War And The

Big Firms

Establishments Ruined and Trade Dislocated

TO obtain an adequate idea of how trade and commerce in the South Pacific have been disorganised by the Pacific war, one need only turn to the organisations of the big trading firms.

Prior to December last, Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd. (as distinct from Burns Philp (South Sea) Co. Ltd., which oper ates mostly in Polynesia) had busy and profitable branches in the East Indies and Malaya, in every one of the West ern Pacific territories and in New Heb rides. To-day, the only branches run ning normally are those in Australia and New Hebrides.

The position in the Western Pacific territories is as follows:

New Guinea

The branches at Rabaul, Salamaua, Lae, Wau, Madang, Lorengau, Kavieng and Kieta, and some smaller places, have been closed and, where not taken prisoner or “gone bush”, the staffs have been withdrawn.

The Rabaul, Kavieng, Lorengau and Kieta staffs mostly were overwhelmed in the Japanese invasion, and records were lost. Some of these men are believed to be still in the jungle, but others appar ently are prisoners. It is believed that Mr. Philip Coote, general manager at Rabaul, is a prisoner.

Stores, stocks, workshops and shipping in all these places represented invest ments running into many hundreds of thousands of pounds. In some places— Rabaul and Lae, for instance—the estab lishments were destroyed by fire and bombs; in others they were destroyed as part of the “scorched earth” policy. The Rabaul building was new and handsome —it replaced one destroyed by fire only four or five years ago.

Ninety per cent, of all this property will have to be regarded as a “write-off”.

Papua

The main BP stores in Papua were at Port Moresby and Samarai. So far as is known, the Samarai establishment is burned out, and the various subsidiaries are in somewhat similar condition. This looks like an 80 to 90 per cent, “write off”. Papuan records were saved.

Mr. G. Moore, manager at Port Moresby and Mr. George Aumuller, manager at Samarai, have retired from the BP service.

Solomon Islands

The establishments at Tulagi (Mak ambo), Faisi and Gizo have been closed and the staffs withdrawn. The indica tions are that the destruction in the Solomons centres has not been as bad as that elsewhere. Tulagi has been bombed on a number of occasions, but there is no available report of damage done.

Other Territories

Burns, Philp and Co. Ltd. also had trading establishments at Nauru, and at Tarawa, in the Gilbert Islands.

The staff has been withdrawn from Nauru.

When the Japanese war came, the firm had only one store still operating in the Gilberts—that at Tarawa. The Japan ese looted the store when they landed there on December 10, and filled the BP schooner “Helena” with BP mer chandise and towed her north. They

made prisoners of the BP staff; but three members of the latter (Messrs.

George Jenner, manager, Clark, account ant, and Captain Doughty, of the “Hel ena”) eventually got away south. So far as is now known, the BP buildings on Tarawa are intact, but the merchandise and shipping are gone. Mr. Jehner, despite hazardous adventures, escaped with some of the records, and all the firm’s cash.

It will be seen from the foregoing that BP operations generally have been greatly dislocated. Not only has there been widespread destruction of stores, merchandise, workshops, shipping, plan tations, and buildings, but there is also the loss caused by complete paralysis of trading, shipping and planting activities.

The firm will receive something from war damage compensation funds, but this is not expected to cover the losses indicated above.

Other Big Firms

Almost the same remarks may be applied to W. R. Carpenter and Co. Ltd., merchants, planters and shipowners, in relation to New Guinea, the Solomons and the Gilberts (through On Chong and Co., a Carpenter subsidiary); and to Steamships Trading Co. Ltd., a com pany with stores, trading stations, work shops and shipping, in Papua, and especially in Port Moresby and Samarai.

Some of the Carpenter staff were caught in Rabaul, but the principal executives got away in time. The Car penter staffs were trapped at Kavieng and at Pondo —Carpenters operated a large desiccated coconut factory at Pondo —and most of them appear to be still in enemy-occupied territory.

If the three companies named are not to suffer very heavy losses, war damage compensation will have to be on an exceedingly generous scale.

The lucky one of the Pacific trading companies, of course, is Morris, Hed strom Ltd., whose headquarters are in Suva, and whose trading area is confined to the Central Pacific.