Bigger And Better

Transportation

Important Plans for WPHC Territories

SINCE he arrived In the South Pacific from London a few weeks ago, the new Marine Superintendent for the High Com mission of the Western Pacific, Commander J. H. Deane, has been very busy. His first task has been the compilation of a report on the whole transportation system of the Solomons, New Hebrides and Gilbert and Ellice Territories; and, to obtain the data, he has had to travel extensively in the Southwest and Central Pacific. It is expected that his report will be in the hands of the High Commissioner, and in London, this month.

The new High Commissioner, when he arrived last October, saw that it was useless to plan any economic future for his under developed archipelagoes unless the latter have adequate and depend able transportation; and they have had that at no time, and certainly not since 1941. Sea and air ser vices both are needed, and they must be co-ordinated.

The policy of the British Socialist Government, which had charge of the WPHC areas after the war, was the elimination of private enter prise and the introduction of Sta te owned transportation. The creation of the WPHC fleet of little trading ships was an exceedingly costly affair: and there has been criticism of the set-up on the score of efficiency. If the private traders, with their ships and their big stores and their drive, had been encouraged to return after 1945, the story might have been different.

The present British Government, anti-Socialist, is eager that enter prise shall come back, and especi ally that private capital shall in troduce and develop new industries.

But PE, with its eye on the next British general election (when Socialism may return) is shy; and when it looks at the transportation and labour systems, it is definitely uninterested.

The new High Commissioner, therefore, has done a wise thing in making this important transporta tion survey. It is likely that, follow ing Commander Deane’s report, action will be taken to induce pri vate enterprise to re-enter this field, as part of a plan to encourage economic development.

New transportation may include the inauguration of a regular air service between Henderson Field (Honiara), Nauru and Tarawa (Gilberts). It is many months since the High Commissioner and Qantas first discussed this service; but it has, among other things, raised the question of how to finance so ex pensive a service, and how to get

on b Slnde?S) d n rfeid. strip int ° USe The WPHC probably will seek, also, the introduction of a better air service with Australia. At prefrom WydneT^ia^oumea 3 at Santo (New and high officials from New Hebrides, desiring conference with their HQ at Honiara, have to travel Vila- Sydney-Moresby-Lae-Rabaul to get to Honiara on the Lae-Solomons service, although in a direct line the Solomons are only a few hunmlles . , . , . . .

The established industries of New Guinea are still not enough to justify the big and expensive air organisation which services that Territory. That factor is even more marked in the case of the New Hebrides and Solomons. However, it apparently is the view of Governments nowadays that economic development will follow the establishment of good transportation services, rather than the reverse.