Burns, Philp And

Carpenter’S

And The Pacific Islands

Monthly

By R. W. Robson.

THE following is portion of a pri-

vate letter, received by the pro-

prietor of this journal, from a valued correspondent in New Guinea: “Generally speaking, your paper is very well received. It naturally comes in for a certain amount of criticism, but is considered to have filled a long-felt want.

“There are, however, many people in the Territory still of the opinion that Messrs.

Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. are interested in the paper, either financially or have some control over its expressed opinions, etc., and, on this account, you lose many prospective subscribers. ‘'This view is said to be borne out by your reputed refusal to publish criticisms of the methods of trading, etc., of both firms, as sent in to you from time to time by subscribers.

“As you are aware, both Messrs. Burns.

Philp & Co. Ltd. and Messrs. W. R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd., wield an immense influence in the affairs of this Territory, both financial and otherwise: and, no matter what phases or cycles business may pass through, everything seems to return to one of these two centres.

“Take the instance of desiccated coconut.

Australia, in an endeavour to help the planters of this Territory, prohibited the importation from any other place except Papua and this Territory. The result is that no individual planter benefits, as the only people interested are the two firms. In the event of a planter selling his copra for use in the desiccated factory, he is not paid on the basis of what his copra might be worth. He is paid, still, on London parity only.

“As a result of these and similar conditions. the population of the Territory is divided into two camps—i.e., those who favour W. R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd., and those who are pro Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. The firms meantime carry on with their buying and selling prices which, to all intents and purposes, obviate any competition worth mentioning.

“I mentioned earlier in this letter about your refusal to publish criticism of the firms.

Believe me, there is deep resentment by the general public, and a good deal of feeling regarding the Bremerhaven, and the tactics being used to try and oust this steamer.

“The sympathy of the residents of the Territory is all for the Bremerhaven.” . . . . . . .

I have met this sort of criticism on several occasions. The time has come for facts and figures. I am going to run my own publication as I consider best in the public interest. No other consideration counts.

The idea of publishing a Pacific Islands Year Book was entirely my own, and was conceived about 1925, when it appeared that “Stewart’s Handbook of the Pacific” had ceased regular publication. I commenced work on the Year Book in 1927. In the course of this work, I was struck by the wealth of newspaper material offering in South Seas; and so the idea of The Pacific Islands Monthly was born. The organisation and compilation of these two

publications involved many disappoint-

ments and an enormous amount of work and expense: but both have duly reached publication — the Monthly in August, 1930, and the Year Book in

December, 1931.

If my friends will turn to the first issue of the Monthly, they will see that neither Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. or W. R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd. were advertisers. I had approached them,

but neither firm seemed to like my scheme of a Pacific Islands newspaper ; so I went ahead without their support.

I was sure that if the Monthly were to be what I had planned it to be, I would eventually get the goodwill of all the firms interested in Pacific trade. And so it has proved. Messrs.

Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. bought space after two issues, and Messrs. W. R.

Carpenter & Co. Ltd. came in a little later. Both firms helped me very much by permitting the sale of my publications through their Islands stores.

Pacific Publications Ltd. was registered as a company in May, 1931. I was the sole proprietor prior to that date ; and as I now own 601 out of the 607 shares in the company—the others are held by my assistants and associates—I am still the owner and editor.

Anyone interested may check these statements at the office of the Registrar of Companies.

My relations with the two big firms mentioned are friendly. They have treated my enterprise with great fairness, and myself with invariable courtesy ; and I am appreciative accordingly. But I am in no sense bound to these or any other firms.

I have received scores of letters containing attacks on not only the big Islands firms, but also on Administration officials, missionaries, traders, etc. In some cases these have been published ; in others, they have not. Every one has been investigated, and in 50 per cent. of them, there has been another side to the case, so that no further action was called for.

Statements which are libellous may not, in any case, be published. Other statements containing attacks and criticism receive publication only when we believe they are written for the public good, and not in any spirit of malice or self-interest. “If in doubt— leave out” is an editorial maxim we try to follow. Perhaps, at times, we are over-cautious: but we do try to be fair.

When an occasion arises demanding an attack on Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd. or Messrs. W. R. Carpenter & Co. Ltd., or an Administrator, or anyone else, we shall attack ; and, as we are entirely a free concern, we shall attack as we please and how we please.

But we are not going to engage in the kind of irresponsible sharp-shooting journalism that has made some Sydney newspapers a by-word, and debauched Australian public life.

Our policy, so far as the “big firms” are concerned, is bound up with our effort to hold Pacific trade for Australia and New Zealand. Our object is to assist them, if possible, and not to harass them. Perhaps their large and far-reaching interests in the South Seas are not altogether in accord with modern ideas of what individual freedom and private enterprise should be.

But the position is there, and it is not of our making. The big firms generally recognise their public trust and their great power, and do not abuse them.

So long as those conditions obtain, we shall do what we can to help them, and assist in the development of the Pacific Territories, and not make a nuisance of ourselves ———