They'll Brew Their
p. 29 · Read in the full issue
Own In P. Moresby !
Beer Consumption 35 Gallons per Head.
Port Moresby, Oct.
A COMPANY is being formed to pro duce beer at Port Moresby for sale throughout the Territory.
It expects to be able to sell its product for half the price of imported beer, which averages 4/- to 4/6 a bottle. Mr. J. M.
Bourke, who owns Wau Hotel, is one of the promoters of the company. The other promoters are five Territory residehts and one ex-Territorian. Mr. Bourke said yesterday that his syndicate will hold 50,000 £1 shares and another 100,000 will be issued to Territory residents. “We want the people who will drink our beer to be our shareholders, ’ he said, “We have had many offers of capital from Austra lia but we prefer to give local people the hrst opportunity.”
Mr. John Howard, an Australian brew ery construction engineer, will fly to Germany next month on behalf of the company, said Mr. Bourke. “Mr. Howard will engage a German brewer and chem ist and obtain special equipment such as vats, brewing kettles and yeast culture plants. We will buy other equipment locally or in Australia. We have already bought a suitable building at Badili, Port Moresby.” Mr. Bourke said the brewery should be operating in several months time. For a start it will probably pro duce 200,000 gallons of beer yearly.
The Territory's annual consumption is 350.000 gallons.
“The vast sums being spent in foreign countries to obtain beer for the Territory will be of great benefit if circulating locally,” said Mr. Bourke. “In addition, shipping space now occupied by beer could be used for other commodities. We will produce a good beer at a reasonable price.” (Editorial Note: According to the 1947 census there were approximately 10,000 Europeans and Asiatics in the Territories of Papua-New Guinea. That means that every European and Asiatic man, woman and child in P-NG is responsible for 35 gallons of beer per annum. We have a vast respect for the capacity of our Territorians—evidently they are disposing of, per person, twice as much beer as mainland Australians who, in 1949, put away 18 gallons per head of population.)