Important Public Utility

Aerial Transport In

New Guinea

THE average freight rate charged by Guinea Airways. Ltd., operating on the Morobe Goldfield, New Guinea, fell from 12d per lb. in February, 1928, to 4.12 d per lb. in February, 1934.

Bringing this matter under the notice of shareholders at the general meeting held recently in Adelaide, Mr. C. V.

T. Wells, chairman of directors, said the average rate of the bulk of the cargo was now well below 4d per lb. That applied to the main routes from the coast to the mountain township of Wau, which was the hub of the mining district. It was necessary for obvious reasons to charge higher rates to the outlying districts. That had raised the average rate in the last two years, during which time the radius of the company’s activities had so rapidly lengthened. The directors believed, how ever, that in the current year they could make still further reductions to assist the increasing population to live more cheaply.

With a turnover of well above £100,000, said Mr. Wells, it was found necessary to write off only £3/10/11 as bad debts. That was a tribute to the type of pioneer Aus tralia had permitted to occupy and develop the Mandated Territory.

It had been found necessary to put Fiji Airways Ltd. into liquidation a few months ago, with the result that the £1200 invested in the company by Guinea Airways Ltd., had been written down in the ac counts to the nominal sum of £10.

Apart from the shipping services, Guinea Airways Ltd. was by far the most im portant public utility in New Guinea, and was the means of making available the bulk of the Government revenue from mining royalties. The company had com pleted the carriage of the fourth dredge for Bulolo Gold Oredging Ltd. and recent discoveries indicated that even larger dredging plants might be needed.

Shareholders decided that the remunera tion to be divided between the five direc tors for the ensuing year be £2400, an in crease of £1000.

N.G. Tender

The Federal Government received only one tender for the seaplane which it is proposed to establish in Rabaul for the carriage of passengers and goods by air in New Guinea —particularly in the cen tral and eastern portions of the Mandated

Territory. It is not yet known whether the tender referred to will be accepted.

It is not surprising that aviation in terests took little interest in the Federal Government’s plan. The minimum amount guaranteed by the Federal Government (£1600 per annum) was altogether inadequate for the purpose. The cost of main taining a seaplane or seaplanes in first class order under tropical conditions such as rule in Rabaul is very heavy. The cost of personnel is also heavy—thoroughly competent men must receive remuneration considered adequate according to tropical standarrds.

Fiji’S Mistake

As stated previously, the attempt to establish a seaplane service in Fiji was abandoned at the beginning of this year, after it had cost Guinea Airways Ltd. some £1,200. The same lack of under standing of aerial transport conditions in the tropics was to be seen there, in an altogether inadequate Government subsidy.

The Government of Fiji could well have afforded to have provided a generous sub sidy, so as to enable the sound establish-

ment of a form of transport that will make a world of difference to administrative and residential conditions in the tropical islands of the Pacific.

The withdrawal of Fiji Airways Ltd. will long remain as a reproach to the Govern ment of Fiji. The latter could have taken the long view and shown the way to other Pacific Administrations in making use of aerial transport, and thus have done a great service to the Pacific Territories generally. As it is, the experience of those who tried to establish Fiji Airways Ltd. will discourage other similar enterprises and correspondingly retard the introduc tion of aeroplanes in the Islands.

The use of aeroplane transport on an extensive scale in the Islands is inevitable.

That is as clear to-day to those with any vision, as the ultimate use of radio com munication in the Islands became apparent to those who studied the possibilities of the new method when it was introduced a couple of decades ago. A man with half an eye can see that, with radio and aviation, the potential value of the Pacific Islands —commercial, residential, and mili tary—is enormously increased.