Australia-Papua Mail

Contract Direct Steamer Service Mooted

From Our Own Correspondent.

Port Moresby, July 31.

THE question of the new Australia- Papua mail service was discussed in the Legislative Council on July 22.

The official members suggested that a service be provided for Papua alone, one similar to that of many years ago, carried on by the old Morinda instead of the pre sent service to Papua and New Guinea jointly. The new service would have pro vision for calls at the chief outposts— Misima, Woodlark and Dedele (Yule Is.).

To this suggestion the three non-official members agreed.

It was pointed out that Misima, now an important mining centre, with large con cerns extending their operations on the island, must be served and encouraged if these enterprises are to prove successful.

It is understood that the future operations will entail the employment of a large num ber of Europeans and many hundreds of native labourers.

The present service entails trans-ship ment into small vessels from Samarai to the island, and though the arrangement proved adequate in the early stages of the last two years’ development from now on it will, without doubt, be greatly to the disadvantage of the increased and increasing activities of the many mining concerns operating on the field.

Another advantage pointed out by the movers of this proposed alteration, was that it would mean faster transport for Papuan produce to the Australian markets.

There has been a great deal of opposi tion to this proposal. Many residents see nothing but retrogression in the proposal.

They state it would mean a less frequent service, a smaller vessel, uncomfortable accommodation, complete isolation, in creased coastal freights, and the loss of trade from the Morobe goldfields.

Only smaller vessels can serve Misima, Woodlark and Dedele, they point out, and they fail to see why Port Moresby should

suffer these inconveniences for the sake of a few mining concerns at the eastern end of the Territory. What perhaps they fail to see is that successful enterprise in Misima means increased prosperity for the Territory. A large population at Misima will undoubtedly bring in a considerable amount of revenue to the benefit of the whole country.