B.P. Service To Papua And N. Guinea

Public Dissatisfaction—And Some Further Considerations

THE newspapers, of late, have published a number of complaints about the steamers which, under the contract between Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co., Ltd. and the Commonwealth, carry on the mail and transport services between Australia, and Papua and New Guinea.

The steamers, in recent months, have not adhered to the published timetables, and this has caused serious inconvenience to many people in both Territories, including a dislocation of food supplies. It is also stated that the steamers, on occasion, have been overcrowded.

As a result of the dissatisfaction exist ing in Papua, it is announced that the Lieut.-Governor of Papua has made the following representations to the Commonwealth Government: 1. The present three-weekly service, with the vessels following the present itinerary, is suitable, if the timetables were adhered to. 2. It is much desired that a timetable be approved for periods of 12 months at a time, and that the contractors be required to adhere strictly to such timetable. For over a year one of the present contract vessels has been unable to keep to her timetable. She is invariably late.

We submit that the footnote to timetables, “Sailing dates from intermediate ports are approximate only,” should be omitted, and that the contractors be bound under penalty to time table dates as regards the territorial capitals at least. 3. We recommend that no proposal to omit Brisbane by either vessel, whether bound North or South, be entertained; and that a stay of at least one week at Sydney be insisted upon. 4. In the event of the “Montoro” being unable to cope with the passengers and cargo offering, also of adhering strictly to her timetable, that a more modern vessel should be placed on the run with greater speed, and with larger and more suitable accommodation. 5. Finally, it is requested that, in view of the greatly increased traffic now offering these contract vessels between Australia and the Territories, and of the extent to which they engage in the cargo traffic from Brisbane and Sydney to North Queensland ports, the rates of fares and freights be reduced.

According to the information which we have received from New Guinea there would appear to be justification for all these complaints: but we suggest that the wrath of the Islands residents who are suffering inconvenience should be turned against the Commonwealth Government as much as against Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co., Ltd.

B.P. are regarded as a suitable target for all criticism—probably because they are guilty of the indiscretion of paying a regular dividend on their capital and because they never make any public reply to public complaints against them.

We hold no brief for B.P., and on occasion we have been obliged to contribute our share of criticism of the Big Firm's operations; but on this occasion it is fitting that the other side of the picture should be presented.

When Australia was suffering under the financial depression B.P. were asked to accept a subsidy reduced by one-fifth, and were given permission to reduce, by one fifth, the units of their Islands fleet. As a result, the Islands timetables were completely re-arranged, and the services since have been carried out by four steamers instead of five. This meant that every timetable had to be compressed to its limit, and there was little room for variations, and none for accidents.

It is by no means a secret—and yet,

curiously enough, it is not generally known—that the Burns, Philp contract for Pacific Islands services, which expired in March, 1934, has not been renewed. It was a five years’ contract and, by agreement between the Commonwealth Government and B.P., it was extended for six months. We presume that it since has been extended for similar periods, and we presume that this has been done at the request of the Commonwealth Government.

We do know for a fact that no new contract has been made, and that B.P. are still carrying on under the terms of the old contract, with the alteration made under the stress of the depression (which provided for a reduced subsidy and a reduced Islands fleet).

It may be taken as certain that there will be no new contract made until the Commonwealth Minister responsible (now Senator Sir George Pearce) personally visits the Islands Territories; and Sir George Pearce, so far as we know, has made no arrangements yet for such a visit. This means that for the present, and for some time in the future, B.P. must plan to carry on with the present reduced subsidy and, necessarily, the present fleet of four steamers.

Obviously, there should be another steamer on the New Guinea-Papuan service; but B.P. may not be expected to supply that additional service while the future remains so uncertain. These things necessarily are carefully planned—particularly by an experienced board like that of B.P. The copra outlook has improved: but there is no guarantee what ever that the present gold premium will hold. In the absence of a contract, B.P. cannot be expected to provide another new steamer on the strength of the hope that the New Guinea gold industry will continue to prosper.

