More Civilians Returning, But All Classes Crippled by

Progress Of Rehabilitation In N. Guinea

And Papua

More Civilians Returning, But All Classes Crippled by Lack of Shipping and Labour

rE rehabilitation of the Australian Territories, W'hich was delayed for a long time, first by the reluctance of the Military Administration to get out of the way, and second, by the attempts of Australia’s Leftist Minister, Mr. Ward, to introduce startling systems of his own planning—is now beginning to take shape and gather speed. These things have happened recently, or are now happening: • The Production Control Board, which was planned to take the place of the big trading firms, and “prevent ex ploitation of producers and natives,” is steadily shrinking. More and more of its functions are now being permitted to go to common, profit-making traders. The Board seems even to be partly vacating the field of native trade. • A crippling lack of shipping has re tarded development; but as described elsewhere—the position is likely to im prove in the latter part of March. • It is becoming easier to get travel permits, and more and more Territorians are moving homewards—as soon as trans port is available. But persons desiring to travel still have to go the wearisome round of bureaucrats External Terri tories, Movements Control, Shipping Office, Customs, Taxation, etc. Days are wasted in these maddening and senseless formalities. • The Army and ANGAU have vacated Lae and moved out of all the New Guinea mainland northward of the Markham River, and the Provisional Civil Govern ment has moved in. The Army, with new headquarters at Rabaul, still controls all New Britain, New Ireland, Bougainville and Manus, and will hold on there for another three months. • Now that Canberra is allowing nor mal procedure and machinery to function in the Territories, the Administration seems more inclined to encourage civilians to restore industry and settlement. But both Administration and civilians are greatly handicapped, by lack of transport and lack of labour.

The Army Leaves Lae

rE Army and ANGAU vacated all New Guinea mainland north of the Markham on February 28, and the Administration simultaneously moved in.

The transfer was a job of some magni tude; and the Civil Administrator, Colonel J. K. Murray, left Judge Gore behind in Port Moresby as Acting Administrator over Papua and the Morobe end of New Guinea, while he went north and person ally supervised the change-over.

Head'quarters of the Civil Administra tion north of the Markham are in Lae, of course; and the new staff, which formally took over this region on February 28, is under the immediate charge of Mr. K. C.

McMullen, who is now the official in charge at Lae. Mr. McMullen is held in high regard by everyone—and especially by old Territorians, who knew him as a District Officer in the old regime—and there has been almost a total absence of complaints and criticism from Lae since March 1.

Directing the re-establishment of Civil Administration over Northern New Guinea. Mr. McMullen has a staff of well over 100—many of them recently taken over from ANGAU. He has 4 District Officers, 14 ADO’s, 25 Patrol Officers, 8 police officials, and 15 European medical assistants. He has not one qualified medi cal officer.

The Minister announced on March 8 that Civil Administration probably would be extended over the remainder of New Guinea (except the area in the Gazelle Peninsula occupied by the Army) in April.

The native labour position is described in another article.

Stores and Storekeepers LARGE quantities of stores, accumulated by the military authorities in the Lae district, were disposed of before the Army and ANGAU moved out.

Everyone was eager to get some share of the goods; but the Army—doubtless in structed by Canberra —decided that dis tribution should be through the usual trading channels. The goods consequently were offered to firms which were trad ing in New r Guinea before the war—4o per cent, to Burns Philp & Co., Ltd.; 40 per cent, to W. R. Carpenter & Co., Ltd.; and 20 per cent, to Greenwood & Laws, Ltd. The latter did not accept.

The stores of Burns Philp & Co., Ltd., and Steamships Trading Co., Ltd., are again open and active in Port Moresby; and both big firms are ready to re-estab lish themselves in Samarai as soon as facilities nermit. This move may take some time", however, because all the busi ness area of Samarai, including the wharves, was destroyed by fire early in 1942. Although the Japs never reached Samarai, the destruction of the business area there was greater than in Port Moresby, which was frequently bombed.

Moresby suffered more from looting than from bombs. Steamships Trading have already opened a trading depot in Samarai It is expected that Burns Philp & Co., Ltd., will open up in Lae, as soon as

conditions permit.

There are no indications that W. R.

Carpenter & Co., Ltd., will resume their retail distributing business in New Guinea —the big firm apparently will be content with wholesaling, shipping, planting (in cluding desiccated coconut production) and air transport.

Apparently, storekeeping will not be re sumed by Messrs. Greenwood & Laws, Ltd. The old company is being liquidated, and Mr. R. A. Laws will devote his atten tion to a wholesale organisation, which will include other Western Pacific Terri tories, as well as New Guinea.

