Jap. Pearlers In Northern

Waters

TiHE usual reply, that the Minister for the Interior was giving attention to the whole matter oi pearling in northern waters, was given to Mr. W.

J. Riordan (Qld.) in the Federal Par liament when he asked whether the Gov ernment intended to patrol those waters by seaplane to protect the local industry against foreign encroachment. He de clared that the Commonwealth patrol launch “Viligant” was useless for the purpose.

Mr. Riordan said that the last annual report of the Northern Territory showed that between 4,000 and 5,000 tons of pearl shell were fished out of Thursday Island and Northern Territory waters by Japanese pearlers, compared with about 800 tons recovered by local pearlers.

Mrs. C. R. Bignell, who took over the lease of the Hotel Rabaul, in New Guinea, some years ago, has decided not to renew the lease, and other arrange ments are now being made for the future conduct and management of the well-known establishment. There now are three hotels in Rabaul —namely, the Hotel Rabaul, the Hotel Pacific, and the Cosmopolitan Hotel—and it is possible that some co-operative arrangement will be made between two of them, which will affect the future conduct of the Hotel Rabaul.