The Bremerhaven

Planters Defend N.D.L.

Service Suggested Penalty Strongly Opposed.

A NUMBER of letters have come to hand from New Guinea plan ters, in which The Pacific Is lands Monthly is criticised for hav ing given publicity to representations which have been made to the Fed eral Government concerning the N.D.L. steamer, Bremerhaven.

The Bremerhaven comes down from the Far East, visits the outports of New Guinea and loads copra at those outports, which is thus shipped direct to the European market. Aus tralian shipping and trading firms have complained that they are thereby placed under a disadvantage, insofar as they have to provide for the cost of transport of copra from the New Guinea outports to Rabaul, from which gathering point it is shipped to the world markets. The advantage obtained by the Bremerhaven is the amount of the freight between the outports and Rabaul.

A number of arguments in favour of the Bremerhaven being placed under some penalty, so that she might compete on equal terms with the Aus tralian firms, were published in this journal.

Space considerations make it im possible for us to publish the whole of the letters received; but we gladly give publicity to all the essential points. The considered attitude of The Pacific Islands Monthly towards the Bremerhaven question is set out in our leading article on page 8.

A typical letter from New Guinea on this subject has been written by Mr. W. L. Heron, of Tovakundum Es tate, and it contains the following: “Your references to the Bremerhaven have very much disappointed many of your planter sub scribers. The impression has gained ground that your publication is ‘pro big firms,’ to the detri ment of the planters and others interested. Mis representation was obvious—but, it is hoped, un intentional.

“The Bremerhaven is manned with European officers and coolie labour, and has no first class saloon accommodation for European passengers.

Exactly the same description applies to the steam ers belonging to the Australian-owned shipping

companies-—namely the Maiwarra, Mirani and Ralum (Burns, Philp), and the Durour, Duris and Duranbah (W. R. Carpenter & Co.), which are officered by Europeans and manned by natives.

One assumes that the steamers which are feeling the competition of the Bremerhaven do not in clude such vessels as the Macdhui and Marsina.

“Therefore, we cannot understand your argu ment when you say that the Bremerhaven, man ned by coolies, is unfairly competing with Aus tralian-owned vessels manned by whites. So far as labour conditions are concerned, there is no material difference between the Bremerhaven and the inter-island steamers referred to.

“Neither does the Bremerhaven compete in the passenger service unfairly with the inter-island Australian vessels —the accommodation in all these ships is distinctly second class and none employ other than coolies or natives as stewards.

“We all admire and welcome the spirit of your venture in providing for a long-felt want in The Pacific Islands Monthly—but any policy you enunciate should be reasonably backed up by facts when attempting to form public opinion. Any at tempt to bolster up a matter to serve certain interests, based on misrepresentation and ex-parte propaganda, will be thoroughly resented.

“One would like to point out that we are not here for the benefit of the Australian shipowners —whose freights and fares are unreasonably high —or for the benefit of Australian trade unions; and the time will certainly come when our trade with Australia will go elsewhere (as it has done in the case of Fiji, Norfolk Island, etc.) unless a more sympathetic attitude be adopted by Aus tralian interests.”

Mr. C. A. M. Aldeskold, agent in Rabaul for the Bremerhaven, in a

moderately-worded letter, makes the

following points:

The Bremerhaven is not subsidised in any way The Bremerhaven’s freight rate is not “ridicu lously low”. It is the same as freight on copra shipped from New Guinea to Europe, via Australia in 1925, and the rate for the outports to Europe is higher than that to Europe from Rabaul, Kavieng and Madang.

The Bremerhaven’s owners have nothing to do with the sale of the copra in Europe. They are merely freighters.

The Bremerhaven uses no larger proportion of coloured labour in its crew than does the Aus tralian-owned inter-island ships.

Other vessels call at non-Customs ports in the Territory, in the same way that the Bremerhaven does.

Mr. J. C. Mullaly, vice-president of

the Planters’ Association of New Guinea, sends a strongly-worded sum mary of the position as viewed by his Association. The arguments he ad vances are those of the other writers: The Bremerhaven has no unfair advantage over the Australian-owned ships, and the kind of com petition she is providing is for the distinct benefit of the planters of the Territory.

“The Germans meet the companies on equal terms in the Territory. These companies have their inter-island, native-manned ‘feeder’ steamers.

The Bremerhaven acts as its own ‘feeder’, and fortunately for the planter, its freight rates are fair, reasonable and beneficial to those in a posi tion to avail themselves of this vessel’s services.’'