Premature Publicity

Expedition To New

Guinea

WITH generous publicity, the Sydney newspapers, early in May, gave prominence to an expedition, said to be controlled by the Purari River, N.G., Alluvial Gold Syndicate, which was to leave Sydney in June and proceed to the interior of New Guinea and Papua. The objects of the expedition, it was stated, were to prospect for gold and make scien tific researches and anthropological obser vations.

It was reported that Captain A. J. Ken drick, a South African engineer-scientist, had purchased the schooner Isabel, owned by Messrs. C. Sullivan, Ltd., and had re named her the “Voortrekker” (Dutch for “’Pioneer”). The published plans of the party showed that they intended to go to the D’Entrecasteaux Islands (Eastern Papua), then to Port Moresby, and on up the Kikori River; and then the party would land from the vessel and penetrate into the interior. Later, the expedition proposed to prospect for gold around the foothills of the Sir Arthur Gordon Range (6000 ft.), which is in the north of the Delta Division, Papua.

A company was formed to exploit the leases which the expedition hoped to take up, and on the directorate were several well-known Sydney business men. Shares in the company were offered for sale to the public, but, it is understood, the re sponse was not up to expectations.

At present, in mid-June, the prepara tions are still no further advanced. Al though it was publicly announced that the schooner Isabel had been purchased by the company, enquiries made by the “Pacific Islands Monthly” show that this is not correct. The Isabel is still owned by Messrs. Sullivan, Ltd., and sailed for Fiji on June 14, with a cargo from her owners. It is rumored that there has been friction among the promoters and officials of the “expedition.”