappear.