Plea For Separation From Papua

Rabaul Wishes To Escape Pm Control

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, June 10.

MANY residents of the Territory, alarmed at the slowness of rehabilitation and the wastefulness of Administration, are convinced that our last hope of survival is separation from Papua.

Apart from all the more petty results of the uneasy union of the two Territories, the Provisional Territory is too large and unwieldly to be administered successfully from Port Moresby.

It would have been difficult enough pr-e-war, when shipping services functioned well and the Mandated Territory was materially whole and economic-

ally sound. But to-day, to attempt to administer the two Teritories. when one has been devastated by war, and Services of all kinds are nil. is to create chaos.

A number of New Guinea organisations are now considering ways and means of achieving a separate administration, with an advisory council of experienced men who would re-establish control and lay the foundations of stable policy. Many who were formerly in favour of the amalgamation of Papua and New Guinea have now changed their views and can not see how the retention of this present form of Government can lead to anything but disaster.

SN Rabaul just now the business houses are doing a large amount of busi ness. Chinese merchants and the Chinese population generally are very prosperous. Large consignments of all kinds of cheap, commercial manufactured lines and some trade goods have arrived from China. These have been augmented by Canadian and American goods that are reaching Rabaul via Hong kong.

This business is largelv a r:sult of the utter disregard the native has for the money that is being lavished on him in the way of war damage and Government grants of various kinds. When th'.s easy money is finished we will be faced with the realisation that production in these parts has suffered by neglect to such an extent that economic recovery will be almost impossible. Those natives who will then need employment will not find it—their means of livelihood will have disappeared.

THE inter-island shipping position is 1 described in the “Rabaul News,” a paper produced in Pidgin English by the Administration for the benefit of the natives, but read by the Europeans who have no newspaper of their own. A perusal of it discloses that a large num ber of the inter-island ships are out of action.

There are still no means of regular mails to the outposts, no means of dis tributing urgently-needed food and in dustrial supplies, and no means of ship ping produce. The people of Bougain ville. New Ireland, and a number of smaller islands are in an unpleasant posi tion, and a few planters have already been forced to leave their plantations after having spent large sums of money on them in an endeavour to bring them back into production. * * * HPHOUGH the Territory is suffering 1 severely from a shortage of timber supplies, some wizard is now monkey ing with the Forestry regulations in an effort to deprive former holders of timber permits and leases from resuming work on them.

Rumour has it that Big Business con cerns have designs on the timber areas of New Guinea. In the meantime, we gc without much-needed timber required for local rehabilitation purposes. * * * MR. OSCAR RONDAHL has left bj plane for Australia. He has beer very busy during the past few months trying to rehabilitate his pre war headquarters at Kabakaul, near Kokopo. He has disposed of several ol his plantations, but will retain the Kaba kaul property. Mr. Rondahl has pur chased a property in Clare, South Aus tralia, and is now an enthusiastic sheep breeder. He tells some good yarns about a blue cattle-dog, but denies that the crows in SA fly backwards—not as often as some people say they do, anyway.

Oscar Rondahl and his charming wife will make periodical visits to New Guinea!

We all wish them good luck in their new venture. * * *

Hard-working Mr. jack Gannonj

of the Commonwealth Bank, has re established the Rabaul branch very successfully, despite the many difficulties that beset anyone trying to get anything going hereabouts.

With two assistants, Mr. Gannon must have been hard pressed to cope with the banking business here, and attend to ths building of the bank premises. He now has received some further assistance in the shape of two young men from AusH tralia.