Neglected Wealth

The Dismal Story Of The New Guinea Timber Industry

From a Special Correspondent

Port Moresby, Jan. 23

APROPOS of the inquiry concerning New Guinea leases, now proceeding in Sydney—if you will turn to page 23 of the “PIM” of October, 1945 (over two years ago) you will see that you published the following, based on an in terview with Mr. Tom Flower, the Papua sawmiller: — “One report says that the Government —or, at least, four minor Ministers, re presenting a little-respected section of the Government has been carrying on discussions with a ‘local syndicate,’ headed by a Wau dentist and a New Guinea aviator, and that the negotia tions had proceeded a considerable dis tance. It was not indicated that any of the interests concerned had any prac tical knowledge of the lumber industry— the profit motive seemed to be the main consideration.

“Well-wishers of New Guinea hope still that the Australian Government will display enough vision to use Australia’s clamant hunger for timber to establish a new and profitable industry in that Territory. The only certain way to do this is to throw the situation wide open to private enterprise, under proper con trol. But no such decision is expected from the people who now are in charge in Canberra. Thev are more likely to try to establish a State-owned industry.”

At that time (1945), Mr. Flower said he had all the plant and facilities avail able for quickly developing a big timber export industry, for the great benefit of

these Territories, but he could not get the Australian authorities to move, in his favour, or in any other direction.

It is interesting to know now, after the lapse of more than two years, that Mr. Flower is still trying to get some as sistance and co-operation from the Ad ministration, but in vain. He says he has enough equipment at hand to supply all the needs of two Territories—but he cannot get logs to saw.

He has been granted an area about 18 miles from Port Moresby—but this is on the other side of a range, and he can not get at it until he has constructed six miles of road. He cannot now work this area, in any event, because this is the wet nor’west season. When he asked permission to get logs off another area, near a river on which he could have floated the logs out, the Administration said it was agreeable—but it would have to call public tenders.

No one objected to that —but the Ad ministration is still dithering around, and nothing is done in the way of formula ting a timber policy.

Why—O why—do the powers-that-be not get on with the job, and give the Territories a chance to benefit substan tially from this world-wide clamour for timber! Inquiries for timber are arriv ing here from all parts of the world.

The demand is incredible.

Mr. Flower tells me that he is ship ning logs regularly to Australia —mostly Ilimo, from the Laloki River —and his Sydney buyers have given him carte blanche to supply as much as he can. Il imo in Sydney is commanding 99/3 per hundred super ft., fixed price, which is 47/- more than NSW hardwoods. Yet the Port Moresby experts class Ilimo as third-class timber and fix the price of

1-inch planks at 52/6, less 10 per cent, to the Government —which is 10/- per hundred super feet less than local hard woods.

Papua and New Guinea have sources of great wealth in their gold, coconuts, timber, and so forth, all more or less awaiting the magic touch of private enterprise to bring large revenues to all concerned. But the Government hates private enterprise, and does little or

nothing to help miners, planters, traders and sawmillers. But it is spending Aus tralian taxpayers’ money at the rate of about £3,000,000 per annum, in an attempt to establish a kind of Elysium for natives who are not yet out of the Stone Age.

What a set-up!