Therefore, the New Guinea-Papuan service must be maintained by two steamers, which are running on time tables in which every hour counts. When anything of an unforeseen character occurs to disturb the timetables, such as special holidays and exceptional weather, everyone suffers.

B.P. are not indifferent to the position —in fact, there are- signs that it has been giving the directors a good deal of concern. Several months ago, we published the fact that B.P. had submitted new timetables to the Commonwealth Government, so re-arranged that it became possible to work a third steamer into the Papuan-New Guinea run, and to relieve the pressure at the goldfields ports. This plan would have provided temporary relief, pending the preparation of a new contract. But certain sectional interests to which the new schedules had to be submitted objected so fiercely that the whole plan was abandoned.

When unforeseen conditions were met with, trouble developed, as a matter of course.

In March, the Montoro encountered exceptionally stormy weather (with heavy rain at almost every N.G. port touched at) and was late in returning to Sydney, and in getting away on her April run.

She steamed right into a nest of troubles, caused by an extraordinary sequence of holidays.

There were the Easter holidays; and

in New Guinea the Easter holidays stretch from Friday to Tuesday inclusive. No one knows why in New Guinea they enjoy an Easter Tuesday: but it is a fact that on Easter Tuesday no official in New Guinea demeans himself with work. So the Montoro, already out of her timetable, could not work any port between Easter Friday and Easter Tuesday (inclusive).

Wednesday was a working day; but Thursday, April 25, was Anzac Day and another holiday. Some days later there came another special holiday, Jubilee Day.

The effect of it all was that the Montoro's schedule was thrown into complete confusion, and everyone concerned in New Guinea and Papua suffered accordingly—the shipping company, probably, worst of all.

Then the Macdhui. leaving late in April, was similarly in trouble. There was some delay at Yule Island, further delay, owing to berthing difficulties, at Port Moresby: with the result that the steamer, at Samarai, could not complete her discharge on the Saturday night, and had to lie there over Sunday. When she ultimately arrived at Rabaul, she found the Bremerhaven and an E. & A. steamer in ahead of her, and already waiting for the one inadequate Government berth.

It is an extraordinary fact that, although there are other wharves in Rabaul whereat cargo may be discharged, the Administration insists that one particular wharf be used for this purpose and that only during certain hours. That, probably, is due to the circumstances that the number of Customs officials is limited, and that the Native Labour Ordinance is sacred: but the effect on shipping organisation may be calamitous. At any rate, the Macdhui fell behind her timetable to the extent of three days, causing further inconvenience and exasperation.

Naturally, the people of the two Territories, after this experience with two successive steamers, simply sat up and howled. Yet it was nobody’s fault — merely the result of a series of mishaps which no one could foresee, and of time tables that are too finely drawn.

There were further complications at the goldfield ports owing to bad weather interfering with aerial transport. This prevented the usual distribution by aeroplanes of frozen cargo among the goldfields centres —which would have left the cold-stores at the ports empty and ready for new consignments—and when the steamers arrived at the goldfields ports they found the local cold stores unable to take the whole of the refrigerated food that had arrived. Consequently, some of this cargo had to be taken on around the Group. The result, of course, was an acute shortage of fresh food. That was due as much to bad weather interfering with goldfields transport as to the dislocation of the shipping services.

So far as July is concerned, B.P. are trying to improve matters by arranging that the Marella, due to leave for Singapore, via Torres Strait, on July 6, shall make a special call at Port Moresby to set down passengers. This should relieve the-pressure on the Montoro, due to sail for Papua and New Guinea about the same date. If the experiment is a success, it may be repeated.

New Guinea and Papua residents, it seems to us, are only wasting their energies in attacking B.P. The attack should be directed on Canberra, so that the Commonwealth Government may be forced to do something about the renewal of the Pacific Islands contract.

When there is a proper contract in

existence, and Islands services are still unsatisfactory, it will be time enough to agitate for better schedules, and to ask B.P. when they are going to put another vessel on the northern run, with the former service at the former subsidy.

R.W.R.