New Guinea Planters.

Annual Conference.

From Our Own Correspondent.

RABAUL, August 25.

THE annual conference of the Planters’

Association of New Guinea was opened on August 14 by the presi dent, Mr. J. C. Mullaly, M.L.C., in the private lounge of the Pacific Hotel in Rabaul.

In welcoming the delegates from all parts of the Territory, Mr. Mullaly ex pressed pleasure at seeing such a repre sentative gathering of planters, and hoped that the sessions would have satisfactory results. He praised the co-operative spirit which had existed throughout the year.

Delegates from outlying districts in cluded Mr. W. E. Gross, M.L.C., the president of the Kavieng district branch of the association, as well as Colonel Cameron and Mr. F. V. Saunders, all of Kavieng. The Kieta district repre sentative was Mr. F. P. Archer, of Buka; while the Rabaul representa tives were Messrs. Rowe, Washington and Renton. Madang was represented by Mr. Gordon Thomas, and Manus district by Mr. C. I. H. Campbell, who is a past general secretary of the as sociation.

Many questions of import to the planting community were discussed, in cluding the draft copy of the new Native Labour Ordinance, which is to be brought into force after the sitting of the next Legislative Council; the native trading Board of Inquiry, in con nection with which the conference was unanimous that the two-mile restric tion limit should be maintained; the matter of placing any restriction on shipping facilities now existent in the Territory; the formation of a Chamber of Commerce; the branding of cattle; trespass laws, trocas poaching, and the matter of mission trading.

On the Saturday morning the dele gates were received by the Adminis trator as a deputation, and the more important questions freely discussed with His Honour, who listened sympathetically to the spokesmen.

On Saturday afternoon the final busi ness of the election of officers took place, when Mr. Mullaly was unani mously re-elected president for the forthcoming year. Mr. Gordon Thomas was elected vice-president, and the new Executive Committee consisted of Messrs. V. A. Pratt, M.L.C., J. Duncan and P. J. Martin. Mr. E. F. Bishton was elected auditor.