Road Or Aeroplanes For Morobe?

Wau Resident also Discusses Potential Value of the Sepik Area.

[To the Editor.] Sir, —I think that too much attention is being given to the construction of a road from Salamaua to Wau.

In the first place, is the road re quired, and by whom? The miners do not want it now, and it is too late to benefit the companies. They have all their heavy machinery here. We were quite satisfied to pay the Airways 1/per lb. Now, the price is down to 5d.

Another three years, and the Airways will be paying us a bonus on the goods they bring up and their ’planes will be even more up to date than they are now.

In the second place, who is to pay for it, and where is the money to come from? The planters have no wish to be taxed for it, nor do the miners themselves wish to be taxed. The Ad ministration would have to borrow the money, and that is the first step to the poor-house. Australia would be a good place to live in now if it had not got to pay £40,000,000 per year interest on its borrowed money. At present, it is a good place to be out of, and we up here consider ourselves lucky, and wish to live within our means —not try to make our means fit our method of living.

It is mooted that in Salamaua there is a company willing to transport goods up to Wau at £5 per ton, if the road is constructed. What about their constructing it themselves, and the Ad ministration giving them the sole right to the road and the right to charge £20 per ton for 10 years? They ought to jump at that offer. It is much cheaper than what the ’planes are charging. If that will not pay them, it won’t pay the Administration.

The cost of construction is going to be much greater than that estimated, and will require about 100 boys, every 10 miles, in the mountain part, to maintain it. On the mule track to Edie, the Company have to send up 100 boys, every now and again, to clear the land slides away, to let the mules pass; and this track is on the sunny side of the hill all the way, and been cut for three years. This gives no idea of what the maintenance will cost in the wet mountains.

The Administration has been working on the Markham Valley road since 1926 and, though level all the way and in some places little or no clearing to be done, not more than 25 miles is finished. Last time I went up the road it was dry. Coming back, I was up to the knees in water more than half of the way, and the culverts all washed away. The trouble starts after the Markham is crossed, to say nothing about the bridge, which I have not seen mentioned yet.

To give some idea of what the Markham is like, I may say that it takes from a day and a half to two days to go up by canoe to the first village, 25 miles, by poling along the bank. The centre of the stream is im possible. But you can go back from there on a raft made of logs in four hours —and it is some thrill, too —more so, if you have not got boys who un

derstand the game. There is a lot of recruiters and miners’ gear still in the Markham.

Certainly, this road would open up good country, but only as far as the bridge. Past that there are rivers that require half-mile bridges before San gan is reached. This puts most of the Markham Valley out of action and the Airways have a ’drome at Sangan.

But why open up country inland when there is plenty of good land on the waterfront? If a valley is wanted, what about Sepik Valley? A boat draw ing ten feet can go up 300 to 400 miles and tie up to the bank anywhere, thus giving 700 to 800 miles of waterfront.

The poorest business man knows that every time a bag of produce is handled it costs money, as does every mile it is hauled on land. It would only have to be taken to Madang, and would cost no more than if grown a few miles from Rabaul.

Private enterprise will open this country if given a little encourage ment. So far, private enterprise has done everything in Rabaul, by the merchants and others; in Wau, by the companies and miners. The companies have water and light laid on all their buildings; have cut roads and built many bridges. The P.A.T, now intends to instal light for the public. The tele phone is run by a private firm, the Day Dawn Co.

Placer have all their machinery in and in much better condition than if brought in by road. So it is a bit late in the day to borrow money and make a road.

The present miners will be regarded in the future as the pioneers of the Territory. What they want, if they find new fields, large or small, is a graded track blazed from the 'drome.

The airway companies are up-to-date and will have a ’drome handy almost as soon as the field is found.

The miner will have to find new fields, now he is deprived of the allu vial on Edie. It is all very well for the Administration to say that they will not allow any more leases to be taken up on new fields. That is a case of locking the stable door after the horse is stolen. What about recovering the horse and seeing how Wau and Sala maua would boom. The miner, if he is getting £100 per day, is going to spend it, and if he cannot spend it fast enough in Wau and Salamaua, he will take a trip south. His idea is to get all the milk and honey out of life while the going is good; whereas the wages man has to put away his fare back and also enough to keep him until he gets another job down south. So he has little or nothing to spend here.

In a previous issue of the P.I.M. it was mentioned that the miners sold their leases to the Co. This is true, but it must be understood that they were not alluvial leases and, as far as the miners knew, contained no gold.

The Company bought them on chance of their containing reefs, and having control of the country about their ac tivities.

If a miner takes up a lease, he has to pay the rent on making application, as well as the survey fees. After that, he has to pay it twelve months in ad

vance, or he is fined 100 per cent, rent and the lease may not be granted for three or four years after he applied for it. This lease is no good to him until it is granted, as he cannot float it into a company until he has the. lease to lay before the board of direc tors appointed, otherwise they are likely to meet trouble for obtaining money for something they have not got. Yet the Administration is obtain ing money for something they have not granted. In Victoria the rent does not become due until the lease is granted.

To open up the Sepik—what is wrong with giving some company or person a landed concession to adver tise and give it publicity, rent free the

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first five years and five years to pay the survey fees. This may attract many new planters, and there is plenty of native labour to be obtained. This would cost the Administration nothing and give them big returns in the future.

During the sale of the Expro Board properties, anyone caught dummying for the Germans was sentenced to a long term of imprisonment. But any one can dummy for a Chinese coolie to compete against a white trader. All the stores in Salamaua have white men’s names over the door but Chinese are interested in the ownership of some of them. One miner caught one of his boys taking 53 ounces of gold to sell to a Chinaman. If there is no place for the boys to sell the gold they will not steal it. This is placing the Chinese ahead of the Germans. Why?

I am, etc..

Liviara.

Wau, N.G.

February 22, 1932.