This means that, unless Steamships Trading Co., Ltd., decide to cross the old frontier between Papua and the Mandated Territory, Burns Philp & Co., Ltd., will, for the present, be without big competitors in retail storekeeping in New Guinea.

Port Moresby and Lae rE three main towns of the present combined Territory of Papua-New Guinea are Port Moresby (present headquarters of the Provisional Civil Government), Lae (an important Civil Administration centre and apparently to be the nort of entry for the Morobe gold fields—Bulolo, Wau, Edie Creek, etc.), and Rabaul (the old capital of the Man dated Territory, and now the head quarters of the Army, and of ANGAU, administering the islands of New Britain.

New Ireland. Manus and Bougainville).

Some people assume that Port Moresby will remain the administrative centre so long as Papua and New Guinea are ad ministered (as at present) as one Terri tory Others believe that, when ANGAU

moves out altogether (probably in April or May) and the Civil Government takes complete charge, a choice of ad ministrative headquarters will have to be made between Lae (or Finschhafen) and Port Moresby.

If UNO (if and when it decides the future of these Territories) is in favour of the two Territories being kept separate, then Port Moresby will remain as the headquarters of Papua, and Lae (or some other choice) will be headquarters of what is now the Mandated Territory. But UNO may not get around to this decision for another year or more.

Meanwhile, Lae is growing in both ad ministrative and commercial importance, and various civilians are making plans to re-establish themselves there.

Transport From Lae to Bulolo

IT is presumed that a bridge will be built across the Markham River, fairly near the mouth, so that goods from Lae for the goldfields can be carried on the new road. That is the military-built road which comes from the Bulolo Valley, via the Snake Valley, to the Huon Gulf, along the south bank of the Markham.

This will cut out much air transportation, which laid such a heavy burden upon the goldfields between 1927 and 1941.

For several weeks, an argument has been in progress between the Australian Government, which is trying to impose a toll upon this new road, and the gold mining community. The latter points out that this same Government, between 1930 and 1941, levied upon the industry, in the shape of a gold royalty, a heavy tax which was imposed for the specific purpose of building and maintaining a road. The sum thus taken from the gold-miners re presents a huge total—and it was NOT used for road-making. Therefore, the present attempt to impose a heavy toll naturally is regarded as a bureaucratic double-cross.

The argument is not concluded; but the road is likely to come into frequent use before 1946 is gone.

Communications Problem

rE only really reliable communications service between Australia and her Territories at nresent is that pro vided by Qantas Airways, which runs a regular three-times-a-week schedule be tween Sydney and Port Moresby—now being extended to Lae. This takes care of urgent passengers, mails and goods.

The shipping service has been deplor able. Shipping is controlled by a Gov ernment body in Australia; the Australian Army and the Provisional Government apparently fight each other for shipping space; and there is confusion and dis satisfaction.

For some two or three months, the Burns Philp liner “Marella” (which is in the possession of the Australian Govern ment —BP’s merely run their own ship as agents for the Government!) was kept on a fairly regular schedule between Sydney and the Territories ports, and carried a lot of cargo and many passengers. Then the bureaucrats got to fighting—and the “Marella,” for some obscure reason, was sent off to West Australia, and the Ter ritories, for some weeks, were left wholly without a ship.

The position improved in mid-March.

The Australian coastal liner “Ormiston” is to make a run to the Territories about March 25 with cargo and passengers, and two or three small freighters will sail for Territories ports before March 31. Main problem is absence of refrigerated cargo space.

The coastal shipping position in the Territories is fantastic. The Administra tion have seized all the little ships, which

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are so mis-managed and neglected that reliable service does not exist.

It is obvious, of course, that it is most difficult for civilian interests to make any plans for rehabilitation and the restora tion of industries while such chaotic con ditions govern transportation.

It was renorted, in mid-March that the following shipping had been made available: — “Ormiston,” exnected to sail for Fort Moresby and New Guinea ports about March 25 with cargo and some 200 pas sengers.

“Canberra,” to call at Townsville, Cairns and Rabaul.

“Comara,” freighter, from Sydney to Port Moresby and Samarai.

“Bingara.” freighter, from Sydney to Papuan ports.

“Muliama,” freighter, to Papua and New Guinea, about end of month.

Uncooperative Brass hats THERE is suspicion that a primary cause of the present confusion in the Aus tralian Territories are the Brass-hats of Australia. These gentlemen apparently recent the restoration of Civil Government —they certainly have retired very un wilfingly. They made a great effort, in 1945, to retain their administration, in the shape of ANGAU; and, since they were defeated, they have been sullen and unco-operative.

A sign of the times was the disclosure that many Brass-hats had been chasing jobs to keep them 90 days in New Guinea, so that they could thus escape Australian Income tax.

