NG Shipping

Another Breakdown In

Madang Will Be Left Without Supplies From Australia For 3 Months

THE New Guinea shipping position, which improved considerably after the “Malaita” went back on the run last April, is again in a state of partial paralysis.

This is due to the “Montoro,” which returned to Sydney from New Guinea ports in late September, having to under go minor repairs. Due to congestion in Sydney docks, she will not be ready to ] esume her run until at least mid- November.

In the meantime “Malaita,” which re turned to Sydney from Papua-New Guinea ports on October 2, has made a record (1947) turn-around in Sydney and will leave again on October 17.

“Malaita,” however, is going only to Port Moresby and Samarai.

To partly relieve the situation, the Commonwealth Government’s ship, “River Mitta,” will take cargo northward about the end of October. Sailing from Mel bourne she will make calls at Sydney, Port Moresby, Lae, Rabaul and return by Finschhafen. She will carrv cargo only— no passengers.

Madang has been entirely abandoned and will be without Australian shipping for something like three months.

Madang is the chief copra shipping port on the New Guinea ’mainland—if not the chief shipping and production centre of copra in this Rehabilitation Era It is, as well, the dispersal centre for all those proceeding up the Sepik River to Wewak and Aitape and to the Admiral ties and other northwestern islands.

It would be interesting to know by what reasoning the conclusion has been reached that the residents of these dis tricts can forego—as they apparently are to be made to forego—fresh food, supplies communication and a means of export ing their produce.

Philp’s shipping department in Sydney agrees that shipping affairs in New Guinea m the next two months will be “only middling.”

The Sydney office of the Australian Shippmg Board (New Guinea Section) states that responsibility for maintain communication between Australia amd New Guinea is not theirs—they are responsible only for the small ships sec tion in Papua-New Guinea coastal waters. _j£ t f he ul tim .ate analysis, the real cul pnts for Terntonans’ lack of shipping a £ d 1111I 111 , lts . associated ills and evils, are hnL^ Ust l alia i n Social ists and Union Red bosses who have curtailed services and h I J he , reduction of working thirl? jJ?4r3 ndu JL tr . lal unrest > to about one third of the efficiency of 1939.

French writer Jean Manctti has returned to New Caledonia vpnr? atl Tj- la i? d ’, after an absence of 20 years, His books, some of which have “Trvnt tra ? slated into English, include M St « P eut -etre inutile,” “Takata Les Contes de Pomdi, A Bord de I’lncertaine,” “Le ’

Dernier Voyage du Thetis,” a book of Ro^dVours 6 ” ‘‘ N ° Stalgie ’’’ a nd “Catch,