From New Guinea

To Europe

New Direct Shipping Service

A MOST interesting development, in relation particularly to New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, was the an nouncement in the Australian newspapers on May 5 that Messrs. W. R. Carpenter and Co., Ltd., will inaugurate in August a shipping service between London, Euro pean ports, New Guinea ports, and Aus tralia. This development was forecast in this journal several months ago.

Mr. W. R. Carpenter, head of the firm, left for London in December and since then, presumably, he has very thoroughly investigated the position, not only in re lation to shipping, but also in relation to the future of the copra industry. The fact that he has recommended the in auguration of this shipping line is an in dication that he does not regard the future of the copra industry in a pessi mistic spirit.

One vessel, the 5600-ton Norwegian motor ship George Washington, has been purchased by Messrs. Carpenter (says “Sydney Morning Herald”), and negotia tions are proceeding for the purchase of another motorship about the same size With two vessels the company will pro vide sailings from London every 10 weeks.

The move is regarded as a counter to competition by German ships which load at island ports in New Guinea and the Solomons for direct carriage to Europe.

The present British practice is to gather copra and other island products in smaller inter-island vessels for carriage to the larger ports like Rabaul. The pro ducts are then brought to Sydney and transhipped overseas.

In addition, vessels of the Norwegian- Australia Line and occasionally vessels of other lines load at New Guinea before taking in Australian exports for Europe.

The company proposes to place the two vessels on open berth, at Rabaul and other ports, to enable shippers to take full advantage of the new direct service.

The George Washington has a dead

weight capacity of 9300 tons, and hold space for 524,400 cubic feet of cargo. She is classed 100 A 1 at Lloyd’s, and was built at Copenhagen in 1916.

Second Ship Bought.

W. R. Carpenter and Co., Ltd., announc ed on May 9, that the motorship Milver ton, 6754 tons gross, is the second vessel purchased for their London-New Guinea service.

The service will be inaugurated in Aug ust by the George Washington, 5600 tons.

The Milverton will proceed from Lon don to New Guinea by way of Australia, loading copra in New Guinea for London and European ports.

The following appeared in “Sydney Morning Herald’’ of May 9: — W. R. Carpenter and Co., Ltd., has resolved to offer to shareholders the unissued shares of the authorised capital of £500,000 These shares num ber 115,000 of £1 each, and the offer will be at par in proportion to the number of shares stand ing in each shareholder’s name on May 25. The new shares are not to rank for dividend to be declared from profits for the financial year end ing June 30 next and payable in September. Pre sent paid-up capital is £301,666 in 260,000 shares fully paid to £l, and 125,000 shares paid to 6/8 a share.

Mr. J. H. Ahearn, manager at Rabaul, New Guinea, for the Vacuum Oil Co., Ltd., arrived in Sydney by the Macdhui on May 7, on a holiday visit. Mr. Ahearn said that gold was the only product of the Territory that was fulfilling expec tations. Prospects on the goldfields, he said, were encouraging in every way.

Dr. and Mrs. D. McLeod arrived in Sydney from New Zealand by the Mono wai on May 7. Dr. McLeod is the Con dominium medical officer in the New Hebrides, and Mrs. McLeod is a mission teacher at the Presbyterian station on Tanna Island.

Mr. C. A. Mooney, who is the manager of the Union S.S. Co., Ltd., at Raro tonga, Cook Islands, arrived in Sydney on May 7 by the Monowai. He is pro ceeding to Tasmania, where he will tem porarily take charge of the company’s office at Burnie.

Construction at Bulwa, the new dredging centre established on the Morobe goldfield, New Guinea, by Bulolo Gold Dredging Co. Ltd, The new dredge, No. 4, now ready for work, is seen on the left. —Photo, by W. L. Doe.