Dutch New Guinea

Notable Progress Reported

From Our Own Correspondent

Port Moresby, Feb. 20.

IN view of the present activity in Netherlands, New Guinea, it does not appear likely that that Territory’s absorption by Australia, as advocated by Mr. T. L. Sefton (“P.1.M.”, January, 1939), will take place.

Returns for 1937, which are the latest available, show that the Dutch Colony is growing fast in economic importance.

Imports for the year amounted in value to £A288,000, an increase of £94,000 over the previous year, while exports increased by £72,000 to £186,000. The excess of imports over exports (£102,000) is accounted for by the great activity in exploration and prospecting, and by the fact that many plantations inaugurated in re cent years have not yet reached the producing stage.

Copra export is still small, at 4,327 tons. Timber is produced on an in creasingly large scale, and is almost wholly absorbed locally by the Gov ernment and the Netherlands New Guinea Petroleum Co. Production is steadily increasing, and the question of export of timber to Papua and Mandated New Guinea is under con sideration.

Exports of copal and damar gum amounted to 2,574 tons, an increase of nearly 1,000 tons on the previous year.

Nutmeg and mace increased from 502 tons to 652; and cotton from 68 tons to 297.

Exploration by the gold and oil in terests is still proceeding vigorously, and the American-Netherlands Arch bold Expedition has furnished a great deal of information of which full ad vantage is being taken; while the newly-formed Netherlands Company of New Guinea, with its large capital and its strong Government backing, is paying full attention to agricultural development.