The Claims Of Wau.

Letter to the Editor.

IN your issue of January reference is made by your Wau correspondent to the public meeting held here on De cember 3, 1937. Your correspondent's report is inaccurate and creates a wrong impression.

The statement that “the meeting met with opposition and was ruled out of order on a technical point” is incorrect.

At the opening of the meeting, discus sion took place as to whether it would be in order for the meeting to be held under the auspices of the Citizens’ As sociation of New Guinea and, after dis cussion, it was decided that the meet ing should resolve itself into a new body to be called the Morobe Citizens’

Association with the special object of pressing the claims of Wau as a site for the new administrative capital of the Territory.

The meeting elected a committee comprising Messrs. F. P, Jacobs, R.

Whelan, K. A. Macgregor, N. P. H.

Neal, C. W. Blake, F, Leydin and my self. Mr. W. G. Mitchell was also elected but found it necessary to retire.

This committee was charged with the duty of preparing a memorandum covering statistics, information as to climatic conditions, agricultural, mining and forestry possibilities, etc., with the object of submitting this information to the Committee appointed by the Federal Government to select a site for the new capital.

The only reference made to Salamaua in the discussion was that if Wau were selected, it should be the port for the capital, and it was hoped that this would automatically bring about the con struction of the long-projected road from Salamaua to Wau.

The meeting, which was well at tended and representative of all sec tions of the community on the gold field, expressed the opinion that Wau could offer many advantages as the site for a permanent town. It has an ideal and healthy climate, it is centrally situated for a large proportion of the European residents of the Territory, there are excellent opportunities for development in forestry and agriculture, and it would permit the establishment of higher educational facilities, which would obviate the existing necessity for parents to send children to Australia.

Further, it is favourably located from a strategic standpoint and, should the Mandated Territory and Papua be amal gamated at some future date, it would be conveniently situated as the capital for the combined Territories.

Should the selection of Wau bring

about the construction of the road from Salamaua, the life of the gold-field (which has been a valuable asset to the Territory during the last 10 years) would be considerably prolonged as it would be possible, with lower working costs due to reduced transportation rates, to work the large low-grade de posits which at present are untouched.

I am, etc.,

R. A. Laws.

Wau, Feb. 24.