New Guinea's Resources

Any Share of That £50,000,000?

rAT indefatigable worker for the public good, Mr. Henry Eekhoff, of Lae, New Guinea, has been vigor ously placing before the Australian Mini ster for Territories a suggestion that the Mandated Territories should receive some portion of the £50,000,000 made available by the British Imperial Government for colonial development.

Mr. Eekhoff has submitted to the Mini ster a plan under which money could be used advantageously for the reading, settlement and planting of large areas in New Guinea.

If Mr, Eekhoff succeeds in overcoming Canberra inertia, and getting under way some plan for the real agricultural de velopment of the Territory—a thing which has been hung up for at least 20 years— he will deserve all the medals which the public funds of New Guinea can buy.

As a matter of fact, it would be im pudence on the part of the Australian Government to ask Great Britain for a share of that £50,000,000 of colonial grant for expenditure in New Guinea. New Guinea, by reason of its gold industry, is one of the most richly-endowed tropical territories in the world and, if the country had been properly governed, it would have shown, between 1930 and 1940, a magnificent record of develop ment and progress. As it is, the less said about its record the better.

Mr. J. T. McEvoy, planter, of Manus, New Guinea, who was recently on fur lough in Australia, bought a schooner in Cairns for inter-island work and Cap tain Cruickshank came down recently from New Guinea with three of a crew to sail the schooner to Manus.