NG Tea May Be

"Uneconomical"

From a Special Correspondent

Port Moresby, Aug. 16

THERE are good tea-growing areas in Papua-New Guinea; but it is uncer tain whether tea cultivation would prove an economic proposition.

So, said Mr. G. Wyndham, an expert on tea production, with experience in India and Ceylon, after he had completed a survey of Papua and New Guinea on behalf of the Australian External Ter ritories Department.

He was, he said, Impressed with some of the valleys in the Central Highlands, especially around Mt. Hagen. Tea would also grow, in his opinion, in the Gairaina Valley, south of Lae, and at Sogeri, in the foothills of the Owen Stanleys, be hind Moresby. Sogeri is at present a good rubber district. It was believed that the highlands would yield the best quality tea, but that Sogeri would yield more to the acre.

Drawbacks to any tea production scheme were: Lack of easy transport, building materials, labour and fuel for the driers. There are, in Mr. Wynd ham’s opinion possible answers to the fuel problem—hydro-electric power in the highlands, and timber adjacent to Gair aina. But it was more difficult to predict the future of the labour market in those localities: or the question of transport.

If these difficulties could be overcome, however, there was no reason why New Guinea should not supply the Australian market with high-grade tea. (EDITORIAL NOTE: The fact that an expert has cast doubts upon the tea in dustry being an economic success prob ably is sufficient to inspire the Australian Territories Department to go forward im mediately with its pet scheme for intro ducing a native lea-growing industry.

If it were sincere in wishing to provide Australian tea-drinkers with New Guinea grown tea, it would provide facilities for would-be European growers, parallel to those it will provide for natives—if not in the “closed” highland area, then in Sogeri and Gairaina. In this way it would be possible to develop in New Guinea, within the lifespan of men now living, a healthy tea industry.)