The Scandalous Price Of Rice

Find the Difference Between £23 and £70

EMPLOYERS in Papua-New have many grievances—but probably the biggest and most persistent cause for complaint is the price of rice. Rice is the staple food for plantation labour ers; but, both in quantity available - and in price, it is a constant headache.

Prior to the arrival of the Territories Minister last April, the price of rice in New Guinea was £65 per ton. (For com parison it may be noted that just before World War II rice could be landed in Salamaua for £l2/10/0 per ton). The attention of Mr. Spender was directed to the heavy impost, and he said he would do something about it. Sure enough, immediately after his return, the landed cost was altered, to give a reduction of £1 per ton. But, immediately after that, the general price of rice was raised by £5 per ton —so the planter was £4 per ton worse off.

To-day, few planters are getting rice to their plantations for less than £7O per ton. Even then, there is a shortage—many “lines” have been on native foods recently.

IN the old days, rice came freely from South-east Asia —to-day there is little from that source. Growers on the Australian Irrigation Areas provide most of the rice that goes to Papua-New Guinea; and the Sydney Daily Telegraph of September 6 said that they are making so much money they don’t know what to do with it.

Before the war they got £ll for rice

sold locally and less for rice exported.

To-day, tney get £lB per ton on the local market and £23 per ton for export.

The Telegraph adds: “There is enough grown in Australia to supply our Pacific Islands commitments and the local mar ket. Next January, anticipating a record crop of 70,000 tons, the Australian dis tributors will defy the Federal Govern ment and pour rice on to the local market.”

It seems quite clear that the Austra lian Federal Government, through its sys tem of controls is responsible for this shocking profiteering. If the Australian grower is getting £23 for rice exported, and making a huge profit, why is the New Guinea employer paying £7O? Who gets the difference?

RICE is not the only commodity in which there is scandalous profiteer ing against the Papua-New Guinea employers. In Cairns, Dieseline (motor fuel) costs 1/2J per gallon—in Rabaul it is 3/4i per gallon. The need for pro viding containers represents a higher cost —but not all that much extra.

Before the war residents of Papua- New Guinea, being free from many of the tax impositions of Australia, got many staple commodities more cheaply than in Australia. To-day, it seems to be the purpose and delight of the bureaucrats to make the cost of living in the Territ ories as expensive as possible—and the various politicians who promised so much, are not able to do anything about it.