P-NG Policy On

Planter Wants

To Know —

P-NG Policy On Cattle Stations

MR. and Mrs. John Adams returned to their plantation, New r Massawa, in the Baining District New Britain, on the Shansi, which left Sydney on July 31. Their small son, John, returned with them, Before he left, Mr. Adams had something to say on the subject of the Administration policy of fostering the cattle industry in the Territory (Mr. Mick Leahy’s difficulties were outlined in the July issue of

Pim)

Mr Adams said that in theory the policy was fine, but when it came to putting it into practice the business of acquiring even a few animals was stiff with difficulties.

Mr Adams was speaking more particularly from the point of view of planters, who wished to run a modest herd of cattle in their plantations, rather than from the

point of view of the man who wanted to take up cattle raising in a large way.

The difficulties of the latter were outlined last month —in brief, there is apparently no shipping company willing to carry large numbers, and even with the Administration subsidy the cost of transportation is prohibitive.

Mr. Adams said that before the £3O per head subsidy is available, certain requirements are insisted upon by the Administration— a minimum fenced area, being one of the requirements. Planters in a moderate way, find that through financial or other reasons, the subsidy scheme is of little benefit to them. What they would like to do is to buy animals from local Administration breeding stations— but this, in New Britain, anyway, they are unable to do.

Mr. Adams says that on numerous occasions he has tried to buy cattle from the Administration station at Kurakakaul—usually known a s the Pig Farm —but has always been turned down. He does not know why.

He says that for a number of

years, the Administration has bee:; running Jersey and Aberdeen Angu cattle, pigs, donkeys and horse there.

He says that to his knowledge few if any of the progeny of th cattle and pigs have been sob Locally, it is asserted that the pig that have been bred at the statiot are useless; and that because th location is quite unsuitable fo cattle, the beasts that have bee bred from the original stock are noi in very poor shape.

No one knows what is the purpos of the horses and the donkeys.

Mr. Adams says that he an others would like to know the coi of running this establishment; ar what the Administration intent ultimately to do with the stock th; is bred. He feels that at the raj the stock is deteriorating that th station could eventually prove a des loss to the Administration.

Mr. Adams is not alone in h criticism of P-NG stock. No catt expert who has visited Papua-Ne Guinea in the last two years hi failed to come away without sayii something scathing about the pot quality cattle that is being bred ♦ Administration stations all over tl Territory.

Visit To The “Page Countrt

During their visit to Austral!

Mr. Adams visited Northern N© South Wales where Mrs. Adan family is very well known. Ml Adams was Miss Jean Page, daught of the late Mr. H. H. Page, Cover ment Secretary of New Guint until 1942 (when he was lost in fc Montevideo Maru ), and of Mrs. A:.

Page, now of Sydney. She is al a neice of Sir Earl Page and tJ Rev. Rodger Page, who was so Wv known in Tonga for many years?

During a visit to Lismore, IV Adams showed movie films to t) local branch of the Country Association. Some members of branch were able to recall whr Mrs. Page, who had been Miss Aj Brewster, set out from Lismore 1 Rabaul to become one of the fii half-dozen Australian women the The young bride had taken with H her wedding cake and a new petd iron—but had arrived with neitH as the contents of one had spilled the other.