Marine Industries In Torres Straits.

Science to Assist Development.

From Our Thursday Island Correspondent.

THAT Professor Goddard, who visited Thursday Island in connection with the Murray Islands fisheries, has grained a clear insight into the special needs of Torres Straits and its indus tries, was the unanimous opinion of a large and representative gathering of citizens, who attended his recent lec ture, given under the auspices of the Royal Geographical Society of Aus tralasia.

The subject chosen was, as the Pro fessor pointed out, one that is attract ing world-wide interest at the present time.

In the Great Barrier Reef, a rampart of coral 1,300 miles long, extending from New Guinea to below the tropic of Capricorn, Australia has an asset, the economic possibilities of which are enormous, provided that its develop ment be carried out under two basic principles—first, scientific control, and secondly, cheap labour. Without these two factors, the lecturer pointed out, any enterprise of that nature must fail, as can be instanced by the many at tempts at turtle and fish preparations, which have proved so disastrous to in vestors.

Cheap labour means coloured labour.

The pearling and allied industries of Torres Straits have been for many years nominally privileged to employ special labour. Practically, however, we have been faced with the contradictory principle of receiving concessions from the Commonwealth, and seeing them being eternally undermined and whittled away by those who granted them. The result has been that this industry, the sole means of developing and settling the far north of Australia, has existed for years under a sort of political sword of Damocles.

What sort of real progress can be made under these circumstances?

Professor Goddard is the first Aus tralian of note who has had the temer ity to tell us publicly that the marine industries of the Barrier Reef are not only of tremendous importance to the rest of Australia, but that, unless we

have unrestricted cheap labour, they must of necessity collapse. And with their collapse goes all hopes of real de velopment north of Cooktown. The lec turer hit the nail on the head when he said that no one, who was not abso lutely conversant with local conditions, should be allowed to fiddle with labour conditions in Torres Straits.

These views are not new. They have been obvious to anyone of intelligence on Thursday Island, but not, appar ently, to those who have guided our destinies in Canberra and elsewhere.

We want them to go further. We want every single legislator to know them—and to act in accordance with them.

Sardine Curing Industry.

Turning to the newly-started indus try of sardine curing at Murray Is., the lecturer reminded his audience that the scheme in the first place was the out come of prolonged scientific research by biologists. After their conclusions were made known, it became apparent that these fish, which occur in count less millions at the locality mentioned, were only awaiting exploitation by business men to become an export article of some importance.

A market was found for them in Java, the land where millions of people re ceive a wage of from 3d. to 7d. a day.

As the professor pointed out, the man who receives a small wage needs a small fish. The Murray Island sardine, more properly termed the Torres Strait herring, fills the bill admirably. The fish will be caught, and dried by a special proce dure invented by Professor Goddard, each ton containing approximately 85,000 fish.

Incidentally, the lecturer spoke of the marked fertility of the Murray Island group, referring to the local volcanic soils as equal to the richest he had seen on any small island anywhere; also to the conscientious work done by native employees. He gave it as his opinion that the native of Torres Straits would prove an industrious worker under proper white control, and emphasised the fact that certain local enterprises were a failure because this control was lacking.

A large portion of the lecture was taken up with the scientific aspect of the Barrier Reef, Lucid descriptions of the origin of this huge coralline struc ture, the conditions that favoured its growth, the many varieties of corals that exist throughout its course, the plant allies of the coral which have helped in the formation of the reef, the vegetation of the islets (which is said to be almost entirely Polynesian in origin) and of other matters of bio logical interest, were given.

His conclusions were that the Barrier Reef held enormous possibilities for the Australian people if they would work hand in hand with proved scientific facts and grasp the fact that under usual labour conditions they cannot be made use of. As a first to ad vancement in this respect, a marine laboratory is necessary, and we gather that the professor will warmly support the undoubted claims of Thursday Is land to be the most suitable spot for such an establishment.