Contract

Pacific Mail

No Decision Yet—B.P. Carry On

ALTHOUGH tenders closed for the Pacific Islands mail contract on Sep tember 30, a contract has not yet been let by the Commonwealth Government.

The Pacific Islands mail steamers are continuing to run, under a temporary arrangement made between the Govern ment and Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd.

This affects the lines running between Sydney and Papua, New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Hebrides.

We understand that two tenders were submitted —one by Messrs. Burns, Philp & Co. Ltd., and the other by an English firm, Messrs. Nelson and Co.

New Guinea Inter-Island Ships

Tenders for the carriage of mails by the inter-island steamers, in New Guinea, were invited, and closed on December 15, and it is likely that a contract will be made without delay.

A proclamation by the Administrator, gazetted on December 15, proclaims Rabaul, Salamaua, Dae, Kavieng, Madang, Kieta, Wewak, Boram and Lorengau as ports at which oversea vessels may take on or discharge passengers or cargo.

Under the shipping Ordinance it is an offence for oversea vessels to trade between these ports without licence.

There had been many protests against this new law, because it automatically shuts out, from small-port trading, the two ships of the N.D.L. Line, Bremer haven and Friderun, which have been running for years between Hong Kong and the New Guinea ports.

It is reported that this difficulty will be removed by the sale of the Bremer haven to Messrs. Colyer Watson and Co., who are agents in New Guinea for N.D.L.

The Bremerhaven, it is stated, will be transferred to the British register, with European officers and, probably, a native crew (instead of Chinese); and she is expected to run only between New Guinea ports large and small; while the Friderun will continue her present ser vice between Hong Kong and main New Guinea ports, where she will connect with the Bremerhaven.