Papuan Kapok And Market

Skulduggery

Letter to the Editor

UNDER the heading of “Kapok in Papua,” the following statement occurs on page 275 of the “Pacific Islands Year Book,” 1944; “There is a £ood world market, but the isolated Papuan planter cannot reach it.”

This statement should read; “There is a good world market, but the Papuan planter is prevented from reaching it by unscrupulous marketing methods in Aus tralia, designed to conserve the interests of Java kapok at the expense of Papuan growers.”

This is the sole reason why small Papuan planters cannot take advantage of the large Australian demand for kapok, and why the Territory at large is gaining no benefit from a crop it is cap able of producing.

The Commonwealth Government has encouraged Papuan planters to grow kapok by offering a bounty of 2d. per lb. on the local product exported to Aus tralia, but its good intentions are defeated by subversive marketing methods.

Is it not time that the Liberal press, or the Government that upholds the bounty system, inquired into the mar keting of Papuan kapok in Australia, and why it is that before the present war none came from Papua? Were certain transactions exposed and cut clean out (as was done by Sir Hubert Murray m the case of rubber), Papua would supply Australia with much of its kapok re quirements and, because of the bounty, at less cost than that paid for the Dutch- Indian product. A , Will the Department of External Ter ritories investigate the matter?

I am, etc.,

Sydney.

Fairplay.