Rattan Cane From

Papua

Infant Industry Needs Some Official Help

IT has been suggested many times that Australia could establish a new in dustry in her tropical Territories by obtaining all her requirements of rattan cane from New Guinea and Papua. It is estimated that Australian requirements in cane for wicker-work of all descrip tions —especially furniture is equal to about 5,000 tons per annum. Before the war Australia obtained most of her re quirements from Indonesia (mostly Java) and paid approximately £3O per ton.

However, a young Australian who made an effort recently to develop this indus try found himself up against the usual blank wall of Australian official indiffer ence; and, up to date, he has had very little encouragement to proceed with his enterprise.

Mr. Ray Cavanagh trading as Islands Supplies, went to Samarai in May last, and proceeded to investigate the cane position. He found on the mainland, at the eastern end of Papua, large quantities of cane. There were anything between 50 to 100 varieties available and of these only 2 or 3 varieties are suitable for cur ing as rattan. However, there were large quantities of those varieties.

As it was impossible to make use of trained native labour under the present

labour conditions (one may nowadays in denture a boy for only one year, and it takes nearly a year to train him as a labourer) Mr. Cavanagh followed the system of organising teams of villagers as a labour corps. It was an expensive process three or four untrained village labourers were the equal of one trained labourer but he nevertheless was able to gather a few tons of cane, cure it (a process of drying extending over several weeks) and carry it to the beach for ship ment. Then he struck all sorts of trouble.

The coastal boats, running under the Socialistic control of the Australian Ship ping Board, practically refused to pick up his cane for transport to Samarai. He had great trouble in securing coastal transport, and tried to use barges.

He had similar trouble in securing shipment from Samarai to Sydney. The ships similarly under Commonwealth Socialistic control demurred against carrying the 15-feet long bundles of cane, even as deck cargo. The cured cane, inci dentally, requires a certain amount of pro tection from weather and rough handling, otherwise it deteriorates. In Port Mores by, Mr. Cavanagh had the pleasure of seeing his precious experimental cargo of cane swung from the ship to the wharf, while the ship was being loaded, and of seeing the cane bundles used on the wharf as a sort of fender for trucks and native labourers.

Mr. Cavanagh had much trouble in re lation to freight. He assumed that freight should not cost more than 81/per ton; but the Governmental powers argued for another rate equal to about £2B per ton.

The cane was tested carefully in Sydney and the reports were first-class. Aus tralian manufacturers will buy this cane in large quantities, if it is properly cured and shipped in lengths not less than 15 feet.

There is no doubt that there is here the basis of a sound little industry for Papua and New Guinea; but there is little prospect of that industry being de veloped unless Australian-New Guinea officialdom and especially that section of it which controls shipping makes some effort to assist the people who are prepared to risk their money and their time and effort in trying to organise something new.

It is noted that Messrs. Slazenger, in Australia, use 200 tons of cane a year in making tennis rackets and bats, and that the C. R. Maguire Company uses another 400 tons per annum in simple wicker-work.

Mrs. Elsie Zammitt (formerly Miss Luff) of Cairns, recently spent two months’ vacation with her parents at Daru, Papua.