Subsidise Transport—or Lose the Islands

Territories!

'J'HERE can be no real success in the administration and develop ment of the Pacific Territories unless transport facilities are abun dant and economical. That is true of most countries; but, in the peculiar conditions of the Pacific Islands, it is the fact that must be taken first into consideration in all plans for the future. There is nothing in the world like the Pacific Islands—an uncountable number of small areas of land, rich and for the most part incalculably productive, supporting very many small, isolated communities.

It may be argued that there is no need to “develop” these territories— that the real obligation upon the countries which hold them is to pro tect the natives against exploiters and criminals, and maintain an orderly social system. That may have been true, once; but to-day,

with armed and aggressive nations increasingly seeking new lands for their crowded millions, any terri tory which is capable of providing a home for additional people, and which is not being used, is regarded as a reproach and a temptation.

There is room in the tropical and sub-tropical islands for very many more people than live there now. If they are not developed and popu lated by the nations which hold them, it is inevitable that they will be taken, sooner or later, by other nations whose paramount need is more land.

Transport is the key to the future of the Islands. Their productivity is such that cheap communication soon will bring new settlement. The provision of adequate transport is the responsibility of the countries which hold the Islands Territories, and which desire to see the status quo maintained in the Pacific.

British Imperial interests —and especially Australia —cannot con template any change in the control of that fringe of Western Pacific Islands (New Guinea, Papua, Solo mons, New Hebrides) which now interpose a defensive barrier be tween Australia and overcrowded Asia. But, except for the establish ment of the gold industry in New Guinea, there has been very little commercial progress in those groups during the past two decades. France has shown, in carrying on her share of the New Hebrides administration, a vigorous readiness to use the re sources of the Mother Country in establishing her nationals in the group; but Britain and Australia have been quite careless of their obligations and indifferent towards certain obvious possibilities. Those island groups must be populated and developed; there can be no new population worth considering with out commercial progress; commer cial progress necessarily waits upon frequent, cheap transport; and the present responsibility for providing transport rests not upon commercial

interests, but directly upon those British and Dominions Governments which wish to keep the present posi tion unchanged in the Pacific.

The tendency, in the past, has been to leave the provision of trans port to those trading enterprises which hope to derive profits from the commercial development of the Islands Territories. That may have been sound, in the past; but, in the present condition of world affairs, it is a policy of sheer, inexcusable folly. If the British nations which now hold the Pacific Islands terri tories do not develop and populate and strengthen those territories, they will lose them; and, in losing them, they will bring to their front doors a menace that is now some thousands of miles away. To-day, Sydney and Brisbane and Auckland are fairly well protected, by isola tion, against attacks by bombing and gas-poisoning aeroplanes; but those cities might easily be wiped out by air forces based on the nearer Pacific Islands.

Since they dare not wait for the slow development that is based on ordinary commercial penetration, the British and Dominions Govern ments, as a matter of defence policy, should face the position, and hasten

development by providing transport,

even if the cost of same has to be charged to defence expenditure.

Among the Pacific Territories to day, there are several situations which should be brought into line with a transport and developmental policy based on Imperial defence requirements. It is reported, for example, that the Commonwealth Government is trying to reduce, in the new contract or contracts to be made shortly, the amount of the sub sidy (paid for many years past to Messrs. Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd.) for maintaining transport services between Australian and Islands ports. Some politicians have argued that, as the gold industry has been established in New Guinea, the B.P. ships may now be run profitably on the ordinary traffic. Such a policy, in view of the international situa tion, is short-sighted to the point of lunacy. The subsidy, instead of being reduced, should rather be in creased, on condition, of course, that cheaper and still cheaper transport be provided for all those Western Pacific Islands whose rapid develop ment and population are vital to the safety of Australia.

Messrs. W. R. Carpenter and Co.

Ltd. recently established, unaided, a line of motor-vessels between the Western Pacific Islands and Europe, to help in the quick and profitable marketing of Islands produce. Aus tralia should subsidise that line—not for any love of Carpenter and Co., but as part of the vital business of protecting and defending her Pacific Territories.

There have been arguments and squabbling over a shipping reorgani sation and a proposed readjustment of aviation transport conditions in New Guinea. In all these things, the essential point has been neglected— namely, that it is quite in accord with a sound defence policy to give special concessions, and even a direct subsidy, to all British Pacific transportation provided that no

dangerous monopolies are created,

and that the companies concerned give guarantee that they will pro vide the Islands people with cheaper and yet cheaper transport, so that settlement of good racial stock in the Islands may proceed as quickly and as efficiently as possible.

For instance, the New Guinea gold industry, which probably will be worked out in a decade or two, and which has established there a

large European population and

highly efficient aviation transport services, gives Australia almost a providential opportunity. If the goldfields revenues are used, with wisdom and vision, to subsidise the transport services, to give cheap and easy communication, a large Euro pean population can be settled per manently in New Guinea.

This line of argument may cause surprise in some quarters. If it does, it simply means that the surprised ones do not recognise the menace of the East. They should read a Tokio press despatch, published on June 15, describing Japan’s plans for the settlement of her nationals in For mosa and in her Mandated Islands.

This transport problem crops up in many places; and everywhere it is treated as if it were not a matter of vital importance to the Pacific portion of the British Empire. It would seem that our politicians, after futile babbling in Canberra, Wellington and London, are going to permit the abandonment of cer tain of the British trans-Pacific ser vices, for lack of an adequate sub sidy. The withdrawal of the Wel lington-’Erisco line would not have

much significance, as the only British Islands territory affected would be the Cooks; but any inter ference with the Auckland-Van couver Line would be a shipping calamity of the first magnitude. In the present condition of world trade and world politics, the Union Com pany should be liberally subsidised, within reason, and encouraged to provide cheap transport between the Central and Eastern Pacific groups and the bigger markets.

New Zealand, for instance, could absorb an immensely greater quan tity of the produce of the Cook Islands and Samoa. But those Islands growers cannot profitably get to the Dominion’s markets. There is little cold storage available on the

infrequent ships running between

the Cooks and New Zealand; while there is only one little Government owned vessel maintaining communi cation between Samoa and New Zealand. Samoa, under German rule, was a place of importance in the Central Pacific, and was served by lines of good ships; to-day, it is one of the most isolated and de pressed places in the Pacific. No regular liners call there—presum ably, because the N.Z. Government insists on competing in the shipping business. This short-sighted policy has deprived Samoa of transport and put a blight upon a place that is capable of supporting a much larger population of Empire-defenders.

It may be true that “trade (and settlement) follows the flag”; but there have been tremendous, and dangerous, changes in international relationships since that happy phrase was coined. If the British people do not use the Islands they will lose them. Cheaper and better transport will solve the problem, and that means subsidies, charged to defence. •