Unknown Area
pp. 7-8 · Read in the full issue
To Go Into Papua's Unknown Area Oil Search Companies Seek Permits
From Our Own Correspondent.
Pt. Moresby. Oct. 6.
UNDER the Petroleum (Prospecting and Mining) Ordinance of the Ter ritory of Papua. Australasian Petroleum Co. Ltd. applied recently for a permit covering an area of approximately 1.704 square miles in what until recently was the Uncontrolled Area in the Western Division.
Island Exploration Co. Pty. Ltd. also have applied for a permit covering an area of approximately 2,682 square miles in the same region.
When war broke out, Germany had at least 40 large submarines at sea and, al though the British and French navies have performed miracles, the fact re mains that less than half of these have so far been accounted for. If these sub marines can get supplies to enable them to keep going, they are just as likely to turn up in the Pacific and commence op erations there as anywhere else. It is for that reason that the naval authorities, by censorship and otherwise, are exer cising the greatest precautions to pre vent the circulation of news relating to the movements of shipping in the Pacific.
It was reported, from Tokio, in Sep tember, that the German liner “Scham horst” was in Kobe harbour, and was being converted into an armed raider. It
was also stated that Britain had told Japan that the arming of German ships in Japanese ports was an infringement of the Japanese neutrality Nothing has been heard of the matter since.
British and French sea-borne commerce is proceeding as usual in the Pacific, ex cept for the inconvenience imposed by strict wartime precautions; but those who remember the circumstances of the last war will realise that the danger of a raider getting loose in the Pacific, and doing a lot of damage before it is finally rounded up, will remain as long as a condition of war exists.
Precautions At Fanning Island
IMMEDIATELY after the outbreak of the Great War, in 1914, a German warship completely demolished the cable station at Fanning Island, thus interrupting cable communication be tween North America and Australia. Al though short-wave radio now has greatly reduced the importance of maintaining cable communication, the lesson of 1914 was not forgotten, and immediately war broke out, on September 3, steps were taken to protect Fanning Island.
An American steamer went to Fanning Island from Honolulu with defence sup plies. She carried cement, barbed wire iron stakes, and lumber, as well as a staff of men to take charge of the defences