The confusion created by Mr. Ward’s Socialistic, pro-Fuzzy-wuzzy planning was bad enough; but it has become worse confounded as Mr. Ward’s team of bureau crats got into holts with the Army on matters of common interest, like ship ping.

When Civil Government has been ex tended over the rest of the Territory, and has shed some more of Mr. Ward’s ideas relating to tropical administration, the two Territories should regain some sem blance of ordered Government. Then civilians may begin to receive some prac tical help and encouragement, and may enjoy some of the services especially transport—which are essential to their rehabilitation.

Restoration of Air Services

NEW GUINEA’S internal air transport services—once the largest and most famous air transport service in the world —may be restored at an early date.

Before evacuation, three companies maintained the network of air services which covered the Morobe-Wewak dis tricts—Guinea Airways, Ltd., with head quarters at Lae; Mandated Airlines, Ltd., with headquarcers at Salamaua; and Stephens Airways, based on Wau.

It is expected that Mandated Airlines, Ltd. (W. R. Carpenter & Co., Ltd.) will resume operations within a very few weeks, using Lae as a base. Mr. Arthur Collins, Chief Pilot, has been in Sydney lately, busy on activities which are be lieved to presage an early return of the organisation. Here, as in so many other directions, planning has been crippled by lack of shipping.

It is stated that Mr. Hammond recently visited New Guinea, to report on che situation for Guinea Airways, Ltd. Guinea Airways’ plans have not been announced; but it is believed that, while Mr. Ham mond was not favourably impressed with what he found in New Guinea, a small

GA plane will be sent there at an early date to “test out the market and condi tions.”

Restoration of Towns SALAMAUA, which was the main sea port and an important airport of the Morobe district of New Guinea before the war, and which was demolished in the fighting in 1943, is not being rebuilt. It has been tidied up, and a couple of ad ministrative officials are located there; but both port and airport are regarded as a write-off. The halcyon days of 1926-41, when the eager crowds for the goldfields streamed through the Salamaua gateway, will not return.

The future of Wau is doubtful. Much of the little town was destroyed in 1942-43.

Almost certainly, it will be again the centre for New* Guinea Goldfields, Ltd., and other companies operating at that end of the Bulolo Valley; but, with the open ing of the Markham Road, the importance of the Wau airfield in the air freighting organisation will be much reduced.

It is possible that Bulolo township, on the other side of the Gorge, will outrank Wau in size and importance. Enough gold remains in the famous Bulolo flats to justify Bulolo Gold Dredging, Ltd., proceeding with a big programme of re building and development. There should be from 15 to 20 years further life in the goldfield.

Only one building in Bulolo survived the enthusiastic scorced-earth policy of the defending troops in 1942-43; all others were razed. Nothing much can be done until rebuilding is completed—and that will occupy many months of 1946.

Restoration of Gold Industry

rE eight Bulolo dredges are in fairly good shape; but no dredge can operate until electric power is avail able. Both of the big hydro-electric stations were destroyed. Generators for the Upper Station are ready for despatch, but that work is being held up pending the restoration of the water-races, which suffered a bad washout a couple of years ago. Generators for the Lower Station are being made in America, and will not be available until June.

A great deal of preparatory work is being done by BGD. but rehabilitation will not begin to take definite shape on the Bulolo leases until well on in 1946.

Lack of shipping still is a serious problem.

BGD apparently has no intention of us ing big planes again for freighting. Its three famous big Junkers were bombed and destroyed on the ground at Bulolo by Jap planes in January, 1942.

New Guinea Goldfields, Ltd., and the smaller gold companies are also actively engaged in preparation for resumption; but all are held up by lack of ships. All will be able to use the new road.

The restoration of the gold-mining in dustry generally is also being hampered by lack of labour —primarily the result of Mr. Eddie Ward’s new Fuzzy-wuzzy policy. The companies have been re cruiting around the Morobe and Waria areas—out chose natives live on good pro ductive lands, and they are not eager to “make paper.”

The companies hope that, as Civil Ad ministration extends over the north they will be permitted to recruit northwards and westwards of the Markham region, where there is much better labour. So far, labour is as big a headache as is sea transport in the task of rehabilitation.

Territorians are chuckling over an ex perience reported by NGG recruicers.

They found a number of natives who were

prepared to sign on—but the recruits objected strongly to the contract period of one year (the maximum allowed by the Ward Fuzzy-wuzzy policy). They said thev would sign on for two years, or nothing. The NGG people referred their problem to bureaucracy; and one report (unconfirmed) is that bureaucracy has graciously permitted a two years’ contract.