for New Guinea Ships

Cairns as Port of Call for New Guinea Ships

CAIRNS (Qld.) businessmen are again urging that the town be made a port of call for vessels in the New Guinea- Sydney trade. They allege that the town is in a position to supply many goods wanted in New Guinea and now brought from Sydney, The local Chamber of Commerce had previously approached the Minister for External Territories and Burns Philp and Company but had not received satisfactory replies.

Before the war, Burns Philp ships made regular calls at Cairns and Townsville on their way to New Guinea but at that time they were subsidised to do so. Since the war the subsidy had been withdrawn and, it is stated, the volume of trade is such that calls there are unwarranted without it.

The Chamber of Commerce was of the opinion that if ships made regular calls, then the volume of trade from Cairns would grow accordingly. They decided, at their August meeting, to make a further approach to Burns Philp and Co., Ltd., and, if necessary, to ask the Federal Gov ernment to reintroduce the subsidy paid to the Company before the war.