Strike Disorganises

B.P. Services

Macdhui Sails Unexpectedly

THE strike of seamen against their new industrial award has partially paralysed the Pacific Islands shipping services con ducted by Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd.

The Macdhui, which was to have sailed for Papua and New Guinea on December 5, is still in Sydney Harbour. The Montoro is expected to join the idle fleet. She was to sail for Papua and New Guinea on Christmas Eve. The Malaita (Solomon Islands) and the Morinda (New Hebrides) are still at sea, but are due in Sydney shortly.

An effort is being made to man the idle ships by volunteers, and it is probable that the Pacific Islands ships will be among the first to move as the dependence of the Pacific Islands residents on these services is recognised.

The cancellation of the Macdhui’s schedule, and the decision that the Merkur (B.P. vessel running from Sydney to the East Indies) should not call at Port Moresby, caused dismay among Papuan parents whose children were at school in North Queensland, and who were to have gone home by those vessels. Sir Hubert Murray (Administrator of Papua) made a special appeal to Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co., and the company, at considerable in convenience and risk of falling foul of the strikers, made a further arrangement, under which the Merkur picked up the school children at North Queensland ports and landed them at Port Moresby in mid- December.

The vessels of other companies calling at Pacific Islands ports have not as yet been affected.

SYDNEY, December 18.

The Macdhui sailed from Sydney to-day for Papua and New Guinea with a volun teer crew.

Mr. E. J. O’Donnell, of Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd., at Samarai, Papua, arrived in Sydney by the Novem ber Montoro. He has been transferred permanently to Melbourne.

Masters John and Emmett Costello, sons of Mr. and Mrs. Dan Costello, of Suva, Fiji, who are pupils of St. Pat rick’s College, East Melbourne, sailed by the Monterey from Victoria early in December for their home in Fiji, where they will spend their school vacation.

They were joined in Sydney by Mr. Pat Costello, their uncle, and Mr. Bill Borth wick, the veteran miner who found the Emperor mine at Tavua.