To Spend Half-Million

in New Guinea Australia Confident About Future Of Mandate

THE administrative establishment of New Guinea is to be placed at Sala maua. This decision was made by Mr. Hughes (Australian Minister for the Territories) in defiance of the report of an expert Committee, and of opinions by practically everyone competent to ex press them.

We believe that the action taken by Mr. Hughes had the hearty endorsement of the McNicoll-Page administration.

The whole story is set out on pages 37-44 of this issue.

The “Pacific Islands Monthly” believes that the decision to spend £500,000 in establishing the capital at Salamaua and building a road over the valueless ranges to Salamaua (instead of putting the capital somewhere on the tablelands, and giving Wau a coastal road connec tion via Bulolo and the proposed Mark ham-Ramu arterial road) is a grave blunder, and we tried—quite uselessly— to show that aspect of it to the Com monwealth Parliament. The plan came before Parliament about 1 a.m., and members snored while Mr. Hughes rushed his legislation through.

The decision is taken, however, and nothing is to be gained by further pro tests.

Silver linings to the cloud are: The expenditure of £500,000 within two years is going to create a minor boom in the Morobe section of New Guinea.

Wau is going to get direct road access to the port at Salamaua.

If the road gives the long-awaited cheap transport to the goldfield, there should be considerable expansion of the gold industry on the Morobe table land, and an important timber indus try may be established.

It is evident that Australia, in un dertaking this large expenditure, does not expect that the control of this Mandated Territory will be handed back to Germany.

The Mining Association of Wau may be complimented upon the energy and shrewdness of their two representatives, Mr. H. T. Allan and Mr. C. C. Judd. They caught Mr. Hughes, in New Guinea, at the right moment; they followed up their initial advantage vigorously at Canberra,

Change In Fiji-Indians’

Dress Wear

Twenty years ago the Indian population of Fiji wore various types of dresses. The Indians of Punjab had their particular ap parel, the South Indians had their coloured shawls and tur bans; but to-day the fashion is totally changed and the great majority of them adopt Euro-, pean styles of clothing.

on June 28; and their determined ad vocacy made a certainty of the road, at a moment when the plan was being at tacked on all sides.

Salamaua harbour and isthmus, seen from the mainland. The present town is on the isthmus, and the aerodrome is away to the right. In the foreground are new buildings on Kila Point. The foreshore on the right is part of the large swamp, which it is pro posed to drain, in order to lay out the new town.