Papuan Contribution To

Old. Sugar Industry

Letter to the Editor I NOTICED in a recent issue of the PIM that some representatives of the CSR intend going to New Guinea to search for sugar cane. That brought to my mind a similar visit made by Sir Alfred Cowley, who was Chairman of the CSR back in 1910 or 1911.

He was accompanied by Captain Hun ter, who was once captain of the Merrie England, owned by the old British New Guinea government, and was fol lowed in that capacity by Captain Tornarus. Captain Hunter joined the BNGD Co. as a sort of Marine Superin tendent and was, I think, with Sinclair, one of the men responsible for the BNGD Company being formed. One other mem ber of the party was a Mr. Metcalfe, an Englishman with very pronounced Eng lish ideas.

At the time I was in Papua, in charge of the Laka River Estate, in behind Vili rupu, and we had a small nursery with some sugar cane growing. This came from a village some distance inland called Oruone, and was, so Sir Alfred said, the finest cane he had ever seen. He took some “suckers,” I think he called them, and also arranged for me to collect more frorp the village mentioned. These were sent to Moresby, and Hunter had them sent on to some place in NQ where good results ensued, and one of their expert?, who travelled to USA en route to Cuba, to attend a conference of sugar-producing areas, told what really fine cane the New Guinea sorts were.

It therefore seems as if history is re

peating itself, and it should be remem bered that in behind Paile, somewhere to the west of the headwaters of the Laka River, may be found some really good examples of sugar cane, and also wonderful pineapples. .

I am, etc., JL

J. E. Nixon Westwood.

Wellington, NZ, Ar-ril 20, 1950.