For Madang

Chamber of Commerce For Madang Members Push Highland Road Plea

Prom Our Own Correspondent

Madang, July 31.

A GROUP of Madang’s business men have formed a Chamber of Commerce. Regular meet ings are to be held and it is hoped that the Chamber will effect numerous much-needed reforms in the economics of the district.

Mr, Tom Warburton local manager of Burns Philp (NG), Ltd., was elected president.

Messrs. A. Strachan and D.

Robertson form a two-man com mittee and Mr. D. L. Meek was •elected secretary.

At the inaugural meeting con siderable time was spent in discuss ing a plan for building a road from Madang to the Central Highlands.

This route for the Highlands road was suggested by the UNO Com mittee and Sir Alan Bums who visited the Territory on UN business last year.

Members of the new Chamber are enthusiastically pressing Madang’s claim as the outlet for the rich Highlands. They say that building such a road would not necessarily be costly—that the grades are not unreasonable and that the rivers are crossable.

The proposed road would go through Amele, near an already established rice growing project, would open up large timber areas and would enter the Ramu Valley where it is believed that jute could be grown.

The road would cross into the Highlands over the headwaters of the Ramu.

Madang, it was pointed out, has a perfect harbour where the rich produce of the hinterland could be shipped.

Its airport is much closer to the Highlands than is Lae and only infrequently is closed to aircraft through bad weather.