N. Guinea —Papua

Steamer Services Linked Marsina to be Withdrawn

AS indicated in the September is sue, finality has been now reached between the Federal Government and Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd., the island mail shipping service contractors, regarding the fur ther revision of the New Guinea and Papuan services.

Briefly, the new schedules, which were sanctioned by the Government on October 9, link up the Papuan and New Guinea services—the Macdhui and Montaro being allotted to tills run. The Marsina, which maintained the Sydney-New Guinea-Bougainville trip, is withdrawn and is being held in reserve. The Mataram which, dur ing recent months, was placed on the Sydney-Papua service, is being re verted to the Solomon Islands.

The Morinda schedule (Norfolk Is land-Auckland-New Hebrides) given in detail in last issue, is not affected by this latest revision.

The rearrangement brings to an end the lengthy negotiations between Burns, Philp and the Federal authori ties. Many difficult points had to be threshed out and much opposition from the Territories themselves had to be overcome.

Communities in the northern is lands will be eager to know just how they fare by this new arrangement, and, a comparison of the position existing prior to the combining of the services, with the present schedule is interesting.

Port Moresby To Benefit

Taking Papua first, a noticeable feature is the improved service to be given to Port Moresby. Instead of a monthly steamer, the capital of the Territory is now to have approxim ately one vessel a fortnight on both the north and south trips.

Samarai’s shipping service has been always superior to that of Port Mor esby, as the town was a regular port of call for the two New Guinea steam ers, as well as the Papuan mail ves sel. Samarai is now catered for on similar lines to Port Moresby.

The Papuan outports—Yule Island to the west, and Woodlark Island in the south-eastern division —will suffer by the new arrangement. Under the Papuan service contract, they were served on every alternate monthly trip. Now, however, the north-bound steamer will call there about every three months, and they will not be touched at on the south-bound trip.

The actual position in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea is not quite so easy to follow, in view of the larger number of ports there.

It can be said, however, that whereas, previously, Rabaul had an average of two steamers a month, both inwards and outwards, it will now have one about every 20 days.

The fast trip of eight days to and from Sydney, by the Macdhui, will be altered. Following the October trip, the Macdhui leaves Sydney on Decem ber 5 and reaches Rabaul on Decem ber 14. The down trip by the Mac dhui will also occupy about nine days, while the down voyage of the Mon toro will take 14 days, as this steamer will make the trip over to the Solo mon Islands, to call at Kieta.

Madang and Kavieng, which had approximately two steamers a month, will be now visited only about once a month. The goldfields port of Salamaua and most of the other out ports, will not be touched by the Montoro at all, being served solely by the Macdhui.

With regard to the Queensland ports, the Montoro is to call at Bris bane, Townsville and Cairns, on her voyage to Port Moresby, and at Cairns and Brisbane on her return. The Macdhui will only call at Brisbane.

The Montoro will leave Sydney about every five weeks, from Novem ber 14, and the Macdhui about every five weeks from December 5.

Except for the change-over from the Montoro to the Mataram, the Brit ish Solomon Islands time-table re mains unaltered.

Pull itineraries for all Islands steamers are published on Page 18.