Good Crown Lands

Available In Papua

Paper Co. Surrenders Leases

NEARLY 40,000 acres of gener ally good Crown land have become available in the Northern Division of Papua, and there are indications that Australian interests may acquire some of it.

This land originally was acquired on lease by the British Australian Pulp and Paper Co. Ltd., in the ’Thirties. BAP, it will be remem bered, was sold on the idea that a good class of paper could be made from kurukuru grass (kunai, in New Guinea), and a plan of some mag nitude was built on it. However, a succeeding generation of directors abandoned the scheme, and now the leases have returned to the Crown.

They comprise: 19,000 acres at Wanigela. 9,500 acres at Sinapa. 9,500 acres at Kwagila.

All this land is in the Tufi area, and a considerable proportion of it is considered very suitable for the growing of cocoa and coffee. A team of experts from the CSIRO of Aus tralia has been in Wanigela since June, closely examining the country; and the area also has been under survey by the P-NG Department of Agriculture.

The Wanigela block, which is con sidered specially desirable, is close to the coast in Collingwood Bay, 25 miles from Tufi; and is easily accessible by road, air (there is a landing-strip nearby) and sea (there is a good anchorage for large ships at Wanigela). There is mill able timber on the land, which rises gently to 1,000 feet, and has an average rainfall of 10 inches per month.

Considerable sections of the Wanigela block have just been taken up by Mr. Kingsford Smith (a nephew of the famous airman) and by Mr. Moody.

Anyone interested in the area should lose no time in obtaining further information.