Shipping Control

PCB Takes Over P-NG Shipping Control

THE P-NG Production Control Board may be without statutory authority (see elsewhere this issue) but this is not preventing it from assuming a larger role in the life of the average Territorial This despatch from our Port Moresby correspondent, in early April, tells how the PCB is to control that most-cursed of all Wardist inventions—the Govern give better service.

We await the result of the experiment with interest. As far as isolated plant:rs are concerned, it may be a good thing.

Their greatest complaint has been that the ships did not lift their copra. The PCB main business is copra, may give better services.

Supervision of the Coastal and Inter- Island Shipping Service passed from the Directorate of Shipping to the Australian- New Guinea Production Control Board at the beginning of April.

Tre shipping administrative head quarters will be at the P.C.B. offices in Port Moresby, and the P.C.B. Deputy- Chairman, Mr. lan McDonald, will now inherit the shipping service headaches.

The coastal service ships, totalling 24 at the time of transfer, will continue to be operated under agency agreements with Burns Philp (New Guinea) Ltd., New Guinea Co. Ltd., Steamships Trad ing Co., Ltd., and Colyer Watson (New Guinea) Ltd.

B.P.’s have been allocated 10 ships, New Guinea Co. 6, Steamships Trading 5, and Colyer Watsons 3.

The agencies will get a fee for each ship they control, and 7i per cent, com mission on the gross freight, and passage money earnings. They will be responsible for employment of sea-going personnel, and, conditional on any Ministerial direc tion, will arrange the routing of the vessels in collaboration with one another.

The Production Control Board takes over administration of the agency agree ments formeny carried out by the Ship ping Directorate, and also the financial

arrangements which were handled by the Department of External Territories at Canberra. Employees of the Shipping Directorate have been transferred to the Board.