Timber Is Three Phases
pp. 99-100 · Read in the full issue
Official Action On New Guinea Timber Is Three Phases
From Our Own Correspondent
Pt. Moresby, Jan. 8.
LT long last, the Commonwealth Gov ernment has taken action in relation to New Guinea timber and made a ove on the Bulolo valley timber stands.
On December 21, the Minister for sternal Territories (Mr. Spender) inounced that a survey of the ulolo timber area was to be made by :perts on timber-milling and the man facture of plywoods. He said that if the port was favourable a company, com •ising Bulolo Gold Dredging Ltd., and le Commonwealth Government, would ; formed. The Commonwealth would ive the majority of shares, but on the Dard of Management the Government id BGD would have equal representa m. The logging and milling facilities ready installed by Bulolo Gold Dredging [)uld be used for the new company’s >erations.
The Minister said the proposed comp ly would be given exclusive rights over 0 million super feet of pine in the ulolo area, and smaller quantities of her timbers. Its cutting rate would be ound 10 million super feet yearly, and e cleared areas would be replanted.
This particular area represents about ilf the Bulolo timber stand, and was ;quired from the native owners by the before the war. Now, an her native group has agreed to sell the maining half of the Bulolo timber area approx. 24,000 acres —for £lO,OOO. Some ,000 of this money will be used to build model village for the natives concerned; tey will also get a cash payment of £500; id the balance will go into a trust fund
for their future benefit. There is also the opportunity for steady employment in their own area on timber cutting and milling, so that, all in all, this particular group of natives are benefitting mater ially by the deal.
The over-all plan for the Bulolo Valley calls for the logging and milling of 10 million super feet a year, so that the total stand of about 500 million super feet will keep the industry going for half a century. And, as re-forestation will be on a continuous basis —it is already started on postwar logged areas—the first of the new plantings will be ready for cutting by the time the original stand is exhausted, and the programme will then be set for further cycles of fifty years each.
There has been much criticism of the Bulolo timber plans, but it seems that the
present plan is a sound one, and —provided things actually do get started —that seems to be one Territory problem satisfactorily settled. There is no doubt about the energy and efficiency of Bulolo Gold Dredging, or its ability to get things mov ing; and, with the profits shared between the Commonwealth and private enter prise, this seems to be a fair deal for all parties.
Tenders For 3 Special Areas
ANOTHER move in regard to timber is the announcement that tenders are
to be called early this year for cutting in the Trans-Busu (Lae), Brown River (Port Moresby) and the Sangara (Buna) timber areas. The Ministerial statement estimates a total annual cut from these three leases of from 15 to 20 million super feet.
Emergency Permits
AND, further, action is being taken On twenty applications for emergency permits (various coastal areas) au thorising the cutting of up to five million super feet on each permit over a ten
years period. Some permits have already been granted.
With Bulolo turning out plywood, the£ three supplementary leases providing both plywood and general building timl ber, and the emergency permits producing timber over a wide area of the Territory! it looks as though these particular re 4 sources are going to benefit the economy of the Islands in no small way.
It might even be possible to build a : house without waiting months for all th£ bits and pieces of timber that are now on the short supply list.