Capital

Site for New Guinea Capital Final Selection By Special Committee

A S soon as Canberra released the ex perts’ report (see page 62), stating that the New Guinea Government must abandon Rabaul and find another site for the Administrative establishment, the Australian newspapers, in full cry, set out to select what they called “the new capital.”

A few months ago they chose Madang.

On this occasion, they were unanimous for Salamaua.

Why Salamaua was chosen, no one knows unless it was that the news papers are just a little sillier than they usually are when dealing with Pacific Islands affairs. The experts, in a memo, attached to their report and summarised hereunder, practically condemned Sala maua, because of its liability to be over whelmed by a tidal wave.

The experts recommend that the site be on the mainland, on high and healthy ground. The final selection will be made by a committee, after consultation with all New Guinea interests.

We expect that the new site will be on the Morobe tableland, in such a posi tion that an improved and developed Salamaua may be used as a seaport, and both Salamaua and Lae as airports. Both Madang and Salamaua have merit; but, as the way is* now open for a deliberate choice, it would be sheer lunacy not to place the capital inland, in a cool, healthy and safe situation, and so placed that it may assist in the opening up and settlement of New Guinea’s rich central tablelands.

The Experts’ Report

The experts, in their report, set forth the geographical and physiographim factors which, they said, should be taken into consideration in the selection of an alternative capital site.

They said that the whole area of New Guinea, New Britain, New Ireland and the Solomon Islands is an unstable por tion of the earth’s crust, and there is a tendency for each major land mass to tilt differentially. The south coast of New Guinea in the neighbourhod of the Gulf of Papua is suffering subsidence at a relatively rapid rate, geologically con sidered. The north coast, on the other hand, is subject to elevation. Such eleva tion, even at the rate of a few feet per century, may seriously affect harbour works, water supply and drainage, and should be allowed for.

“Along all coast lines in the area, and especially the north coasts of New Guinea and New Britain, the possibility of dis astrous tidal waves, though not alarm ingly acute, must always be reckoned with. As far as possible, the business and residential areas of coastal towns should be kept back from the shore, and should be not less than 100 feet above sea-level. It is recognised this may

involve a small recurrent charge for transportation of goods from ship to store, but this should be regarded in the light of insurance against tidal wave risks.

“This consideration would appear to have considerable weight in reference to Saiamaua.

“Facilities for water supplies and sewerage should be given a foremost place in the selection of sites. A site should be selected whose physiography favours simplicity in dealing with mos quito eradication by drainage and water treatment. Secondly, it is highly desir able, if at all possible, to obtain ready access, by motor road, to highlands reach ing at least 2,000 feet above sea-level.

Even if such sites can be obtained at distances not less than 40 miles, the marked improvement in community efficiency obtained (as, for instance, at Bandoeng, in Java) materially offsets the cost of construction of good motor roads.

“From this latter aspect it is worthy of consideration whether it is not ultimately economical to construct a main town some distance inland, leaving the town on the coast merely as a skeleton seaport (compare Lima and Callao in Peru).

“The spectacular development of the gold industry in New Guinea and the very high probability of discovery of oil fields there, together with possibilities of great expansion of timber and agricul tural industries, suggest that, in the event of decision to remove the seat of government being arrived at, selection of a reasonably central site on the New Guinea coast should receive serious consideration.”

Mr. \V. H. Carpenter, of W. R. Carpen ter & Co. Ltd., arrived in Sydney early in December by the Neptuna from Rabaul, N.G.