Samarai

Future Awaits Canberra Decisions

ALTHOUGH nearly three years have ex pired since the surrender of Japan and the end of the Pacific war, the little port of Samarai, on China Strait, at the eastern end of Papua, has not been rebuilt. The trading community long since resumed its activities, and Samarai is again distributing centre for eastern Papua and the numerous archipelagoes to the eastward; but there has been very little rebuilding—firms have been carry ing on in ex-military buildings and tem porary constructions.

During the period of the Jap invasion -1942 and part of 1943—the part of Samarai adjoining the water-front (the wharves and the business section) was obliterated.

Both hotels, the big stores of Burns Philp and Co., Steamships Trading Co., and Whitten Bros., as well as the goods-sheds and various smaller buildings, were de stroyed by bombs and fire. The residential section, extending eastward over ths small high island, was not destroyed.

The only permanent building put up so far is that of Messrs. A. H. Bunting, Ltd., who have been well established in the place of Whitten Bros., who did not re sume operations. Burns Philp & Co., Ltd. and Steamships Trading Co. Ltd., are carrying on actively, but under temporary conditions of much inconvenience.

Messrs. Bunting Ltd. and Burns Philp Ltd. erected quarters for their staffs. Otherwise there has been practically no building along the ravaged water-front. Lack of hotels is a serious inconvenience.

This, say residents, is due to the dither ing of the Administration and its apparent inability to make up its mind in relation

to the future of Samarai. it has been reported on a number of occasions that the Administration proposes to make a site in Milne Bay available as a port of shipment and administrative and distri buting centre, and that Samarai, in that respect, will be abandoned. Shipping men generally do not favour the latter plan much, because Samarai is a well sheltered port, with attractive and beautiful sur roundings, and it is right on China Strait, which is the main thoroughfare between a large part of the north-western Pacific Islands and Australia.

The Government has done no building at all. It has not even built an office for itself —it is still occupying the Memorial Hall, in spite of every effort by the non-official community to regain pos session of that desirable building.

Recent reports indicate that Quonset huts are being erected in Samarai to

accommodate men to erect the hew wharf.

If that is true, and if a new wharf is to be built, the period of uncertainty should be ended. It will then be assumed that the Government intends to use Samarai in future as an administrative and dis tributing centre, and private enterprise thereafter will quickly supply the neces sary accommodation.

The honour of selection for represent ative teams in two codes—cricket and hockey—has gone to Mr. H, Apted, of Suva, Fiji. He was a prominent mem ber of Fiji’s representative cricket team which toured New Zealand this year, and on July 17 he played centre-half in Fiji’s hockey team, which met Auckland at Suva.